South East Farmer June 2021 by KELSEY Media

Est 1982

June 2021

CARBON BREAKTHROUGH COULD PROVE VITAL

INSIDE Groundscare business continues to flourish A new approach to defrosting cold store coolers Race against the clock to recruit seasonal workers

Farming is changing like never before. The opportunities are out there. CLM offers new ideas with traditional values.

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www.southeastfarmer.net SOUTH EAST FARMER Kelsey Media, The Granary, Downs Court Yalding Hill, Yalding, Maidstone, Kent, ME18 6AL 01959 541444 EDITORIAL Editor: Malcolm Triggs Email: sef.ed@kelsey.co.uk Photography: Martin Apps, Countrywide Photographic PUBLISHER Jamie McGrorty 01303 233883 jamie.mcgrorty@kelsey.co.uk GRAPHIC DESIGN Jo Legg 07306 482166 jo.legg@flair-design.co.uk MANAGEMENT CHIEF EXECUTIVE: Steve Wright CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER: Phil Weeden MANAGING DIRECTOR: Kevin McCormick PUBLISHER: Jamie McGrorty RETAIL DIRECTOR: Steve Brown RENEWALS AND PROJECTS MANAGER: Andy Cotton SENIOR SUBSCRIPTION MARKETING MANAGER: Nick McIntosh SUBSCRIPTION MARKETING DIRECTOR: Gill Lambert SUBSCRIPTION MARKETING MANAGER: Kate Chamberlain PRINT PRODUCTION MANAGER: Georgina Harris PRINT PRODUCTION CONTROLLER: Kelly Orriss DISTRIBUTION Distribution in Great Britain Marketforce (UK) Ltd, 3rd Floor, 161 Marsh Wall, London, E14 9AP Tel: 0330 390 6555 PRINTING Precision Colour Print

Kelsey Media 2020 © all rights reserved. Kelsey Media is a trading name of Kelsey Publishing Ltd. Reproduction in whole or in part is forbidden except with permission in writing from the publishers. Note to contributors: articles submitted for consideration by the editor must be the original work of the author and not previously published. Where photographs are included, which are not the property of the contributor, permission to reproduce them must have been obtained from the owner of the copyright. The editor cannot guarantee a personal response to all letters and emails received. The views expressed in the magazine are not necessarily those of the Editor or the Publisher. Kelsey Publishing Ltd accepts no liability for products and services oﬀered by third parties. Kelsey Media takes your personal data very seriously. For more information of our privacy policy, please visit Kelsey Media takes your personal data very seriously. For more information of our privacy policy, please visit https://www.kelsey.co.uk/privacy-policy/ . If at any point you have any queries regarding Kelsey’s data policy you can email our Data Protection Oﬃcer at dpo@kelsey.co.uk.

www.kelsey.co.uk Cover picture: Monkton Court Farm ©Martin Apps, Countrywide Photographic

JU NE 2021

CONTENTS

31 05 07 08 12

NEWS & REPORTS

‘Net zero’ now a realistic target. Think carefully about woodland offer. Kent grower joins national forum. Recognition for rural young people.

REGULARS

MONICA AKEHURST

NICK ADAMES

NIGEL AKEHURST VISITS...

48 52 55

STEPHEN CARR SARAH CALCUTT MARKET REPORTS ANITA HEAD

VINEYARD for viticulturists in Great Britain ™

The independent monthly publication dedicated to viticulture and wine making in Great Britain

www.vineyardmagazine.co.uk

Approaching the post-Brexit future.

LEGAL

LAND AND FARMS

FEATURES

RECRUITMENT

GROUNDSCARE & GENERAL SERVICES

CONTROLLED ATMOSPHERE

Nick was horrified to see the bases of all the stanchions ‘swinging in the wind’.

33 40 44 46

ALAN WEST

Lambing has its usual challenges.

Nigel visits Broadlands Meadows Farm to find out more about alpacas and social farming therapy.

ADVICE FROM THE VET

Determination to save the South East’s fruit and vegetable crop from disaster has seen recruitment expert Doug Amesz spend the past few months in Ukraine, racing against the clock to recruit seasonal workers.

It takes a special sort of individual – and a great deal of hard work – to grow a business from scratch and then continue to find new opportunities to take it forward. Orchard Cooling are bringing a new approach to defrosting cold store coolers.

SUBSCRIBE FOR ONLY £40 A YEAR RECEIVE YOUR COPY FIRST CLASS STRAIGHT TO YOUR DOOR

OP IN IO N

Joint effort is needed

There are plenty of myths about the Battle of Britain, one of the most critical events in the history of this country. Britain didn’t ‘stand alone’ in any real sense of the phrase, the aircrew weren’t all in their teens and the battle wasn’t won purely by ‘the Few’, valiant and heroic though they undoubtedly were. It was, truth be told, a team effort by a vast range of people, from the women pilots serving with the Air Transport Auxiliary, delivering new aircraft to front-line stations (without radios or guns), to the Royal Observer Corps, the ‘top brass’ strategists and the overnight workforce that repaired bombed runways and reconnected damaged communication systems. Britain didn’t stand alone, as a quick look at the nationality of the aircrew (not just pilots; there were radio operators and air gunners in multi-crewed aircraft, too) will attest – but it did stand together. From pilot aces to WAAF plotters and from volunteer fire wardens to exhausted ground crew, the country joined forces to achieve a common goal. While it would be crass in the extreme to compare this country’s post-Brexit challenges to the Battle of Britain, it is nonetheless clear that a similar joint effort is needed if the country is to go forward into the 21st century equivalent of Churchill’s “broad, sunlit uplands”. Farmers are already doing their bit, pressing ahead with plans to make agriculture carbon neutral ahead of the Governent’s own deadline and taking every opportunity to improve their soil and produce the food we need as efficiently as possible. Industry specialists are backing their efforts, with agronomy firms like Hutchinsons now delivering the technology that allows farmers to measure the carbon they are trying to store on their land and in their trees (and if you can’t measure it then you really can’t track your progress). The people are on board, too, with lockdown inspiring a resurgence in shopping locally and in choosing food with a known provenance. Farm shops and deliveries from local outlets saw a boom in 2020 which will hopefully continue – and even supermarkets seem to be increasingly on board with the ‘buy British’ message. What it needs, of course, is for the Government to join the team and play its part in securing a bright future for agriculture, which is why the UK Farming Roundtable’s message reported in this issue is so important. It is vital that trade deals don’t sacrifice the high standards that farmers set – and consumers enjoy – in this country. As the roundtable has pointed out, deals we agree today will influence those we make tomorrow. The Government needs to stand firm, protect UK farmers and make deals that benefit the whole team. After all, it was neither the Spitfire nor the Hurricane that won the Battle of Britain. It was both.

MALCOLM TRIGGS - EDITOR

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STAND UP FOR FARMING

Farming organisations from across the UK have urged the Government to stand up for the industry in trade talks with Australia and New Zealand. With negotiations reaching an advanced stage, the UK Farming Roundtable, an impressive collection of no fewer than 19 high profile farming bodies, has set out five principles that it wants to see reflected in any deals. Those principles are: • Upholding our high standards of production and positioning the UK as a global leader in sustainable farming and in tackling climate change • Recognising the specific sensitivities of some UK farming sectors, such as beef and sheep, in the current negotiations • Balancing improved access and lower tariffs for agricultural imports with quotas and other safeguards to avoid irreversible damage to UK farming • Ensuring any trade deal is genuinely reciprocal and that the benefits properly reflect how valuable UK market access is for foreign exporters • Acknowledging that these deals will establish precedents that will be reflected in all our trade deals. The NFU is joined on the roundtable by groups including the British Poultry Council, the National Pig Association, the Livestock Auctioneers’ Association, the Royal Association of British Dairy Farmers, the Soil Association, the National Beef Association, the National Federation of Young Farmers Clubs and the Tenant Farmers’ Association. NFU President Minette Batters said: “As these talks reach an advanced stage, it’s important negotiators take on board the five detailed principles agreed today. “The Government’s repeated commitments to safeguard our own standards and to not undercut UK farmers through unfair competition are encouraging, and we support their ambition to liberalise trade. We know that if we’re to open up the opportunities of new markets overseas for UK farmers, we will have to offer greater access to our own markets in return. “However, this trade-off needs to be balanced, and we need to make sure concessions to our hugely valuable home market are not given away lightly. There is a very real risk that if we get it wrong, UK farming will suffer irreversible damage rather than flourish in the way we all desire, to the detriment of our environment, our food security and our rural communities. “These deals should showcase our credentials as a global leader in animal welfare standards, environmental protection and taking action to tackle climate change. And they should reinforce a domestic environment in which UK farmers are empowered to rise to these challenges, leading the way in climate friendly, high-welfare farming. “The British government faces a choice. It must recognise that opening up zero tariff trade on all imports of products such as beef and lamb means British farming, working to its current high standards, will struggle to compete. “Does Government lower standards here, which it says it won’t and a million people who signed our petition don’t want to see, or will it watch family farms go out of business when they are unable to compete?” Ms Batters said negotiators should also be “mindful of the cumulative impact of our free trade agreements”, explaining: “They will be the first in a series of deals that will undoubtedly increase market access into the UK. The government must assess how the impact of these concessions combined across multiple trading partners will impact on domestic producers and the rural economy.”

NEWS

‘NET ZERO’ POSSIBLE AT LAST

Agronomy firm Hutchinsons has released a groundbreaking service that will allow farmers and landowners to measure accurately the amount of organic and active carbon in their soil for the first time. The breakthrough will finally give farmers who have been under continual pressure to measure their ‘carbon footprint’ the tools to do so properly – and will make ‘net zero’ a realistic target by providing baseline figures. Terramap Carbon, described as “the UK’s first Carbon Mapping Service”, bases its data on an impressive 800 measurements per hectare, reading natural variations in soil radiation and calibrating those against in-field soil samples to produce accurate readings. Talking exclusively to South East Farmer, Hutchinsons services manager Matt Ward commented: “Everyone is talking about carbon management but very few people can actually do anything about it without the necessary baseline data. If you don’t know where you are starting from, it’s impossible to know what progress you are making or how far you have come.” The breakthrough has commercial implications

for landowners, too. “One of our clients is going into a scheme that will pay him to put arable land across to a two year legume/fallow mixture. He’s now excited about the fact that he can check the baseline level and see what difference the scheme makes. “He’s being paid to be on the current scheme, but that’s only part of the story. If he can prove how much carbon he is able to sequester over the next two years because he has a baseline figure to compare it with, he will be in a stronger position when it comes to future negotiations, perhaps around selling carbon credits.” The mapping technology was developed by a company called SoilOptix, which approached Hutchinsons, a national agronomy business with Kent-based teams in Canterbury and Marden, and asked if they would support the venture. After trialing the technology at a number of its Helix Farm test sites, Hutchinsons agreed that it represented a significant breakthrough and now has an exclusive relationship to market the system within the UK. The company’s enthusiastic approach to rolling out Terramap Carbon means that this is the first country in the world where it is available. Matt explained that the system used gamma-ray

> Left to right: Sam Hugill, Jane and Nick Wilson

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detection technology to measure naturally emitted isotopes, such as Caesium and Potassium, that are very stable due to their long half-lives. The data is collected by driving a lightweight all terrain vehicle fitted with the sensor over the field and then taking soil samples to allow each scan to be used to create the individual map layers. The 800 measurements/ha figure represents a massive improvement over the only previous method of estimating carbon in soil, which was to use satellite imagery based on a 1km grid. “That gives a rough estimate on a macro scale but was no practical use to a farmer,” Matt commented. “We know from experience that soil make up varies within fields, let alone across a distance of a kilometre.” Hutchinsons’ standard Terramap Carbon service maps a total of 17 micronutrients, soil type & pH layers that now also includes total organic carbon in terms of percentage carbon and tonnes/ha. The premium service maps 27 layers which includes a wider range of micronutrients and both total organic and active carbon percentage and tonnes/ha. “We need to move away from seeing carbon footprinting as a burden or a tick-box exercise and see it as a way of measuring the efficiency and profitability of a farm as well as a measure of waste,” said Matt. “A reduced carbon footprint can only be achieved through more efficient fertilisers, different technologies, better soil carbon management or considering the energy used in storage, so it’s a win– win on all levels.” One of the Helix Farms where Terramap Carbon was trialled was Hundayfield Farm just outside York. Host farmer Nick Wilson said the scanning had showed up large differences in the carbon balance between the arable fields and permanent pasture, with the average across the arable fields about 30t/ ha of organic carbon, roughly half the rate for the pasture. “Now that we have a baseline measurement, we can look not just at how we can manage our processes to build carbon on the arable fields up to the levels of that of the pasture, but also to prevent any unnecessary losses of carbon. For example we would be interested to look at the impact of root crops on carbon. We will also use cover cropping to prevent having any bare land over winter and reducing loss this way,” said Nick’s agronomist Sam Hugill. Matt Ward added: “It’s difficult to overstate how much of a breakthrough this is. It’s incredibly exciting to at last be able to measure something we are trying to affect. Without a baseline it’s impossible even to know if you are going in the right direction. Terramap Carbon puts an end to that dilemma.”

WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET | JUNE 2021

NEWS

WORTH WAITING FOR

This season’s strawberries are predicted to be larger and juicier than ever, thanks to a cooler winter and spring that saw flowering and ripening happen more gradually than usual. Analysts suggest that while this year’s crop has

reached the supermarket shelves slightly later than usual, they will be enjoyed by increasing numbers of shoppers. Brits spent more than £772 million on strawberries over the past 12 months, an

increase of more than 10% on the previous year, buying 147,300 tonnes of the popular fruit. With the UK now self-sufficient in strawberries from May through to October, figures show that around 70% of all strawberries bought in the UK are now produced by British growers. Berries (strawberries, raspberries, blueberries and blackberries) have the biggest market share of all fruit grown in the UK, making up 26% and pushing the value of the berry industry to an all-time high of £1.69 billion. Nick Marston, Chairman of industry body British Summer Fruits, said: "This year strawberries have developed a little more slowly than usual. The recent cooler weather is resulting in tasty but also larger and juicier British strawberries than previous years. “We are excited that our continuously advancing growing techniques, such as large-scale glasshouse production for season extension, means we can offer shoppers these locally grown fresh berries for more of the year."

SPRINGING INTO LIFE Visitors and exhibitors had a spring in their step as many of them experienced their first ‘live’ countryside-themed show after 14 months of online-only events. Spring Live!, the South of England Agricultural Society’s first show of the year, attracted a sell-out crowd, although visitor numbers were limited by Covid-19 regulations. To add to the enjoyment of being back out in the fresh air, the sun shone over Ardingly for the late April event. The two-day show celebrated the great British outdoors and offered a host of activities for the whole family, including a chance to see a variety of farm animals and sample a host of traditional countryside activities as well as finding out about the newly updated Countryside Code. Corrie Ince, the society’s show director, said it had been “wonderful to

JUNE 2021 | WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET

be able to host Spring Live! and give people the opportunity to get out and celebrate the British countryside and the arrival of spring”. She added: “People have learnt in the past year to appreciate the great outdoors when out on their daily walks, so to be able to offer the opportunity for people to have a great day out as well as support and learn more about the countryside and its industries has been fantastic. Our exhibitors were also delighted to be trading and interacting with people again, which many haven’t done for 14 months.” The society is now planning its annual highlight, the South of England Show, which will be held from 11 to 13 June, with tickets limited to ensure Covid-19 precautions can be met. Tickets must be bought online in advance from www.seas.org.uk

NEWS

THINK CAREFULLY ABOUT

WOODLAND OFFER With the window set to close shortly on the chance for landowners to take advantage of Forestry England’s new woodland creation scheme, a leading figure at the CLA has advised landowners to take professional advice before signing up. Graham Clark, senior land use policy adviser at the association, told South East Farmer that the Forestry England Woodland Partnership, “could be a good opportunity” for those who wanted to create new woodland on their land with minimal effort or risk while receiving an annual rental payment. He warned, though, that there was “lots for owners to consider”, including permanent land use change, tax and other implications, and said landowners “should always take professional advice before entering into such long term arrangements”. The Woodland Partnership, launched in March, is offering landowners, including public bodies, environmental agencies and farmers, an annual, guaranteed rent in return for a long-term lease of at

least 50 hectares of land. With applications closing on 1 June, Forestry England has described the scheme as a chance to help “create and manage new woodland to support government plans for woodland creation, nature recovery and progress towards net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050”. It says it is “a unique offer where we pay a rent and do all the woodland creation on your behalf”, adding: “You can diversify your business income without needing to develop new expertise, and put less time and money into an unfamiliar venture.” Forestry England will design, plant and manage the new sites as part of the nation’s forests and aims to create significant new areas of high-quality, biodiverse woodlands across the country. Mr Clark commented: “Many landowners are interested in woodland creation and the grants system helps them do that at small or large scale. With that approach, the landowner retains control and gets any timber or carbon income, but also bears

all the risk. “It takes a lot of legwork to get approval, design the scheme and apply for the grant. Then there is the actual planting work and ongoing management. It’s a significant investment – and that suits many people. But for others, if they are happy to convert 50 hectares or more of their land to woodland but don’t really want to be directly involved, then the Forestry England leasehold approach may better suit their circumstances. “Under this arrangement, Forestry England takes on most of the work to create the woodland but also gets any timber income. In return for a negotiated annual rent, they take a lease on the land for 60 to 120 years to create and manage a woodland and allow public access.” He added: “It isn’t for everyone – but for some, this could be a good opportunity.” www.forestryengland.uk/woodland-creation

NEW BRAND IDENTITY FOR DEALERSHIP

The machinery dealership that now supplies John Deere products across the South East has fallen into step with the majority of its customer base by changing its name. P Tuckwell Ltd, which recently acquired Burden Bros Agri, the John Deere dealership covering Kent, Surrey and East Sussex, has announced a new name and corporate identity, and will now be known officially as Tuckwells. A press release from the third generation family business started by Len

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Tuckwell, who sold his very first Ferguson tractor in 1954, conceded that the new name was “already used by many of their customers”. Following the acquisition, Tuckwells now employs nearly 300 people across the South East. With the tractor a key part of the new branding, Managing Director James Tuckwell commented: “It was important that we continue to build on the legacy that my grandfather created, and although we have seen huge changes within the business, we will always remember how it began.”

WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET | JUNE 2021

NEWS

Kent Apple and pear grower James Smith, managing director of Loddington Farm, Maidstone, will be representing the interests of the South East’s farmers and growers on the NFU’s national environment forum. The forum is responsible for steering and shaping the NFU’s environment policy and tackles issues such as air quality, access and rights of way, agrienvironment, biodiversity, climate change, water quality, waste, soil, flooding and water resources. James, a Nuffield scholar and a former chairman of Kent NFU who practises regenerative agriculture, said he was “delighted to be joining the NFU’s national environment forum at such a critical time of change for our industry when we are all working towards an ambition to be net zero by 2040”.

KENT GROWER JOINS

NATIONAL FORUM He went on: “I am passionate about farming with nature to produce nutrient-dense food for a healthier world, and I think the pandemic has helped consumers recognise the importance of home-grown food. Working with the NFU, I will be helping to fight the corner for food producers.” Looking ahead to the passage through Parliament of the Environment Bill, James said he wanted to

help ensure decision makers “understand the critical role farmers and growers play in delivering a secure supply of food while tackling climate change”. He added: “Everything at Loddington Farm is about embracing nature and farming with biology rather than chemistry. It’s an exciting time to be farming and joining the forum is a great way to influence positive changes for UK agriculture.”

EXPANSION OF FARM NETWORK Two new farmers have joined AHDB’s Strategic Cereal Farm network in an expansion of the Farm Excellence programme to both the South and North of England. Beginning in June 2021, David Miller from Hampshire has been selected as the host of the new Strategic Cereal Farm South, which will become AHDB’s fourth Strategic Cereal Farm. Joining David is David Blacker from York, who will host Strategic Cereal Farm North when it launches in 2022. Funded by AHDB and other stakeholders, Strategic Cereal Farms test cutting-edge research and innovations. During the six-year programme, they host a structured combination of short and long-term field and farm-scale demonstrations, with one or two on-farm meetings per year. Located near Basingstoke, Hampshire, David Miller’s farm covers 700 hectares with 670 hectares of combinable crops. Currently 10 years into the use of regenerative agriculture practices as farm manager for Wheatsheaf Farming Company, David is looking to continue such work as a Strategic Farm host and reduce inputs. He said: “We are very pleased to have been chosen as the next AHDB Strategic Cereal Farm.

JUNE 2021 | WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET

“Our vision for the next six years is to trial and prove various scenarios to ease the journey into regenerative agriculture. We aim to look at ways of quantifying the results of our actions in growing crops in a more biological way with less reliance on chemicals and inorganic fertilisers. The end result will, hopefully, give a reliable path of principles for others to follow.” As host of Strategic Cereal Farm North, York-based David Blacker returns to AHDB’s Farm Excellence network, having previously spent three years as a Monitor Farm host. During that time he reduced his business spending by more than £50,000 per year and he is now looking forward to further work as a Strategic Farm host. Richard Meredith, AHDB Head of Arable Knowledge Exchange, said: “There is very little doubt that we are facing a period of unprecedented change for our industry, and there will be challenges ahead as growers strive for excellence. In light of these challenges, we are continually proud of the impact of AHDB Strategic Farms in helping growers to achieve this, and we look forward to working with our two new Strategic Cereal Farm hosts in the coming years.” https://ahdb.org.uk/farm-excellence

NEWS

SERVING THE FARMING COMMUNITY Long-established agricultural product suppliers John Bourne and Co have appointed business development manager Katrina Waters to take over the vital sales role within the farming sector. Katrina, who joined the third generation family business just two-and-a-half years ago in an administrative capacity, has used her sales and management background to develop strong links with customers and made a name for herself as a resourceful and knowledgeable member of the tightly knit team. She has taken over the customer-facing sales role from former operations and sales director Alex O’Gorman, who was well known to farmers and landowners across the South East but has now moved on. After serving the farming community across the region since 1947, Newenden, Kent-based John Bourne and Co is a trusted supplier of agricultural lime, bulk organic manures and composts,

BDD FLYER 190x133 New_Image.pdf

bedding sand and a wide range of building and construction aggregate and waste management services. It also operates an industry-leading fleet of vehicles including rigid, bulk and walking floor tippers, grab vehicles, flatbeds and articulated lorries, plus 360-degree excavators, telehandlers and wheeled loaders, all FORS Gold compliant. “John Bourne and Co has built up a unique reputation amongst farmers, contractors and suppliers as a knowledgeable, supportive and reliable company that will always go the extra mile to help its customers,” commented Katrina. “I am determined to continue the good work that has been done over the past 74 years and build on the great relationships the business has developed with both customers and suppliers. My aim is to combine a professional approach with a personal touch while finding the right solution to each customer’s particular requirements.” 1

19/03/2021

13:30

Bruce’s is actively looking for new sites Get in touch to find out more

Here’s your chance to take advantage of the recent puppy boom.

Criteria 3 acres of grass minimum Existing building over 1,750 sqft (if within the greenbelt) Good road access Hardstanding for parking Power and water

Within 30 minute drive from Guildford Windsor Gerrards Cross St Albans Cheshunt Brentwood

CMY

Contact Ed Daniell Head of Property on 07840 379 618, email ed.daniell@bruces.dog or visit bruces.dog

TO ADVERTISE CALL 01303 233883

WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET | JUNE 2021

LETTERS MILK CONTRACT BUNTING SHOULD REMAIN IN ITS BOX

Dear Sir, I had a call from the NFU suggesting it was time to put up the bunting and crack open a bottle of bubbly to celebrate the arrival in the world of the new model milk contract, a template document that I was assured would transform the fortunes of the dairy industry, which have been heading rapidly downhill for as long as i can remember. Having inspected its contents, however, I am persuaded the bunting should remain in its box and the bottle of pale ale (which passes for bubbly in this household) ought to stay firmly capped, because I cannot see for the life of me what difference this is going to make to the miserable existence of thousands of dairy farmers. Does it force the retailers to pay a fair price for their milk? No. Does it place any kind of onus on processors to be fairer or more generous in their dealings with farmers? No. The only material difference I can see relates to exclusivity. No processor will have the sole rights to all the milk from one farm. So if a producer wants to run a specialist Jersey herd alongside his black and whites and sell to a specialist he will be free to do so. As for the rest, you could drive a milk float through the loopholes. The really annoying element is that it has taken five years to get this document drawn up... five years of farmers having their hopes raised by the promise of “jam tomorrow”. And as usual DEFRA has got it entirely the wrong way round. There was a preliminary consultation with farmers, but now the contract has been pretty well set in stone without farmers having the chance to approve or comment on it; hence its defects. Many issues remain unresolved. What happens if the processors don’t like being constrained in this way and simply get out of the liquid milk market, which they always claim costs them money to remain in? What then? And why has no-one in DEFRA or the NFU had the backbone and determination to draw up a contract system that tackles the real fundamental issue in all this - the fact that retailers are selling milk at prices which haven’t really shifted in 20 years and at which, out of farmer, processor and retailer, only the retailer can expect to see any kind of reasonable margin? If this is already looking like a big joke, the real laugh is in the implementation. This will inevitably involve a mini-quango formed of assessors to consider the grievances of any farmers and pass them on to an adjudicator. I wonder which member of the brotherhood will be offered the adjudicator’s job. Since it needs to be someone with time on their hands, the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee chairman Neil Parish is a likely candidate. I was momentarily tempted to have a go at the dairy industry adjudicator’s job myself. After so many years at the sharp end of the business I thought a first class seat on the gravy train might be a nice change. On the other hand, since I know which end of a cow to put the food in and which end the milk comes out of, I would probably be rejected as hopelessly over-qualified for the job. John Lillywhite, Farmers For Action

TO THE POINT

Dear Sir, I have a suggestion for all those who want to go to the countryside for their summer holidays this year. When you see a tractor or large farm vehicle coming towards you on a lane, if you cannot, or will not, reverse your car, would you please stay at home. N.A. Young Mayfield, East Sussex

JUNE 2021 | WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET

twitter NEW ADDITION TO FLEET

We have a new addition to the #Crystalyx fleet in partnership with HMT Shipping, this is the 2nd of 4 lorries that will be traveling the length and breadth of the UK and Ireland for many years to come. Articulated lorry Caltech Crystalyx @Crystalyx_uk

KEEP AN EYE ON RURAL HEARTLANDS Dear sir, Much has been made in recent days of how Labour’s ‘red wall’ continues to crumble. Eleven years into a Tory Government and the Conservatives are winning by-elections in Labour heartlands. It is extraordinary stuff. But Boris Johnson and the government he leads should be keeping a much closer eye on their rural heartlands, where many are wondering if the ‘levelling up agenda’ applies to them. Indeed, if rural communities are once again forgotten, the Prime Minister risks undermining his own ‘blue wall’ for years to come. The lazy stereotype is that rural communities are wealthy and ‘quaint’, with little need of investment or support. However, the reality is that many of the UK’s poorest regions are predominantly rural. Due to lack of investment, the rural economy is now 18% less productive than the national average. As a result,

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hundreds of thousands of jobs have not been created, and the opportunity for prosperity missed entirely. Indeed, righting this productivity imbalance would add £43bn to the national economy. The fact that the Government has no coherent policy to grow the rural economy simply isn’t good enough. Nearly half a million homes and around 125,000 businesses in rural areas have poor broadband, and Ofcom figures show 4G data coverage at 86% in urban areas vs 46% in rural areas. Without strong connectivity, full access to an increasingly digital economy will remain out of reach. Political ill will must be growing too, at the disconnect between what ministers say about boosting the country’s green credentials and the action taken to help rural communities play their part. A succession of tree-planting photo ops will do little to provide the incentive needed to power a green revolution. The Country Land and Business Association (CLA), which represents thousands of farmers, landowners and rural businesses, wants to see the Government show some ambition for economic development in rural areas – and at the heart of that ambition should be encouraging entrepreneurship. For example, pubs that have closed due to a lack of viability should be given permitted development rights, allowing the buildings to be used as rural business hubs for entrepreneurs and small business owners. Government should lean on network operators to deliver the much-talked about improved coverage now, not in four years’ time. With the worst of the pandemic hopefully behind us, the Prime Minister needs to make good on his promise to ‘build back better’. His desire to level up the country is the right one, but this must work for the countryside as well as industrial centres. There are jobs to be created, businesses to support and – as far as the Prime Minister is concerned – rural votes still to be earned. Mark Bridgeman, President of the Country Land and Business Association (CLA)

ANYONE TO THE RESCUE?

Dear Sir Did anyone come to the rescue of Nick Adames recently when he complained about vegetarians? In one way I know where he is coming from; while of course it is perfectly respectable to be vegan or vegetarian, and a good thing for climate change, maybe we are all sinners, and sometimes maybe they think they are absolved from all guilt? I got stopped at the abattoir by vegan protesters while delivering a bullock last year, so I got out of my Jeep and kneeled down to pray for all the bees killed producing vegan almond milk, and the fish they may kill indirectly by wearing so called cruelty-free plastic clothing which will degrade into micro-plastics. Give me leather and sheepskins any time. They didn’t get it and said they didn’t intend to harm insects and fishes, while I intended to kill my bullock. But surely that means they didn’t know their criminal law. If you know there is a risk and you take it and harm results from it, that is reckless. They are buying the stuff, so they are creating demand for it, and in my view vegans and vegetarians, while well-meaning and good people, become accessories or accomplices in the loss of natural life on earth. It’s back to systems again; we hear of so many – organics, regenerative farming… Maybe it needs to be ‘holistic’ farming, too, because these days there are some dangerous small critters around. Take Covid-19. You could put the volume of the virus in the world on a teaspoon, but it’s brought the planet to a halt! Another concern oft discussed in your magazine is TB in cattle. But I wonder if we have really looked holistically at that? Take healthy gut bacteria; we certainly need ours for good health, so maybe badgers and cattle need theirs, too? I ask vets that and they look at me blankly, but if badgers are eating insects full of herbicide, fungicide or insecticide and this affects their gut bacteria, are they more susceptible to TB?

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The Morris Animal Foundation and Dr Jorge Gutierrez at the University of Surrey have done some good research here, so maybe it’s time the veterinary profession got hold of this a bit more, perhaps in tandem with vaccination projects? Peter Mason Highlands Farm, Heathfield

NICE SURPRISE

Dear Sir, Just a note to thank South East Farmer magazine for the eight bottles of Biddenden Vineyard Cider I received on 22 April... that was a very nice surprise for me to have (won)! I have enjoyed your magazine since first publication in the early 1980s. I have found it always an easy read, offering useful knowledge, balanced opinion, entertainment and the odd “bargain” for the farm in the classifieds too! Philip Haywood, Bearhurst Farm, Wadhurst

MOVE ON PLEASE

Dear Sir, Mike Kettlewell`s response (“Delighted to provoke reaction”, Letters, May) smells of a Remoaner who is still fighting the battle of Brexit. Move on please; in a democracy we vote and the positive ones accept it and move on to new battles if they need to. Nick Adames’ comments on Brexit were in essence that we had the best deal possible in the face of reluctant Brussels, back stabbing MPs and those who wanted to hand management over to the unelected Bureaucratic Brussels Empire. The stable door has opened, the Steed has bolted (to use Mike Kettlewell`s analogy). When one door closes another opens, like the ability to organise our own Covid-19 vaccine scheme. He also missed the point on English/French lamb. For an English lamb to become “French” it has to travel LIVE across the English Channel, sometimes a tortuous journey in a cramped lorry, and live in a French field for a day before slaughter. He states that Irish beef is killed in Northern Ireland, so no live sea trip. The only water separating Scotch Beef from England is the murky one with Sturgeon and Salmond circling for the kill. I see he adheres to the fallacy that is promoted annually by the RSPB that magpies only eat dead meat, whilst blaming farmers for killing garden birds. We all probably have traces of Neanderthal in our makeup, Mike, but hopefully we won`t all revert to their lifestyle. David Steed Spratling Court Farm, Manston,Kent

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WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET | JUNE 2021

NEWS

RECOGNITION FOR RURAL

YOUNG PEOPLE The efforts of rural young people who have given that little bit extra will be recognised in The National Federation of Young Farmers’ Clubs’ 2021 YFC Achiever Awards. Launched last year, the rewards are a way of recognising and rewarding members of Young Farmers’ Clubs (YFCs) for the work they do in the community, for enterprising initiatives and for helping to develop other rural young people. There will be a special Covid-19-inspired

Community Spirit Award sponsored by Tama to recognise the support YFC members showed their local communities during the pandemic. New for 2021 is the Farm Safety Award, sponsored by SGN. Young farmer and social media influencer Hannah Jackson – aka The Red Shepherdess – will help to judge the award with Stephanie Berkeley from The Farm Safety Foundation (Yellow Wellies). Enterprising young people will also be

> Sophie, winner of the New Member of the Year award in 2020

recognised in the Entrepreneur of the Year category, supported by NatWest, while the Heart of YFC award, sponsored by Eternit and chosen by an online poll amongst members, will be presented to the person chosen as best representing the true spirit of YFC. National Federation chairman Nigel Owens MBE said: “The YFC Achiever Awards shine a light on the amazing work of YFC members and our supporters. It has been a tough time for everyone but it’s so encouraging to see that rural young people are still working hard to look after their communities and each other. It’s now time for us to celebrate those achievements.” For a full list of awards and to make a nomination, visit www.nfyfc.org.uk/achieverawards2021 before the deadline of 18 June 2021

CASH HANDOUT WILL SUPPORT

The NFU’s work to support the teaching of agricultural engineering skills has been backed by funding of nearly £30,000 from the Royal Academy of Engineering. The academy has recognised the part that food and farming can play in delivering science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) learning, and its role in inspiring the next generation of engineers, by providing funding of £29,125 to support the NFU’s newest educational initiative. The grant will allow the NFU Education team to deliver five interactive afterschool club sessions during the autumn term aimed at giving young people a taste of life as an agricultural engineer. As well as funding the online sessions, the grant will enable the NFU to build up its bank of 3D tours to include different engineering workspaces such as Harper Adams University and the Small Robot Company alongside its current farm tours. This project is the latest NFU STEM resource that will be freely available alongside the hugely successful Farmvention competition, Farming STEMterprise programme and Science Farm Live lessons. NFU President Minette Batters said: “There is a skills gap within our society across all STEM roles and the lack of young people taking up engineering courses and jobs is quite stark. “This is such an exciting and important time for the engineering industry, which plays a crucial role within food production and all aspects of our society, especially as the country looks to build greener infrastructure and technologies to help realise its net zero ambition. “But at the moment there are so many children who don’t get enough exposure to the opportunities in engineering and whose schools don’t have the opportunity to explore the topic in much detail or take classes on trips to science and engineering museums. That’s why this funding is so important – so we can help inspire the next generation of engineers both within and outside agriculture.

NFU’S STEM INITIATIVE

JUNE 2021 | WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET

“Addressing this skills gap is going to be key for the future of our country and teaching STEM through the lens of food and farming is a great way to do it. Not only does it really ignite children’s passion for these subjects but it’s completely relevant and translatable to their learning as every aspect of STEM is used on farms.” In March, more than 223,000 students signed up for the NFU’s Science Farm Live lessons.

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WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET | JUNE 2021

MONICA AKEHURST AT THE KITCHEN TABLE

LAMBING HAD ITS

USUAL CHALLENGES

Yay. “it’s raining”. I’m tempted to join our grandsons, who are jumping in the puddles with sheer delight at the water splashing everywhere. The prospect of better grass growth comes as a huge relief. The cattle feed situation has been worrying, with stores depleted and little grass to turn cattle on to. The sheep have mopped up what has been available, but thankfully we’ve a seed ley which has grown really well. To utilise this, we’ve been strip grazing it, which has kept them going. Moving fences daily is an extra chore but it gives a good opportunity to spot any trouble within the flock at an early stage. It also provides the added bonus of seeing lambs running races, helping the ‘feel good’ factor in shepherding. Lambing had its usual challenges, but thanks to input from family members on ‘lambing holiday’ we all came through it. Lambs put up with cold weather well, providing they get going quickly, and get their

fill of colostrum. Cold and wet is the killer, so from that aspect lack of rain was a positive. Contrary to their reputation, sheep can be sensible and find sheltered locations to lamb in, while others choose the brow of the hill; maybe they like the view. We lambed outside, checking them from dawn to dusk. We only pen them if there’s a problem or if they’ve lambed late in the evening. I particularly enjoy the first check. I’ve tried to teach my ewes the nursing concept of ‘airway, breathing, circulation’ with limited success. Nothing is more frustrating than to find a large dead lamb with its body lovingly licked clean but with the airway covered by the amniotic sac. On this occasion, to her credit the mother had managed to get it right with the two very small siblings who were up and sucking. I penned her, due to their size and vulnerability. Next day I was alarmed to find one lamb looking rather bloated. On inspection it was lacking a vital exit passage. Sad times, but luckily these are far outweighed by the successes.

> Triplets

JUNE 2021 | WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET

Good mothering skills make the difference between life and death. One ewe (marked down on my phone) lavished all her love and attention on her first born. She dropped her second and simply ignored it. It lay wet, exposed to an icy wind, and soon became hypothermic. I treated it and tucked it up in a box, not expecting it to survive the night. But next morning it was up and sucking. Annoyingly we were unable to persuade its mother to look after it even after a stint in the fostering unit. It’s now joined the merry throng of sock lambs. At first I was wary about the fox that frequented the lambing field, but it did a great job of clearing up the afterbirth. I only wish it would do the same regarding the abundance of rabbits emerging from the wood into our field. To give the fox its due, it never once touched a lamb, and towards the end of lambing cautiously went about scavenging while I worked. Usually I’d be in Shrek (ATV), but early one frosty morning this was out of action. Option two, our

> A frosty morning pickup truck was on ‘collecting milk duties’ for the cheese makers. Option three, walk. Option four, use my ageing convertible car to carry vital lambing equipment and do my 5.30am surveillance. The fox did take a second look at this unusual mode of transport but seemed to accept it was only me. At this stage of lambing I was so tired that I was past caring what anyone thought. Before the family disbanded we had a lambing debrief session around the kitchen table. We discussed what needed improvement, ie applying iodine to newborns’ navels sooner rather than later, as a few lambs have joint ill. It was also suggested there should be ‘more cake’ for the workers. And what we did well – besides showing our appreciation by demolishing cake in seconds? Teamwork, dividing the work to our strengths. Youngest daughter did have a burst of house proudness and complained about dust and straw finding its way into the kitchen. We calmed her down by complimenting her cooking skills, and by promising not to tiptoe into the kitchen in our wellies when she wasn’t looking. We celebrated our good teamwork by opening a bottle of fizz and then tumbled back out into the lambing field in remarkably good spirits. I recommend the ‘super crook’ (available from KiwiKit) to all shepherds. It has been invaluable during lambing, saving a lot of chasing about. Using it has relegated heroic rugby tackling of ewes to a thing of the past. Simply bleat or put down a little food and you can get close enough to hook onto a leg – and you’ve got them. It enables you to sort out a problem alone, lamb them down and release them, avoiding a lot of stress for all concerned. Will shepherds need to hang up their crooks in favour of forestry tools? The chairman of the Forestry Commission apparently intends to persuade shepherds to become foresters. In order to meet net zero carbon emissions, the plan apparently is to plant 75,000 acres of woodland a year in the UK. A fifth of agricultural land shifting from food production to woodland, energy crops and peatland restoration. My hedgerow tree planting skills might yet come in handy. Our new hedges are growing well and Adam Winter’s smart fencing work reliably keeps stock where they are put. When livestock behave, I’m really rather fond of them; besides, lamb and beef makes delicious food. The growing population still needs to eat, and given the choice I’d prefer steak over leaves any day. So I’ve currently got no plan to change my career, but I’m wondering if tree house construction might be a good sideline. We’re feasting on rhubarb from the garden, and the peas now have pods. Planting potatoes helped by a one and two year-old proved more challenging than I’d envisaged. The swallows are back. The chickens are certainly enjoying freedom after their lockdown – I hope our release goes as smoothly.

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> Having a helping hand

> Learning the art of bottle feeding

> Taking a break from housework, note that it’s not just us that bring in the dirt

15 > Seed ley has been our saviour

> Strip grazing new grass ley

> Using the super crook attached to a fence, allowing me to supervise feeding of the lamb

> There’s a storm brewing

WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET | JUNE 2021

NICK ADAMES WEST SUSSEX DIARY

SWINGING IN THE WIND

We had a near miss recently with a steel framed barn on the home farm. It had been used predominately as winter housing for young cattle until the last animals left in early Spring 2020, when it was cleaned out and left empty. We have always cleared the stock yards in early spring, as soon as the weather allows, with surrounds scraped clean, being very conscious of what dung and urine can do to metal. The building has been unused since, although looked at regularly. We had some quite hard frosts after the new year and in mid-February I walked around and was horrified to see the bases of all the stanchions along the open side almost ‘swinging in the wind’, while under each was a small pile of rust dust which, I surmised, had been ‘brought off’ by those freezing conditions. The barn was only 28 years old and had shown no sign of such advanced trouble, although like most steel bases of cattle sheds they were showing rust. Over the years I have seen similar damage on older barns and replaced a few with new feet, but to see the whole lot in this state was a real concern. So what to do? – apart from praying the north wind doesn’t blow and bring the whole thing down. On second thoughts, it might flatten a troublesome phone mast! I called a neighbour who has spent many years working with metal, and then called my regular farm fitter/repair man Nick, and we talked through the options, Then, with a decision made, Nick set to, cutting and welding in some substantial steel supports. It was a delicate job but was completed and the barn is still standing. It is just so lucky the weather conditions had removed the rust and exposed the extent of the problem. Anyone with similar cattle and steel barns, I suggest you check them for similar erosion. Of course, you probably do. It seems, finally, many in the farming fraternity are ‘digging their toes in’ over the ever-expanding burden of our farm assurance, inspection and levy schemes. Schemes which many have long seen as very poor value for anyone’s money; except perhaps those employed by them. To my mind, while there may have been a case for some of them, their size and costs have multiplied beyond all justification and, in so doing, they have become a parasitic liability on most practical agricultural businesses. Once they may have been useful tools for ‘cracking the whip’ in the industry. Now they are simply yet another tax. Whatever, they are generally more of a drag than an aid. Box ticking run wild. Many questions on the inspectors’ clipboards appear simply to be put

NICK ADAMES Former dairy farmer

there to justify employing yet more office staff to think new questions up. I am not singling anyone out in particular in case there are yet more sensitive ‘feelings’ I might upset. The only such scheme we have ever really been involved with was related to the dairy herd. Initially routine dairy inspections helped teach many of the new inspectors about real dairy farming, rather than helping improve dairy farms. Doubtless they may have initially tidied up a few of the very small herds still around in the latter years of the old century, but in the past 50 years bigger herds have been driven by the simple need to survive the changing times and unrealistic milk prices, so through necessity farmers have needed to run ‘tight ships’, and be animal friendly. But I recall many of the questions on the inspector’s clipboard would better have suited primary school children. I particularly recall a regional female dairy inspector, Tammy something... in the latter days of the Milk Marketing Board, back around the seventies/eighties, who came in on her annual visit and invariably found fault with almost everything, on whichever farm she appeared. Finally one day we asked her to leave our dairy and reported this to her office. Thereafter she never

visited us again, apparently a little chastened… If it had happened today she would most likely have brought a sexual discrimination charge. I also remember, some years ago, being visited by a fellow from the local council who seemed concerned about inspecting our cattle fences. Not for the cattle, but for the public. They were, as in the photo, post and barbed wire, or a strand of electrified wire, so I asked him “where was the problem?”, because there were no public paths in that field. “Someone might get lost and stumble in the ditch overnight,” he said, leaving me with clear instructions to “put posts in at three yards and five, yes five, strands of barbed wire”. So we changed it to three strands of barbed wire. Shortly after, we heard he had been moved on to greater things. A real expert. We never saw him or a replacement again, and no one ever fell in the ditch. There was no sense in what he said and he had no idea of the cost of providing and maintaining his ‘ideal’ fences. Is it possible he was just overcome with his authority? We always had the view that if any official was coming to inspect anything, you needed to leave them some aspect they could fault, and so exercise their ‘enforcement powers’ to justify their existence. Then you would engage them in small talk as you skirted what you felt were any potential problem areas (slurry pits…) and they would walk past chatting cheerfully about their holidays, football or children. That was an old technique; of course, nobody would surely use it these days. But it usually worked.

> Only three strands here yet the fellow wanted ﬁve...

JUNE 2021 | WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET

Nicks latest book Its Straight Downhill Now is available by emailing hamletpublishing@gmail.com at £13.00 and £2.00 donation to RABI. incl postage

IN CONJUNCTION WITH Entering the world of measuring carbon usage, carbon sequestration (the carbon your natural resources absorb from the atmosphere) and ultimately your business carbon footprint is probably something that falls into this category for most of us. However, we are entering a future of targets being set for having businesses that are carbon neutral (net zero), so it’s time to roll the sleeves up and get stuck in. The forward thinking amongst us are probably a long way down the road already, but better late than never, as someone much wiser than me once said. After a few hours of research, I realised that an agricultural business currently has three software tools available to measure its carbon footprint. The NIAB farm carbon tool kit, the Cool Farm Tool and the Scottish Government-backed Agrecalc. The three are not currently compatible. I signed up for an ARTIS online training day entitled Improving Soil Organic Matter and Farm Carbon Management. It was an excellent training day and was linked to the NIAB tool, so I decided to go with that one. It was self-explanatory and easy to follow, just lots of leg work. You really do get out what you put in. After 36 hours of data input, it was complete and accurate to the best of my ability. During this marathon of data input I had been in conversation with my biggest customer about carbon measurement and producing a baseline for the business. I had this little voice at the back of my head telling me that at some point during the process my customer would demand a different measuring tool (to standardise their supply base). And so it happened! Literally the moment I completed the farm carbon tool kit, my customer rang me and grandly announced that they wanted all of their suppliers to use the Cool Farm Tool. I was now in full flow after a full week of immersing myself in all things carbon so I just carried on and did the Cool Farm Tool as well. Some really interesting things came from this exercise. Electricity has a low carbon footprint. Soil management (quite rightly) has a massive impact on the carbon offset. We have 26 hectares of deciduous woodland and around 15,000m of hedgerows of varying sizes and the sequestration from this was around 300 tonnes of carbon. Sequestration from soil management was 1,200 tonnes of carbon. We started measuring the organic matter percentage of each field in 2014. We have embraced winter cover crops, ploughed in wheat stubbles and used compost from a local recycling plant. All this has helped to improve our organic matter percentage in the soil marginally, but the value in sequestration terms was judged to be four times more than from our trees and hedgerows. This surprised me. We use around 220kg of carbon for every

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FROM THE FRONT LINE

GETTING TO GRIPS WITH

ALL THINGS CARBON

It can be daunting trying to re-set priorities and definitions of ‘what is success?’ for any business, writes Nick Ottewell, production and commercial director with Laurence J. Betts Ltd, Church Farm, Offham. 1,000kg of lettuce that we produce. I’m not really sure what this means. I have no idea if it is good, bad or average. The next stage for us means hopefully we will be to be able to benchmark this figure against other field-scale veg growers. Clearly, we are not carbon neutral and we have a journey to go on, but we have produced a baseline. Interestingly, both tools gave a very similar result. That might be just a fluke based on our particular farm model, and I don’t think this will necessarily be the case for a lot of farming businesses.

We now need a period of reflection to digest the information generated by going through this process, but my overall feeling is a sense of relief that the baseline has been produced. So if you haven’t created a baseline yet, then it really is time to have a go. You will learn things about your business and the process might help you to find some ways to lower costs or be more efficient. The farming industry now needs to find a way to benchmark all of our businesses against each other to add some context to the overload of data!

WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET | JUNE 2021

NIGEL AKEHURST VISITS: BROADLANDS MEADOWS FARM

FIBRE FARMER This month Nigel Akehurst visits Les and Connie Milton at Broadlands Meadows Farm in Sheet, Hampshire, to find out more about alpacas and social farming therapy.

Nestled deep in the South Downs National Park village of Sheet lies Broadlands Meadows Farm, run by husband and wife Les and Connie Milton. Both Les and Connie are first generation farmers and started out on their farming journey in 2011, when they purchased the farm, back then just a six-acre field with no infrastructure or buildings. Over the past decade they have transformed the field into a working ‘fibre’ farm and centre for social farming therapy. From keeping a few cows, sheep and alpacas, the Miltons have managed to expand their enterprise by renting adjoining land from neighbours. Alpacas are now the bedrock of their farming business. Not only do alpacas produce a valuable crop of fleeces each year for processing into carded fibre, they are becoming increasingly sought after by hobby farmers or country house owners who want low maintenance “movable garden sculptures”, explained Connie. Over the years they have built up an impressive herd of 43 females, which Les said was “worth more than £90,000”. Their website Fibre Farmer (www.fibrefarmer.com) lists the stock they have for sale, with prices ranging from £400 to £3,000. In addition to selling breeding stock, Broadlands Meadows Farm sells a range

JUNE 2021 | WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET

of alpaca products including luxury carded and spun alpaca fibre, mohair from the goats and wool from the sheep for home crafts and spinning. Connie also hand makes a range of children’s clothing, footwear and soft toys. Another ingenious product made on the farm is a range of fine shredded and dried alpaca dung (named Dougall Oops! after one of their favourite Alpacas), proving the age old adage that “where there’s muck there’s money”. As well as alpacas, there is a small herd of Angora goats and some very rare North Ronaldsay seaweed-eating sheep and Borerays, also bred for their fibre.

PLANNING

As the farm has developed, Les and Connie have worked with the local council to gain planning permission to build various barns for their growing numbers of livestock. In 2016 they received permission to live in a temporary rural worker’s dwelling for three years. They are now in the process of applying for a permanent dwelling and are working with Reading Agricultural Consultants to gain permission for a permanent single storey home, with a decision expected later this year.

SOCIAL FARMING AND MENTAL HEALTH

One of the most interesting parts of their business is their social farming

> Connie and Les Milton

FARM FACTS

• Six acres of land at Broadlands Meadows Farm in Sheet, Hampshire • 49 acres of land recently purchased at Nyewood in West Sussex • Provider of social farming therapy sessions in conjunction with FarmBuddies • 43 female and 21 male alpacas • 44 Boreray and North Ronaldsay Sheep • 16 Clun forest sheep plus six “feature” rams • Three donkeys for the children and a few hens • Make and sell alpaca ﬁbre products • Alpaca dung product ‘Dougall Oops!’ TO ADVERTISE CALL 01303 233883

WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET | JUNE 2021

NIGEL AKEHURST VISITS: BROADLANDS MEADOWS FARM

<< therapy, an area of diversification not always given the ‘air time’ it deserves. Several years ago Les and Connie were approached by Stephen Sellers of FarmBuddies (a social farming agency) to become providers of social farming therapy sessions. With Les’s background as a biology and technology teacher and Connie’s skills in fabric work and experience in running groups for young people, they were ideally placed to offer day visits to participants who could benefit from the safe environment at Broadlands Meadows Farm.

steadily across all counties in England for more than 10 years and further increases look likely, said Stephen, who has seen a significant number of enquiries through his FarmBuddies website. “The farms that offer this service regularly produce impressive results through both improved wellbeing of participants and savings in NHS, social and education budgets. Many parents, carers, teachers and others now look on these farms as a welcome reliable alternative and find they are often more effective than traditional institutionalised interventions,” he added.

WHAT IS SOCIAL FARMING?

WHAT DOES IT INVOLVE IN PRACTICE AND HOW DO I GET INVOLVED?

For those unfamiliar with the concept of social farming, Stephen Sellers describes it as the practice of offering family farms as a form of social service. “It is not a specialised treatment farm; rather it remains a typical working farm where people in need of support can benefit from participation in the farm’s activities in a non-clinical environment,” he said. He added: “It also reconnects farmers with their local communities through the opening up of their farms as part of the social support system of that community.”

ELMS SUPPORT

With the government under pressure to do more to combat the growing mental health crisis, it’s no wonder that social farming is being considered for more support under the new Environmental Land Management scheme (ELMS). The number of farms offering social farming day visits has been expanding

JUNE 2021 | WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET

Broadlands Meadows Farm provides a useful insight. Les and Connie provide day visits for individuals and small groups, offering meaningful work on their farm. Typically the ‘work’ involves animal husbandry tasks, feeding and moving animals being particular highlights. The ‘farm helpers’ can be aged anywhere between nine and 90 with one or more support needs and are usually accompanied and funded to pay for the farmer’s time. Stephen explained that with an average of only eight specialist care farms per county offering social farming services five days a week, there is a growing opportunity for more regular working farms to step in and fill the provision gap. “A one day a week enterprise for just 12 days a year on a family farm is a viable start-up and would benefit up to four or more participants. At this level of time involvement, it becomes a more practical diversification for any member of a

farming family looking to share the farm with those who need it in their area. “Typically, enquiries for more information come from a farm business partner, but from time to time also from other family members working elsewhere in health, social or educational services who see this development as an opportunity to return to the farm,” he added.

KEY POINTS

• Time and empathy for participants are the key farmer requirements; age is

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not an issue. • The beneficial results from regular visits to family farms show that these businesses have a latent capability to improve quality of life markedly in a relatively short time. • Full start-up support information including training (three days) is available for new farming entrants. • The enterprise introduces a new sense of social purpose to the farm business while contributing to its financial viability. >>

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NIGEL AKEHURST VISITS: BROADLANDS MEADOWS FARM

For those looking for more information there is a free five minute guide << on the FarmBuddies website, which also has links to other useful resources.

WHY ALPACAS?

Having never previously visited an alpaca farm, a quick bit of online searching revealed that there are estimated to be around 25,000 alpacas in the UK (there are around three million globally, with the majority based in South America). Alpacas, along with the llama, guanaco and vicuna, are members of the South American camelid family found mainly in Peru, Chile and Bolivia. Domestication began some 5,000 years ago and the alpaca became an important part of the economy of the Andean people, providing clothing, food and transport, with the dried dung used as fuel. There are two breeds of alpaca; the hardy Huacaya, which has a crimped fibre, and the smaller Suri, which is known for its highly lustrous fine fibre with no crimp. I ask what it is about alpacas that Les and Connie like so much? “They are lovely animals – they are very calm and ideal for our social farming sessions,” replied Les. “You can take children in amongst them without any worry at all,” added Connie. “They don’t bite or kick and are free of sharp teeth. But they do spit – mostly at each other,” said Les. Breeding females in good health should have a baby alpaca (called a cria)

JUNE 2021 | WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET

every year and the gestation period is between 11 and 11.5 months. “For anyone considering getting into alpacas you’ll need to buy at least two as they prefer company. They aren’t cheap to purchase - breeding females can range from £1,500 to £3,000 to start and then upwards to £10,000 - but they are economic to run,” added Les. At Broadlands Meadows Farm, breeding and selling alpacas provides the main farm income, which has been helped by the growing trend for keeping them as pets and for tourism.

ALPACA FIBRE

Another important revenue stream is the alpaca fleece, which is renowned for its high quality. The Huacaya alpacas are shorn once a year, with their fleeces averaging around 2.5kg, with prices ranging from a low of £3.50 per kilo selling bulk to the mills to around £55 privately. This compares to processed prices of £10 upwards per 100 grams. “You have to process it to get good money out of it,” said Connie. Initially they processed the fleece themselves. Connie taught herself to spin and carded the fibre. They then discovered a mill in Eastern Europe that would take 30 kilo bags and process it at a fraction of the cost of UK mills. Unfortunately, Brexit has thrown a spanner in the works with the new import tariffs. Les and Connie are unwilling to send further batches for processing until they receive more clarity on what they will be charged when the processed fibre comes back into the UK.

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Last but certainly not least is their line of Dougall Oops!, a shredded alpaca bean aimed at gardeners, who rave about its nutritional value for vegetables. Les and Connie collect, process and package the alpaca dung on their farm, selling it via a local garden centre. The powerful bean shaped dung is collected with the use of a sweeping machine pulled on the back of a tractor, after which it is dried and then shredded ready to be packaged. Unlike cow or sheep dung it doesn’t need to be composted and Les recommends applying a small amount to the soil as a conditioner or making a compost tea with it.

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COVID-19 AND THE FUTURE

Covid-19 has hit the couple hard, with lower farm gate sales of their fibre products, which has been further complicated by the uncertainty around import tariffs for processing their raw fleeces. They’ve also had fewer volunteers to help out on the farm, but with the end of lockdown restrictions in sight they are now feeling more optimistic for the future. The thing I found most inspiring about my visit to Broadlands Meadows Farm is their commitment to helping others less fortunate and the opportunity for working farms to be part of the solution to the growing mental health crisis.

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FEATURED COMPANY: Determination to save the South East’s fruit and vegetable crop from disaster has seen recruitment expert Doug Amesz spend the past few months in Ukraine, racing against the clock to recruit seasonal workers. Doug’s company AG Recruitment, which he runs with wife and fellow founder Estera, is one of four agencies selected by the Home Office to recruit the 30,000 workers allowed into the country this year as part of the seasonal workers pilot scheme. “We are delighted to have been given the chance to support UK fruit and veg growers in this way and we are excited about helping to deliver on the objectives of the scheme, but everything is so last minute that it really has become a race against time,” Doug said. The crisis was sparked by the late approval given by the Home Office to the two new companies invited to help find skilled pickers. Although Doug knew some time ago that his company had been selected, he was not able to start recruiting workers because he could not confirm he had won the contract until due diligence checks had been carried out. The final go-ahead only arrived at the end of April. “In the meantime the weeks were passing by, fruit and veg were growing in the fields and growers were becoming increasingly anxious about how they were going to get their crops harvested,” Doug explained. “As it happens we are very lucky that this year’s harvest has been delayed by the cold spring. We are still going to be up against it to get the workforce over in time, but that has at least given us a bit of breathing space.” To make matters worse, workers Doug used to recruit from Bulgaria and Romania are now less keen on coming over to the UK because of the additional costs they face post-Brexit and the fact that many of them feel unwelcome here. To meet the shortfall, AG Recruitment has switched its focus to Ukraine, which is outside the EU, but that has meant setting up four new offices, recruiting and training 15 new members of his team to staff those offices and essentially setting up a new business. “We are trying to set up a new business at the same time as running that business on all cylinders in order to meet the demand we face,” Doug said. “There is no way you would do things this way under normal circumstances. Dealing with a different banking system and complex bureaucracy in an unfamiliar business environment while fielding calls every day from growers desperate for staff – it’s extraordinarily challenging but we are determined not to let our clients down.” The good news is that the Ukrainian workforce is keen and skilled – “as good as any we have recruited in recent years” – and will serve UK growers well once they begin to arrive on the

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RACING AGAINST

THE CLOCK

> Doug and Estera Amesz South East’s farms, hopefully by the beginning of June. AG Recruitment is licensed to recruit 7,500 workers before the end of the year, although in reality almost all of them are needed over the next few months. Even now, the process is proving more complicated than it should be. Once the AG Recruitment team has screened applicants and granted them a certificate of sponsorship, they need to make an appointment at a specialised centre that records the biometric details they need for their visa application. “There is only one centre in Ukraine and it seems to have a rolling waiting list of three weeks,” Doug said. “We can request ‘on demand’ sessions, but that, of course, comes at an extra cost. “The real problem is that the Home Office just didn’t plan ahead or create the capacity to process

30,000 visa applications and it left the whole thing far too late. This really can’t be allowed to happen again next year and I think there should be a formal government review into how this was handled.” With far fewer workers with settled and pre-settled status showing interest in working on UK fruit and vegetable farms this year and attempts to recruit a domestic workforce also unsuccessful, Doug believes that the industry should be asking for 60,000 overseas workers to be allowed into the country next year. “The point is, though, that decision needs to be made now, not when it’s too late. The Home Office understandably wants to make decisions based on past data, but by the time they’ve collected the data we’ve missed the boat. This kind of chaos mustn’t be allowed to happen again.”

WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET | JUNE 2021

GROUNDSCARE

> George Bryant

It takes a special sort of individual – and a great deal of hard work – to grow a business from scratch and then continue to find new opportunities to take it forward. It also helps to take that one opportunity that opens the door to future growth – and in Steve Bryant’s case that opportunity came in the shape of his local parish council. Steve, who set up Groundscare & General Services Ltd some 25 years ago, was invited to cut the local verges by Rolvenden Parish Council shortly after he had decided to go it alone and offer grass cutting and other groundscare work. “They liked the job I did and passed my name on to Goudhurst Parish Council, which gave me my second contract – and the business grew from there,” Steve recalled. And grow it certainly did, to the point where the Groundscare & General Services fleet is now headed up by no fewer than seven Claas Axion tractors, one packing 850 bhp and the remaining six rated at 830 bhp. The other attribute that an entrepreneur needs is a good team, particularly as the business starts to grow, and that’s something the Rolvenden-based business benefits from. Groundscare & General Services is now headed up by Steve’s son George, who is managing director, and Steve’s cousin and right hand man Ashley Bryant, who looks after the slurry and manure loading and spreading services the company now also offers. While the groundscare, flail mowing and verge cutting services have continued to flourish since that

Photos: Martin Apps, Countrywide Photographic

CONTINUING TO

FLOURISH first enquiry from the Parish of Rolvenden, it was moving into haulage and spreading a few years later that saw the business really take off. Like all business growth, it needed investment, but that has not been something the family-run concern has shirked, regularly ploughing profits back into buying new machinery and expanding the operation. “If I found a pound on the floor now and the choice was between spending it on myself or investing it in new kit, I would always choose to put the money back into the business,” Steve explained. “It’s provided the funding we need to take the operation forward and allow us to continue to offer new and better services. “It has also helped us develop a valued reputation for reliability, since we make sure that the equipment we use is fit for purpose, up to spec and well maintained.” Steve was born on the Hole Park Estate at

JUNE 2021 | WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET

Rolvenden and after finishing his studies at Hadlow College he began his career on the estate as a gardener and farm worker. “From the start, though, I knew I would rather work for myself and so I bought some equipment and began offering verge cutting and flail mowing and general grounds maintenance,” he recalled. “I knew when I picked up the first local contract that this was an opportunity to make a success of the venture, and it has been very rewarding to see the business grow steadily, supported over the past ten years or so by George and Ashley and the rest of the team.” That team now amounts to ten men, while the services on offer have broadened to include muck spreading, slurry haulage, construction work, plant and machinery hire and collecting and supplying poultry manure. The poultry manure collection work was highlighted by George Bryant as a good example

FEATURED COMPANY: GROUNDSCARE & GENERAL SERVICES LTD of the company’s quiet efficiency and the way it has built strong relationships with its customers as a reliable and trusted supplier. “Poultry outfits generally tend to be low key about their operation and they don’t like to draw attention to themselves, so they rely on us to turn up when we say we will, remove the manure and then find an end user for it,” he explained. “The only time we ever meet up with any of the management team is if something has gone wrong – and that’s very unusual. For most of the time they just trust us to get on with the job.” As a result, Groundscare & General Services is the biggest supplier of poultry manure in the south of England, producing more than 1,000 tons per week. It can supply an in-depth laboratory analysis for growers who want to take advantage of its nutrient value, which includes high levels of available nitrogen. The company also offers a range of services to the construction industry, making efficient use of its range of 360 degree excavators that are also used to support its agricultural operations. Alongside the Claas Axions, the company operates four tracked JCB and Hitachi 360 excavators, two Case 3CX back hoe diggers and five mini-diggers, all of which are also available for hire. It has two slurry tankers, a 3,000 litre HiSpec >>

> Steve Bryant

More than a tractor

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GROUNDSCARE

<< and a 4,000 litre Redrock Machinery model fitted with a dribble bar to allow more accurate spreading of slurry or anaerobic digestate, which is another of the company’s broad range of products. The equipment list also includes eight Richard Weston 17-tonne fully sheeted trailers and a 20-tonne Richard Weston dump trailer designed specifically for dealing with dirt and hardcore, a 17-tonne Herbst dump trailer and two low loaders – a 16-tonne Chieftain and a 25-tonne Macauley. Completing the line-up are two road brushes that can be fitted to the Axions and a 25-tonne Richard Weston muck spreader with a 24m spread, together with an array of smaller machinery that is used for verge cutting, flail mowing, strimming, hedge trimming and other groundscare work. The grounds maintenance side of the business, still a fundamental part of

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Groundscare & General Services’ offer, has contracts with a range of customers including solar park operators, local authorities and cricket clubs, and can tackle anything from scrubland to lawned areas. The company operates Kubota mulching deck mowers, including a new Kubota G23, and a Hayter Harrier 56 Pro. While grounds maintenance was the starting point for the company, the business expanded rapidly after Steve began moving and spreading slurry and, more recently, digestate from anaerobic digestion (AD) plants. “I thought there was money in muck, so I invested in the kit I needed and developed that side of the business,” he recalled. Along with spreading slurry, Groundscare & General Services works closely with AD plant operators. It supplies a number of plants with poultry manure,

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Plant hire Grounds maintenance which is recognised for its ability to produce nutrient rich digestate, and also spreads the digestate for farmers looking for the boost it can give their fields. The business relies heavily on word of mouth recommendations right across its broad range of services, tidying the verges for a number of parish councils and keeping several local churchyards looking smart. “At least one of our customers has been with us for the past 15 years, possibly more,” Steve said. With George and Ashley responsible for much of the day-to-day operations, Steve has more time to spend on his other farming interests, in particular the herd of Romney sheep and 25 Sussex cattle that he raises at Colebarn Farm, Cranbrook. While they eventually end up sold in meat boxes, he clearly takes a huge amount of pride in the animals he cares for while the business he founded is in capable hands. Those capable hands are continuing to grow the business, with George putting its success down to being “competitive and reliable and speaking the same language as the people we deal with”. The company, which provides its wide ranging services across Kent, Surrey and Sussex, also works closely with agronomist James Short from Hutchinsons to make sure that its products deliver the optimum benefits to the soils they are spread on and that they stay the right side of regulations around Nitrate Vulnerable Zones and the like. Moving digestate from AD plants is becoming an increasingly important part of the business, with customers including Sheppey Energy at Eastchurch and Environment First at Chart Sutton. “We have a lot of experience in moving and spreading digestate and we have built up a good customer base of farmers who are keen to take advantage of the benefits it delivers to their soil,” said George. “At Groundscare & General Services we place a lot of emphasis on soil health and on protecting and improving the environment.”

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Call Steve 07747 827901 www.groundcaregeneralservices.co.uk

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FEATURED COMPANY: Saving money is at the top of most growers’ agendas, particularly when it comes to the potentially high costs of running controlled atmosphere stores. Couple that with agriculture’s determination to save energy for environmental reasons and progress in refrigeration technology is always welcome. The experienced team at Orchard Cooling, which has seen a strong start to business since launching four years ago, has developed a new approach to defrosting cold store coolers that can save growers thousands of pounds by reducing their energy consumption. The company, set up in March 2017 by former International Controlled Atmosphere (ICA) employees Sean Macoy, Rob Burbridge and Dave Reynolds, has made sure the technology is fully tried and tested before launching it on the market. Working in collaboration with a local grower, the company has spent the past two seasons trialing the innovative approach to the defrosting challenge, developed in-house by sales and design expert Paul Kennett. He explained: “After using this arrangement for two storage seasons we can show a 75% saving on the amount of energy used by Orchard Cooling’s warm fluid defrosting method using air source heat pump technology as part of a secondary cooling system.” While calculating the exact saving is a complex business and depends on a number of factors, Orchard Cooling estimates that switching to air source heat pump defrosting can save close to £8,000 per year based on an eight-store set up. While using 12kW in-line electric defrost heaters set for three defrosts a day would cost up to £5,443 over a six-month period, the same calculations on a system using air source heat pump defrosting would cost just £1,569. “Incorporating air source heat pumps is an efficient method of warming the glycol for warm fluid defrosting. The heat pump unit is connected with small bore pipework flow and return to the store valve stations and maintains a high density insulated vessel containing glycol at a stable temperature ready to defrost the stores,” he went on. The innovative system is not on offer as an ‘added extra’ from Orchard Cooling but is instead set to

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DEFROSTING COLD STORE COOLERS

> Left to right: Rob Burbridge, Dave Reynolds, Sean Macoy and Paul Kennett

be included at the heart of all the refrigeration and controlled atmosphere systems the company installs in future, working with well-known industry names including Storage Control Systems, Wealden AM and Torran Construction. As well as fruit stores, the company provides electrical and control systems for a wide range of other growers and businesses, including high-tech tunnels with automated irrigation, humidity and door systems. It can also call on the services of a specialist programmer who can create bespoke software to ensure growers can get the best results out of top end tunnel systems. Another area of expansion is the South East’s

rapidly expanding wine industry, where Orchard Cooling’s expertise has been put to good use installing chilled storage for the likes of Hattingley Valley Wines and Itasca Winery. “Above all, we pride ourselves on offering a bespoke solution to the challenges facing growers and packers,” explained Service Director Sean Macoy. “We offer a full range of electrical services and we are always looking for ways to make systems more efficient – as our heat pump defrost shows. “Making technology work for the grower in order to improve their bottom line and make their lives easier while also doing our bit for the environment is the driving force behind the Orchard Cooling team.”

WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET | JUNE 2021

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ELVED PHILLIPS ARABLE NOTES

Well we have now had our UK ‘weather market’ for the time being! In fact, aided and abetted by the bullish expectations of the May USDA reports, we enjoyed ‘Twin Peaks’ of price, in the last week of April and the first week of May. In the event the USDA report on 12 May was neutral at best and certainly bearish, if believed, to the 2021/22 season. But I expect you took my advice and sold some at the top of the market when you could? However, we are still left with a residue of what seems to be pretty good prices for both new crop wheat and barley. With beneficial rain received everywhere in the UK and Northern and Western Europe, farmers are happier to make forward sales. But, the old crop still remains tight on supply and as I have been saying for six months, this will now continue until we start our new crop harvest. The cold and dry weather in March and April has pushed the harvest further back; even in the middle of May very little winter barley has emerged into ear yet. There are serious questions about whether the UK actually has the 1.5 million tonnes of wheat in stock which is needed to keep the mills producing between the end of June and the first half of August. Some of that gap is usually filled by imported wheat, and as reported previously, French new crop cargoes have already been purchased for arrival during the second half of July. But, the French wheat is also later, so some of those French sellers are now trying to buy back the earlier boats sold, fearing that they won’t have the new crop wheat available for July shipment. I think some manufacturers have underestimated the increased demand we are expecting to see post lockdown. Because they were caught with too

MANUFACTURERS HAVE

UNDERESTIMATED THE

INCREASED DEMAND much stock and finished product a year ago, they have now gone too far the other way and will have to chase the market for supplies in the next few months. My comment about oilseed rape trading being for “consenting adults only” is supported by old crop making £500 per tonne ex farm recently! Returning to the new crop. As I said, the relatively high wheat and barley values left over from the weather market requires closer inspection. Take feed wheat for example. In mid-May it was still making £180 ex farm Nov/Dec. That is a price we only reached last November when it was accepted that the UK only had 9.5 million tonnes of wheat and large imports were necessary. The AHDB says that we should have about 14.5 million tonnes of wheat this time, so I wonder what the justification could possibly be for us to be at that same level of price now, four months before harvest with five million more tonnes expected. There is still the possibility that we may even have an exportable surplus ourselves. I ask you to draw your own conclusions. Next, new crop feed barley. I traded some July/August feed ELVED PHILLIPS barley at £155/£160 ex farm in mid-May. I cannot remember Openfield feed barley for harvest collection ever being worth that sort of

money when selling forward at that time of year. Two things we know for sure. Firstly, when we get into the swing of harvesting barley the UK will not be short of barley in July or August. Secondly, we don’t know if at 14.4 million tonnes of wheat we will actually have any exportable surplus. But, in the case of barley we will have an exportable surplus for sure. We have 13 months to go before we know how all this works out. A lot can change as we may have another ‘weather market’ yet, caused by late plantings of USA maize, or maybe a late summer drought in Russia. My personal view is that the old crop market for wheat will stay very firm until we see new crop, so that could be up to the first half of August. New crop French barley will be off by the end of June, so our old crop will stay firm until we start ours in July. Post-Mr Putin’s election, Russia may start dumping its wheat on the world market in September and October. By then we will know if we are going to be net importers or not. If we are, then coupled with the second ethanol plant coming on stream in the New Year, it maybe that February, March and April 2022 will be the best time to sell feed wheat. But don’t forget, I only get three out of five trading decisions right and if I was that clever at forecasting, I wouldn’t be doing this job!

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A FRONT OF

NFU Vice President Tom Bradshaw recently told a cross-party parliamentary committee looking into the future of farm subsidies that, despite cuts to the BPS this year, farm gate commodity prices were currently so good that farmers were riding a “wave of optimism”. With all due respect to Mr Bradshaw, has the man completely taken leave of his senses? If there is one thing British farmers rightly pride themselves on it is a front of unrelenting pessimism, no matter how much money they are making. This professional discipline of consistent moaning and complaining is important for a whole variety of reasons. Firstly, on a ‘macro-economic’ scale, UK agriculture is fundamentally vulnerable to cheap food imports. This is due to our high labour costs, small scale farms, unpredictable climate and a relatively strong and stable currency (compared to many less-economically-developed countries, which can export their production cheaply because their currencies constantly devalue). This means that, in order for British agriculture to survive, it needs a tough food import levy regime and a generous farm subsidy system. For those two things to remain in place, farmers have to retain public sympathy, and to do that they have to look and sound downtrodden and on their last uppers. What tax-payer is going to give an “optimistic” farmer a subsidy? What politician is going to impose a food import tariff that makes food more expensive for consumers, if farmers are full of the joys of spring due to the profits they declare they are raking in? But the need for farmers to maintain an unrelentingly miserable façade is also driven by important, local ‘micro-economic’ considerations. Every day, farmers have to negotiate with the likes of grain merchants, fertiliser manufacturers, agri-chemical suppliers, agricultural engineers, supermarkets and landlords or their beady-eyed land agents looking for any sign of prosperity in order to jack up the rent. How on earth can we be expected to drive a hard bargain if someone carelessly gives the game away that – for once – we are coining it? One of my great farming heroes was a neighbour of my paternal grandfather, who was so determined to maintain the impression that he was teetering on the edge of farming insolvency that, although he bought a new car every year, he kept the old number plate and insisted on purchasing the same model in the same colour. That way, his landlord, grain merchant and machinery dealer were kept under the false impression that he could only afford an old banger. This made it a lot easier to keep his rent down, squeeze the last shilling out of the grain merchant and plead poverty with the agricultural engineer when it came to insisting on a

UNRELENTING

PESSIMISM large discount on new machinery. So, Mr Bradshaw, can you please tighten up your act and learn to provide a truly depressing picture of the British farmer’s lot. As any farmer should know, anything but a declaration of gloomy pessimism is disastrous for any farmer’s prospects. And next year it’ll all go pear-shaped anyway…

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AGRONOMY

Omnia E-Seed is the first standalone variable rate drill conversion kit that fits to any standard drill and does exactly what it says on the box – enables a standard land metered drill to be converted simply and eﬃciently into a variable rate drill. “We know that growers are increasingly looking to variable rate drilling to lift crop performance as well as improve the efficiency of their seed and nutrition inputs. However, the cost of investing in a new variable rate drill which can cost around £40,000 upwards has been a barrier to many growers moving over to a variable approach,” said Oliver Wood, precision technology manager for Hutchinsons. “If there’s a perfectly good drill in the shed but it just doesn’t offer a variable rate option, it can be difficult to justify the cost of replacing a good machine. “But with Omnia E-Seed, we are now able to offer an affordable way of moving over to variable rate drilling without investing large amounts of money; we have calculated that it is possible to recoup the costs of Omnia E-Seed in just 48ha, working on a 0.6t/ha improvement using a variable approach.” Mr Wood acknowledged that over the previous two very wet and challenging autumns, conditions had hampered drilling, particularly if using one of the newer, larger variable rate drills. “However, there may be an older, smaller and lighter drill on the farm that could be used but doesn’t have variable rate capacity. “This no longer needs to be an issue as the Omnia E-Seed box can be easily fitted to the land metered wheel of the old drill and drilling can continue.” Mr Wood pointed out that the box could be fitted to any seed drill, irrespective of age. “The kit comprises a motor which bolts on and replaces the land wheel; the sensors fit virtually into the same holes of the original drill. All control is via an iPad which talks to the box, so once variable rate

VARIABLE RATE

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Converting a standard land metered drill into a variable rate drill has never been easier or more affordable with the launch this spring of a new variable drill conversion kit, Omnia E-Seed.

plans are uploaded onto the iPad, they can be sent wirelessly to the box.” He added that Omnia E-Seed is a system that can be used by everyone, whether or not they are an Omnia Precision user. “In a similar way that Omnia Connect is available to use if you are not already an Omnia customer, it is not necessary to generate

variable rate plans in Omnia to use Omnia E-Seed. Any variable rate plans can be uploaded and used by the system.” The Omnia E-Seed kit has been tested and validated at the Hutchinsons Helix farms and is available this spring. To ﬁnd out more about Omnia E-Seed visit www.omniaprecision.co.uk

OLIVER WOOD

Precision technology manager, Hutchinsons T: 07436 796800 E: oliver.wood@hlhltd.co.uk Canterbury: 01227 830064 www.hlhltd.co.uk

JUNE 2021 | WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET

ARABLE > Fire suppression test

> Post suppression

> Combine set alight for test

Farmers are being offered discounted insurance premiums in return for installing fire suppression kits on their combine harvesters after a year in which insurer NFU Mutual paid out £20m in agricultural vehicle fire claims. The insurer dealt with 24 combine fire claims in the South East alone in 2020. Nationwide it handled more than 80 similar claims, including eight that were each valued at more than £100,000. The incentive will apply to combines fitted at point of purchase, or retro-fitted, with suppression systems that meet P-mark certification standards. “Combine fires put lives at risk, cause huge disruption to harvesting and destroy expensive machines, so we’re very pleased to introduce insurance discounts on combines fitted with accredited suppression systems,” said Tom Murray from the Agricultural Vehicle Underwriting Team at NFU Mutual. "Sometimes engine bay fires can break out despite regular maintenance and removal of debris, but suppression systems mitigate risks and significantly reduce the severity and frequency of farm fires.” In a recent live demonstration, the insurer joined one of the leading suppression manufacturers, Fireward, and agricultural salvage firm Adam Hewitt

SUPPRESSION SYSTEMS SAVE LIVES,

COMBINES AND CROPS Ltd, to set fire to a combine and put a P-mark system to the test. Tom explained: “Tests have shown that fires can be reduced or prevented altogether by suppression systems. When an engine bay catches fire, it needs to be rapidly detected, effectively contained and quickly extinguished. Suppression systems are also effective on fires involving solid combustibles, flammable liquids and electricity.” The P-mark approved suppression kits involve dual systems which have two cylinders, one with powder and the other with a foam. The powder interrupts the chemical reaction taking place and cuts off the oxygen supply and the foam suppressing

agent in the second cylinder rapidly cools superhot surfaces of over 200°C in larger engine bays which also hold turbo chargers and filters. Bob Henderson, who heads NFU Mutual’s engineering team and deals with many burnt out agricultural vehicles each year, said: “Wider adoption of fire suppression systems could be a serious game changer for arable farming – helping protect lives, property and the year’s harvest. “While insurance can cover the cost of a replacement, farmers still risk losing critical harvesting time during a tight weather window and face huge difficulty hiring a combine when machines are in high demand.”

10 YEAR TYRE PLEDGE Bridgestone has doubled the warranty cover on its extensive range of AG radial drive tyres to 10 years. Products such as the VX-TRACTOR and the VT-TRACTOR will benefit from the extended cover, while Bridgestone is also changing the starting point of its warranty period. Instead of the date of manufacture, the 10-year cover will now begin from the date the farmer buys the tyre.

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Bridgestone’s Technical Manager Gary Powell said: “From our dashboard data, we have clearly seen a continuing improvement in the reliability of our products operating in the farming environment. This has been made possible by advances in production technology and new design features. “We are more than comfortable to double the length of warranty cover, which clearly is a powerful indicator of our confidence in our products’ reliability.”

WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET | JUNE 2021

QUALITY STILL STACKS UP 10 years Recommended and still going strong Highest protein content of any Recommended Group 1 Winter Wheat Best combination of Yellow Rust and Septoria tritici resistance in the sector Fully Approved as a bread wheat for export Highest yielding Group 1 variety in 2019

CRUSOE

Reduce your risk and grow Crusoe as your Group 1 of choice @LGSeedsUK lgseeds.co.uk/crusoe

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ARABLE

Simon Budden’s crop of Crusoe milling wheat won Gold in the 2020 Wheat Quality YEN (Yield Enhancement Network) awards, with a yield of 11.98 t/ha and a grain protein content of 13%. It also achieved a specific weight of 82.7 kg/ hl, a Hagberg score of 352 and a moisture level of 12.5%. Crusoe has been the variety of choice for Hampshire-based wheat farmer Simon, of Netherley Farm, since 2013 due to the reliability with which it hits the 13% protein mark to receive a full premium. Last year was his first entry into the YEN. “The great thing about the YEN report is the detailed analysis of the crop throughout the growing season. The grain analysis was really insightful and highlighted low potash, magnesium, copper and manganese. This will be useful information going forward to help increase grain yields further,” he said. He admits that some of the newer varieties have slightly better yields but pointed out that they are often less reliable in achieving the required protein levels and so do not always achieve the premium. Having grown Crusoe for a number of years, he knows how to look after it and get the best from it. The local soil is loam over chalk, with good organic matter measured at 8.6% by loss of ignition. As part of his agronomy strategy, because the soils can vary within one field, he uses variable rates for planting using the SOYL system. Soils for milling wheats at Netherley Farm are min-tilled. “Last year’s crop was drilled at an average seed rate of 185 kg/ha, into good soil conditions in late September, and received rain at just the right times,” he said. “The millers need a consistent grain, so we use the variable rate fertilisers to even up the crop.” Phosphate, potash and nitrogen were also

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LG CRUSOE STILL RELIABLY HITTING 13% PROTEIN TO WIN YEN

applied at variable rates, and the crop received 260 kg/ha in five splits of ammonium nitrate, one of which went on with sulphur. For the milling wheat he uses a hand-held N leaf tester and tops up if necessary. Last year his milling wheat also received 220 l/ha of Omex Protein Plus at 40 kg/ha at grain filling, to give 40 kg of extra Nitrogen per hectare, taking the total on the field to 302 kg/ha/N. “As we are in a catchment sensitive area and also an NVZ, we are very conscious of not wanting to waste any nitrogen, and we are also working to improve our carbon footprint,” he explained. “Our strategy going forward is to continue growing reliable high-yielding milling varieties like Crusoe, but also to grow feed wheat crops to reduce our total nitrogen use over the farm.” Growing in an area with an average annual rainfall of 100 cm, septoria is a big challenge, so he prefers varieties with in-built resistance and they always receive a full spray programme. “We first saw the crop in some local trials and we were impressed how it stayed green despite high septoria pressure. We have been growing it ever since.” Crusoe remains agronomically robust, he said:

> Simon Budden “In this area we monitor closely for brown rust but did not see any last year; two seasons previously it came in late, but we find the variety holds up against the disease anyway.” “The fungicide costs for the previous year’s crop of Crusoe, at less than £98/ha, were not high in the context of a crop reaching 12 t/ha, with a premium from protein of £1.32 t/ha,” he pointed out.

FARM FACTS

Size: 460 ha Soils: Loam over chalk Rotation: Oilseed rape, spring barley, spring oats, milling/seed winter wheat and winter barley Fertiliser: Total of 302 kg/ha/N Fungicides: • T0 Pentangle (Chlorothalonil/ Tebuconazole) 1 l/ha • T1 Boogie Xpro Plus (Bixafen/ Spiroxamine/Prothioconazole) 1 l/ha • T2 Ceratavo Plus (Benzovindiflupyr) 0.5 l/ha • Brutus (Metconazole/ Epoxiconazole) 1 l/ha • T3 Kantor (Prothioconazole/ Tebuconazole) 0.5 l/ha

WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET | JUNE 2021

ARABLE Growers have been given an opportunity to take advantage of the European market for Group 3 wheat, as well as UK demand, following the launch of a new variety that is said to be an ideal match for conditions in the South East. Seed merchant T Denne and Sons, based just outside Ashford in Kent, believes that Merit, from Spalding-based breeder Elsoms Seeds, will allow growers to take advantage of relatively low haulage costs to Tilbury docks and other ports to supply buyers in Belgium and Holland. Speaking exclusively to South East Farmer, Seed Manager Andrew Bourne said reduced breeder effort in the Group 3 sector, coupled with growth in the use of soft Group 4s for export, had led to a significant shortfall in the area currently dedicated to Group 3 wheats in the South East. “There’s little doubt that the Group 3 market has become very diluted in recent years, partly due to increased demand for Group 4 varieties eroding the Group 3 market premium for growers, but also due to a lack of consistently high yielding Group 3 soft wheat varieties,” he said. The team at T Denne and Sons, established 140 years ago, believes that Merit gives UK growers an

NEW MARKETS opportunity to refocus on supplying key markets here and overseas and is set to assume the dominance that varieties such as Claire used to enjoy in the Group 3 sector. Trials have shown Merit to be consistently high yielding, with a high Hagberg for a soft wheat and a 6.6 score on resistance to Septoria tritici. “With a high level of interest from UK Flour Millers – formerly NABIM – due to the variety’s suitability for the domestic biscuit market, it ticks all the right agronomic and end use boxes. With Covid-19 restrictions now starting to relax we hope to showcase Merit as part of our annual wheat variety demonstrations day on 25 June at our trial site near Canterbury,” Andrew added. Charles Roberts, a trader with grain merchant Cefetra, endorsed Andrew’s assessment of Merit and said it should also appeal to buyers of high specification Group 3 soft wheat based in Belgium and Holland. “Even though they produce their own Group 3 wheat, both the Dutch and Belgians still prefer

UK-grown soft wheat, and while some of the export market to southern Europe was lost following a poor UK harvest in 2012, the market demand from northern Europe for Group 3 softs is still very much intact, despite the added Brexit complications,” he said. “Historically, the South East has always had limited outlets for wheat relative to the amount produced. Road haulage costs have increased substantially due to a decline in hauliers prepared to carry grain, but lower haulage costs to Tilbury docks and some of the smaller channel ports still make the export of Group 3 wheat an attractive option for both growers and merchants, as long as growers are prepared to increase their area of Group 3 wheat to meet demand. “Future success for South East farmers is all about balance, ensuring they grow sufficient quantities of Group 3 wheat to satisfy both domestic and export demand, trusting locally based experts like Andrew and investing in new varieties such as Merit when they are available,” he added.

Including slug control as an integral part of cereal and oilseed rape pesticide programmes offers a significant return on investment, according to Hutchinsons agronomist David Shepard. Mr Shepard said that in 99% of cases where oilseed rape precedes first wheat, or in a second wheat situation, he recommended applying a quality durum-based wet process ferric phosphate slug pellet. Despite oilseed rape acreage being cut significantly this year, other planting such as cover crops is preventing a drop in slug numbers, and with economic pressures increasing, it made sense to implement an appropriate slug programme, he said. “The key to successful slug control is to weigh up the risks and then treat accordingly,” he said. “I prefer to prevent the problem in the first place. By waiting to see slug damage symptoms before acting, it is normally too late. “In virtually every field of wheat following oilseed there will be slugs, so it doesn’t make financial

QUALITY SLUG CONTROL PELLETS

OFFER SOUND INVESTMENT sense to wait before implementing a slug control programme,” he explained. “By going in early with a quality durum-based wet process slug pellet, the aim is to nip the problem in the bud. “The application timing for slug control depends on the weather to an extent, but we would always recommend a product with proven benefits such as X-Ecute.” Key timing for slug application in oilseed rape is either before 10 August or after 10 September. For later slug applications in cereals – after 1 October – Mr Shepard recommends applying the pellets at the same time as drilling or immediately afterwards, but definitely before emergence. “We no longer have the seed treatment Deter so using a high quality slug pellet takes out the

JUNE 2021 | WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET

deliberation of whether to apply or not,” he said. “Good product timing flexibility is essential and a product that doesn’t breakdown in the wet is crucial. Where growers have used X-Ecute they can be confident that the product will retain its integrity better than some other poorer quality pellets.” In some cases a second application may be necessary. “In high slug number situations the timing of the second application in cereals could be within just a few days of the first, with crops being checked every 3-4 days,” he said. “It’s hard to base a decision to apply slug pellets on thresholds alone. It’s more about taking a pragmatic view based on a field by field assessment and current situation. In less problematic situations the second application might be a good couple of weeks after the first.”

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MAPPING RYEGRASS POPULATIONS IN EARLY SUMMER DORMANCY COULD ALLOW ADJUSTMENTS INMORE WILL BE AN IMPORTANT FIRST STEP IN ACHIEVING GRASS WEED THIS SEASON, TO EFFECTIVE WEEDAGRONOMY MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES MAXIMISE CONTROL. THIS AUTUMN.

IDENTIFYING THE SPREAD AND THE SEVERITY OF RYEGRASS WILL HELP TO PRIORITISE AGRONOMIC DECISIONS ON AFFECTED FIELDS, ADVOCATES SYNGENTA GRASS WEED SPECIALIST, GEORGINA WOOD. “Ryegrass is an increasing issue across most of the country, with some extremely serious hot spots in the south east, particularly in Kent and with very high populations in East Sussex, Hampshire, Dorset, Essex and Suffolk,” she warned.

INTEGRATED MANAGEMENT Syngenta trials across the UK have also shown the importance of combining a robust herbicide programme with cultural control methods. Trials with hybrid barley have shown an 88% reduction in ryegrass heads vs. winter wheat and 85% reduction vs. winter barley, in untreated situations. With the addition of DEFY + flufenacet + pendimethalin pre-emergence, complete control was achieved, with no need for any post-em follow up. Reducing the population through cultural means places less reliance on chemical options, reducing the chances of resistance to them developing.

“Grass weed research across a range of species has reinforced the importance of accurate application and timing of the herbicide programme, along with the need to manage weeds throughout the whole farm rotation”.

“AHDB research has shown ryegrass is more competitive than black-grass, resulting in greater yield loss, and it produces more seed heads with more seeds – which facilitates faster spread.” Many of the measures successfully employed by growers and agronomists to manage black-grass, also have a beneficial effect in controlling ryegrass. But where growers have erred back to earlier drilling after consecutive challenging autumns, ryegrass in particular, has the ability to return more aggressively.

“Precision farming tools, such as Syngenta Protector, now enables growers to map the extent of ryegrass populations within individual fields and to target agronomic decisions more accurately.” Those decisions could include alternative rotations, more competitive cropping choices and how to prioritise farm workload, especially around drilling timing, to give the best chance of breaking the ryegrass cycle. At the Syngenta Ryegrass Innovation Centre near Doncaster, for example, some plots were sprayed off with glyphosate in early December, and little or no further ryegrass germinated for the rest of the season. In addition to that, studies have shown that autumn germinating Italian ryegrass produces 23 times more seed than spring germinating. This highlights the importance of the autumn pre-emergence herbicide programme. In herbicide work at the Doncaster site, the combination of DEFY® at a full 5.0 l/ha, in mix with flufenacet + diflufenican at 0.6 l/ha, has consistently been the most effective treatment.

“The weather and other farm pressures can interfere with the best laid plans. Syngenta have developed the Spray Assist app to help you to optimise spray timing and nozzle choice on the go, to maximise application success”

RYEGRASS AGRONOMY ACTIONS • Identify the scale and severity of ryegrass population in fields • Map populations to track changes and spread • Test for herbicide resistance if concerns over control • Plan cropping to drill worst fields later • Focus on autumn actions to achieve best control

Download new Syngenta Spray Assist with added improvements Syngenta UK Ltd. Registered in England No. 849037. CPC4 Capital Park, Fulbourn, Cambridge CB21 5XE. Tel: +44 (0) 1223 883400 Technical Enquiries: +44 (0) 800 1696058 Email: customer.services@syngenta.com. DEFY® is a Registered Trademark of Syngenta Group Company. DEFY (MAPP 16202) contains prosulfocarb. All other brand names used are trademarks of other manufacturers in which proprietary rights may exist. Use plant protection products safely. Always read the label and product information before use. For further product information, warning phrases and symbols refer to www.syngenta.co.uk. ©Syngenta UK Ltd. May 2021. 11485

SARAH CALCUTT FOCUS ON FRUIT

RETAILER BRIEFING

Friday 14 May saw the delivery of the 2021 retailer briefing by British Apples and Pears. The panel consisted of James Simpson, Ben Bardsley and Tony Harding on the grower side, Professor Louise Manning of the Royal Agricultural University sharing sustainability insights and yours truly in the hot seat sharing insights into the planned PR campaign and the work of British Apples and Pears. It was a good thing we had the voice of Farming Today, Charlotte Smith, in the chair to keep us in order. I was pleased with the way it went. Our job was to discuss the critical issues facing British top fruit growers and the strides they are taking in becoming a world leading sustainable industry, delivering a world class product. Historically, a briefing was held as part of the season launch campaign in October; a few years ago we realised that this just wasn’t delivering as it was too late to influence retailer PR and promotional plans. As a result we now have two events – a May briefing where growers and retail representatives get together and share what the campaign has delivered, what it has planned for the year in hand and some insight into the work going on in orchards and in packhouses and the season launch event starting on 4 October this year and with a week of activities planned to promote the crop and drive sales.

SARAH CALCUTT Executive Chair, National Fruit Show

This October event is now very much focused towards the consumer press and media, putting the message about great British apples and pears in front of as many consumers as possible, helping them make the sensible decision that there is nothing better than homegrown, healthy, fruit. The May event is important. Both members and retailers have the opportunity to let us know what they need and how we can best help them. I shared data on market share vs British top fruit sales. There is a segment of the high street that significantly over-indexes with sales of homegrown fruit and equally there are areas where we would dearly love to increase our work, helping sell more British fruit as opposed to fruit that has travelled much further. The campaign is going to make a substantial investment this season in helping consumers find packs of British top fruit. This will include all ranges, especially those that have a choice of varieties. We are commissioning a series of ‘dark adverts’ that are visible only to the intended target group, with their delivery informed by previous search

JUNE 2021 | WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET

choices and accounts already followed. That way we can show a Tesco, Sainsburys, Co-op, or Lidl customer where to find British fruit both in store and online, what the packaging looks like and how to see who the grower is, helping bring consumers right to the shelf and make the right choices. Our sustainability report will be at the heart of messaging this season, demonstrating to consumers, retailers and decision makers how homegrown is the better choice for health and for the environment. We have two ambassadors, one of which is Raymond Blanc, back for a second year, championing the great taste and flavour of British apples and pears. We have case studies detailing all elements of production, from IPM to robotics, from one of the smallest growers in the association to one of the largest. British apples and pears are going to be on as many TV sets as possible; from consumer to cooking shows, they will all feature homegrown fruit if we get our way. We have some great photography booked in too, gaining interest through showing the beauty of a British orchard. Our social media strategy has input from both the ambassadors (including an Instagram take over live from an orchard), some great video, infographics, influencer content – essentially all driving hard to ensure that we maintain the current 55:1 return on the grower’s investment in the work of British Apples and Pears.

FRUIT & WINERY SHOW

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Kent grower AC Goatham & Son has welcomed the Government’s announcement of a new UK-India trade deal that will see restrictions lifted and enable fruit producers in the UK to export British apples and pears to India. Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the trade and investment deal with India was worth £1bn, would create about 6,000 jobs and would “pave the way” for a future Free Trade Agreement which the two governments are expected to start negotiating this autumn. Trade Secretary Liz Truss confirmed that the deal would boost access to India for producers of British fruit, amongst other things, leading Ross Goatham, managing director at AC Goatham & Son, to describe it as “an exciting opportunity for our business”. He explained: “As we grow and supply the best quality British apples and pears direct to supermarket customers, controlling every step in the process from the trees in the ground to delivery in our own vehicles, it is very easy for us to explore new overseas markets and the potential that new trade deals present. “Our significant programme of investment in our business over the past ten-plus years, from developing new varieties through to cold storage and packing technology, means we have an increasing volume of our own fruit and the capacity for handling and storage, plus that of our 20 partner growers. “Export is something that we have already successfully trialled to the Middle East and we look forward to opening discussions with interested parties in India.” The non-tariff barriers on fruit export to India will also help boost UK jobs and growth in the top fruit sector, and with a population larger than both the EU and US combined, the Indian market of 1.4 billion people presents a significant opportunity for the South East’s growers.

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FINANCE

The UK is no stranger to innovation in the agriculture industry, having led the agricultural revolution of the 18th century. The UK has been at the forefront of farming practices and equipment development, including the introduction of crop rotations and horse-drawn seed presses to other parts of the world. We are also leaders when it comes to agricultural output; over 70% of land in the UK is used for agriculture, an industry valued at £26 billion, representing over 7% of Europe’s total agriculture market. Agri-Tech refers to the development and application of technology and technological innovation to improve the efficiency and output of agriculture. It boosts the efficiency of production, increases crop yield and drives profits in the sector. Technology and data can create opportunities and help solve problems with production, traceability, and the preservation of scarce natural resources. Despite its traditional image, agriculture is adopting new mechanical and robotic innovations, cloud utilisation, big data, and web-based solutions, to mention just a few, to increase productivity while protecting our environment. HMRC’s R&D Tax Credit Scheme enables innovative SME’s to access tax relief and cash credits to further invest in their research, or indeed help fund working capital. To qualify for R&D Tax Relief a project must seek to make an appreciable improvement in its field in order to resolve a ‘scientific or technological uncertainty’. The tax relief can be worth up to 33% of the amounts invested in R&D. Azets is a one of the UK’s leading advisors to the agricultural sector and we see growing opportunities for our farming and agriculturalbased clients to take advantage of the tax relief as new technologies evolve. Tim Croft, Head of R&D for Azets said: “Farming and the agricultural sector is at the heart of what the R&D Tax Relief legislation was designed for. Investment and innovation in AgriTech is so important in a world that is increasingly reliant on technology and smart solutions, and those who don’t adapt may find themselves left behind. I would urge any businesses in the sector developing new concepts and processes, or seeking to improve upon existing technologies, to come and speak to us”. Some areas in which our R&D teams have seen innovation being undertaken include: • Drone technology, satellite photography and sensors • Phase tracking • Automated irrigation • Intelligent software analysis for pest and disease prediction and soil management • Biotech • Livestock maintenance technology • Manufacturing and tooling innovation • Food processing tools

AGRI-TECH –

THE RECIPE FOR GROWTH • Packaging and distribution • Vertical and Smart Farming • Back office software

SOME EXAMPLES: MONITORING TECHNIQUES

Continual analysis and monitoring of conditions on the farmland, using real-time data, enables farmers to make swift and proactive decisions. Sensor technology is evolving to enable variables such as water, light, humidity, moisture and soil acidity to be kept under constant review. Animal farming continues to make better use of microchips to monitor behaviours of livestock. Data analytical techniques are utilised by specialist software, combining empirical data with live information to enable farmers to make optimal decisions, drive efficiencies and reduce wastage and crop disease.

ROBOTICS AND AI

Agribots are already used by farmers to take over many manual tasks, reducing physical effort, enabling crucial savings in labour costs and precision timing of tasks which would otherwise rely on human intervention. This may include the nourishment and harvesting of crops, or indeed self-driving tractors and machinery. Machinery can be programmed and “trained” using Artificial Intelligence to repeat tasks and learn from failures. Ever improving drone technology can be deployed for many purposes, such as early identification of crop disease, enabling farmers to take swift remedial action to save the farm significant financial loss. Use of GPS technology is increasingly utilised to ensure maximum efficiencies in the routing of machinery and resulting in reduced fuel wastage and crop damage.

SMART FARMING

Land is an increasingly scarce resource, and a big area of Agri-Tech is Vertical Farming, the practice of growing crops in vertically stacked layers. It frequently incorporates controlled-environment

JUNE 2021 | WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET

agriculture, which aims to optimise plant growth, and soilless farming techniques such as hydroponics, aquaponics and aeroponics. Common choices of structures to house vertical farming systems include buildings, shipping containers, tunnels, and abandoned mine shafts. The process works particularly well in urban environments, using only a fraction of the water required in a field, utilising LED lights and enabling easy transportation of food and other consumables.

UNDERSTANDING THE OPPORTUNITIES

The agriculture sector has been at the forefront of the development of new technologies, processes and machinery. However it has become clear that the industry is not obtaining maximum benefit from Research and Development Tax Credits. The latest set of HMRC statistics, published in September 2020, show that the agriculture sector is only responsible for 1% of R&D claims, with 620 annual claims being made, representing £30m of tax relief in total – an average of £48,300 tax value per claim. Across all sectors there were 59,000 claims at an average of £89,700 tax value. This is in the context of a sector which contributes £10.4 billion to the UK’s economy (in Gross Value Added) and employs over 475,000 people. We believe that R&D tax relief is significantly underpromoted within the agricultural community, in particular Agri-Tech, and there are significant untapped opportunities.

CLAIRE PARRY

Partner, Accounts and Business Advisory Services T: 01227 454 861 E: hello@azets.co.uk www.azets.co.uk

chnologies, including robotics in the dairy and a brand new state of e art high welfare and RSPCA assured pig unit. Coupled with this, e college’s new farm shop and café open in Brighton this summer, oviding the perfect opportunity to demonstrate and educate udents in every aspect of the supply chain relating to British oduce.

STUDENTS ACHIEVE

PROGRESSION

whether your area of expertise is livestock, arable, machinery or ri-business, we’d like to hear from you.

nd out more & apply: plumpton.ac.uk/our-college/vacancies

Alan Johnson, Curriculum Manager, reports from Plumpton College in the third of a new series in which South East Farmer hears from students. Plumpton College’s agricultural staff are proud of their student’s progression and achievements, which is a direct result of the educational experiences they give their students. “We are able to illustrate student success routinely – in prospectuses, at student award ceremonies, at staff meetings, in mission statements – and it is not uncommon for students, staff, and alumni to be able to recount the outstanding progress students make during their time at the college that leads onto amazing job opportunities,” explained Alan Johnson, curriculum manager. “They provide a sort of compass that orients us toward the core values of our college. “I am particularly mindful of the progression our students achieve as we are nearing the end of the academic year and the opportunities they have for the future due to their success in college.” Here are the student diaries for the last month:

ISAAC ADAMS

Over the past month I have been working on my work experience placement, taking advantage of the opportunity while on my Easter break from

college. As a part of my level 3 course, I have to complete work experience hours. I have been very lucky to find a placement on a suckler beef farm that focuses on rearing high quality finished and store cattle. This has allowed me to have a very wide and varied experience as I work towards completing my first year at college. The time has flown by and I have learnt so much. Work experience is invaluable and helps to ensure that students are able to put the all-important theory into practice. I am very much looking forward to my middle year, when I will be based in industry developing my practical skills further, which is very important as I am not from a farming family. While working at my placement I have gained a wide range of stockmanship skills and become more confident when operating machinery. For me, being able to have one day a week in industry has really helped me and has enabled me to use, and apply, what I have learnt in class on a working farm.

FAYE PIERCE

March and April have been a busy couple of

months for me. It began with assisting with lambing here at Plumpton College, which was a whole new experience for me as I had never lambed indoors before. College lambing routines gave me the tools to prepare myself for my work placement on Romney Marsh, at a farm lambing 800 ewes indoors, and I was able to apply the knowledge I gained at college directly into the workplace. On completion of my time at that placement I finally went to help on our family farm, lambing the last of our 1,250 Romney ewes outdoors. I had very little knowledge of lambing before but I have learnt so much over the past month, particularly at college where the theory blends so well with the practical aspects. For example, the signs to look out for when a ewe is lambing include restlessness and pawing the ground, and quite often they will separate themselves from the flock. The average time it takes for a ewe to lamb is 30 minutes, and in the vast majority of cases they lamb unassisted. However, nutrition and management, from tupping to late pregnancy, have a very important part to play.

Visit the website for further information on how to sign up: www.plumpton.ac.uk/courses/apprenticeships/apprenticeship-talent-bank/

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AT COLCHESTER MARKET

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As a result of the cold late spring, grass growth in the eastern counties has been severely restricted and there are serious concerns about forage later in the year, but still we see live markets producing fantastic returns for producers of both cattle and sheep. With numbers still inadequate in all sections and with strong companies of buyers, more stock is wanted. Prime cattle are trading some 40p/kg above 12 months ago, equating to over £200 per head in many cases; as always quality pays, with good meat cover being essential for maximising returns. As always, though, livestock markets produce an outlet for all stock of whatever quality. The strong beef trade was reflected throughout all sections of the livestock market, with over-age cattle, including cull cows, also exceptionally well sold at prices that probably had not been seen before. Despite the shortage of grass there are many buyers looking for cattle to graze. Let us hope by the time this report is printed that we will have seen some warm rain and some positive grass growth. In the prime cattle ring, prices are regularly between 240p/kg and 250p/kg for the best, and prices well over £1,600 per head have been seen in Colchester

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covering Hampshire

Science

covering East Sussex

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covering Kent and East Sussex

Results

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on a regular basis, climbing to £1,880 for strong steers. As always heifers are keenly sought by retail and wholesale buyers to ensure supply is there to the public who wish to buy quality British meat. The sheep market continues to push ahead at levels unseen in the past. The cold weather is holding back new season lambs, but any hoggets being sold at the beginning of May look exceptionally well sold with many trading over £150 per head and the heavier continentals over £170 per head. The demand seems to be unstoppable, with numbers inadequate. Trade on average is well over 100p/kg more than the same time last year, equating to between £30 and £50 per head. As stated, new season lambs were short at the beginning of May but hopefully numbers will increase as warmer weather spreads in. Remarkable trade has been seen for the best forward. Many farmers have been drawing lambs earlier than they would normally in terms of finish, but who can blame them when the trade is at the level it is? Let us hope the trade can continue through the summer months so that sheep producers can see a realistic return and invest for the future. This trade has been wanted for many years to keep livestock producers in business and it is good to see. Cull ewe trade is following lamb trade with all numbers inadequate. The pig market is also seeing a welcome lift on the dead weight; with so few markets now selling live weight it is difficult to gauge a true demand, but a much larger increase in price is required to offset the very high feed costs that pig producers have, with wheat, barley and soya all at high levels. The cull sow trade also increased but still remains at very low levels. With the extreme dry and cold weather throughout April and early May, arable crops are under severe pressure in places, with spring crops particularly hard hit on the lighter land in Essex and Suffolk. As stated above, let us hope that by the time this report is read we have had some sensible rain levels and a realistic harvest ensues.

AT ASHFORD MARKET

IS THIS THE NEW ‘NORMAL’? There is currently a list of questions that I am asked with increasing regularity, which includes: “What will happen to the sheep trade when we go back to normal?”; “What is making these sheep so dear?”; “What will the sheep be worth in the autumn?” I will deal with these in reverse order and immediately shrug my shoulders at the latter question regarding the autumn predictions for store and breeding prices. We cannot assume that due to the current slaughter price boom we will see increased prices for breeding sheep from August onwards as, to put it simply, these are two very different markets which have different intentions. We saw hogget prices in line with our current levels once before, in 2018, but in the autumn breeding sheep prices were very much in line with what we would consider to be ‘normal’. We have seen increased numbers of females being offered for sale in the finished pens in recent months, but in most cases these sheep are worth more to slaughter than any farmers are willing to pay to put them into their breeding flocks at this time of year. This will decrease the number of sheep available nationally in the autumn, so the old supply and demand rule will push prices upwards once more. But after 15 years of standing on the rostrum, there is only one thing that is guaranteed in the sheep

JOHN ROSSITER T: 01233 502222

www.hobbsparker.co.uk industry… unpredictability! Now back to my first question. What is this normal life that we keep talking about, though? Pubs opening, restaurants packed? Holidays abroad and fully packed football stadiums? The answer again here is quite difficult to predict. It will depend on whether consumers choose to continue their current practice of eating better at home in place of the odd meals out in restaurants, as the last year has shown us a surge in sales in butcher shops and farm shops across the country due to the restaurants being shut. We all hope that consumers choose to buy better and eat better now that it has become commonplace, but I fear this will always be ruled by price as we saw in meat sales in the pre-pandemic era. So to my final, and undoubtedly my most commonly asked question, which is: “Why are these sheep so dear?” From early 2020 to the time of writing, we have had a global pandemic which has shut down the hospitality industry, and we have also had the minor issue of Brexit, which has had an impact on UK exports to Europe.

Now these two points alone suggest an unmitigated disaster for the UK sheep meat industry, but in the typically unpredictable fashion I mentioned earlier, we have seen record prices broken on a weekly basis throughout early 2021. At the time of writing, in Ashford, we have seen finished hoggets selling in excess of £180 and new season lambs at 400p/kg and we have seen cull ewes break the £200 barrier on several occasions. These are prices we expected to see on show week once a year but are now commonplace. But why? Well, with a decline in the numbers in the national flock and this increased interest in cooking and eating better at home, competition for the lower numbers of stock on offer has been very high, almost unprecedented. Numbers are not going to increase rapidly overnight and this new demand will not decrease overnight either, which suggests that maybe the figures we are currently seeing may be nearer to the new ‘normal’ than we realise. Yes, we may be at the very top of this wave and the summer months will bring with it the standard drop off in demand for sheep meat, but the days of the £70 finished lamb may be behind us. It would have taken a very brave man to predict this in his crystal ball in January 2020, but let’s not complain and let’s hope the ‘new normal’ is here to stay.

NIGEL TAKES ON NEW ROLE Surrey beef farmer Nigel Franklin has been appointed as regional facilitator for the Pasture-Fed Livestock Association (PFLA) in the South East. Nigel, who farms near Redhill in Surrey, will be organising farm visits and meetings and providing support to local PFLA farmers interested in producing more of their meat and dairy from grass and forage. The PFLA, which brings together almost 700 UK farmers, butchers, academics and consumers with an interest in the regenerative role of ruminant grazing animals, is setting up regional groups to reach increasing numbers of farmers looking to take a more sustainable approach to food production. The association believes pasture-only farming offers benefits including greater soil health, better animal welfare, and more biodiversity and wildlife, as well as providing tasty, nutritious food that is healthy for consumers to eat. Nigel previously worked in the events and exhibitions industry and in his late teens spent four years working for race horse trainer Guy Harwood. For the past three years he has been farming with his wife Penny at Brightleigh Farm, where they have a herd of Black Baldies, a robust cross of Hereford and Aberdeen Angus cattle. The cattle are grazed from spring to autumn and housed in winter, when they are fed on just conserved grass – as hay or silage. No fertiliser or sprays are used in the fields, which encourages a wide range of pasture plants including herbs and wildflowers to grow and support large

numbers of insects, birds and small mammals. All the beef is Pasture for Life certified, which means that the cattle have only ever eaten a natural pasture-based diet and have never been fed any cereals or grains. “I am very interested in regenerative farming techniques and am keen to encourage more farmers to take up this way of farming,” said Nigel. “The benefits to the soil, the environment and the animals are there for all to see – and it also produces the healthiest and best tasting meat people can buy. I am also working on linking up producers with butchers and retailers in this area.” Nigel can be contacted at nigel@pfla.org.uk

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ANITA HEAD ORGANISED CHAOS

WORKING DOGS HIGH

ON TARGET LIST 46

Finally, the weather has warmed a little, the biting wind seems to have died down and we have a beautiful foal. First cut silage is now safely home and second cut will be under way shortly. Hopefully we will then have a few weeks’ breathing space before harvest begins in earnest. The rain in May was a welcome end to the drought that began in April. The crops have recovered well, and fingers crossed they will yield as well. Prices are holding well at the moment. No straw and a late turnout forced farmers to look at other methods of bedding their cattle; last month I visited a farm that was using paper waste as a form of bedding with a light dusting of straw on the top. The system seemed to be working well, although I’m not sure I would be brave enough to try it. During lockdown the sale of puppies went into orbit. Labrador puppies were changing hands for between £3,000 and £5,000 and some breeds of dog during lockdown rose 89% in value. With the increase in puppy prices, dogs have become a major target for thefts in the UK. Farmers have been asked to remain vigilant as working dogs appear to be high on the list of targets.

With this in mind the Government has launched a new taskforce to investigate and gather evidence to help understand the factors that have contributed to the rise in thefts. The intention is to learn lessons from successes in tackling other types of theft eg, mobile phones. They would also like to clamp down on these illegal markets. It doesn’t appear to be just the price of puppies that has gone through the roof; the price of beef and lamb is at an all-time high. Long may it continue, although with the Government in talks to finalise meat imports from other countries only time will tell. Having been through the archives recently, we found our milk statements dating back to the 1990s and decided to do a price comparison. In May 1996 our milk price was 0.02ppl different to the price we received in May 2021. We then started asking questions with regard to the additional expenditure and standards expected of us in today’s climate. Raw materials, wages and machinery have all increased and the list goes on. In fact, everything has doubled, trebled and in some cases quadrupled, apart from the milk price, which has stood still in these testing times. In 1996 we had no farm assurance; passports

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were a relatively new phenomenon. Red tractor hadn’t been invented; climate check data was a long way off. We continually jump through paperwork hoops for absolutely no return. The milk price increase in May was greeted by the press as an amazing achievement. In reality we are running on the same prices that we received 25 years ago. So, for all the “back slapping praise” in the hierarchy that went on at HQ, the reality is that the milk price needs to be a lot higher since the cost of production is more than it was 25 years ago. Every year the dairy industry sees fewer and fewer dairy farms in this country. Eventually milk could be classed as a luxury item and not an everyday commodity in the fridge. Where does it all end? We are slightly bemused by it all.

ANITA HEAD Farmer

ADVICE FROM THE VET

TARGETS

The target for ram performance is to see more than 90% of ewes pregnant after the first breeding cycle. The most common cause of poor conception rates is due to a sub-fertile ram rather than infectious disease.

RAM MANAGEMENT

RAM FERTILITY

AND TUPPING

Effective management of rams requires yearround attention; it’s easy to forget about the rams’ care. • Make sure to give them their vaccinations (particularly clostridial vaccines) and worming/fluke treatments as necessary, along with routine footcare etc. • Shear and provide shade to prevent heat stress in summer. When shearing, carefully trim excess wool from scrotum to reduce the risk of the testes overheating. • Keep rams healthy and stress-free for ten weeks prior to tupping. Sperm production takes seven weeks, and you do not want any health issue or stress factor detrimentally affecting this. • Feeding some bypass protein in the eight weeks pre-tupping can boost testicle size. Beware of overfeeding the rams, as this can have a detrimental effect on sperm production. • Rams should have a body condition score (BCS) of 3.5-4 out of 5 at tupping. It is recommended to give supplementary feeding of around 0.7kg concentrates daily during the mating period to minimise condition loss. It is an important part of post-tupping care to get a ram’s BCS back to 3. • Mineral supplements – zinc and selenium are required for good fertility, and supplementation may boost performance even where there is no deficiency. • Culling aged rams is recommended after five to six years of age, as older rams are likely to struggle to achieve good conception rates.

By Andrew Richmond BVM&S MRCVS, Westpoint Horsham.

REPLACEMENT RAMS

Purchase replacement rams at least four weeks before use and put into quarantine. Many purchased rams will have been fed on a high concentrate diet before sale, so it is important to get the ram’s digestive system used to grazing before he goes out with the ewes. If you do not, they can melt away when they start to work. It takes at least two weeks for the digestive system to adapt to a change in diet. Give quarantine treatments and test for infectious diseases as recommended by your vet. Introduce the ram to the group carefully to try to minimise fighting.

BREEDING SOUNDNESS EXAMINATION (BSE) AND SEMEN TESTING All rams more than six months old should have a physical MOT and be fertility tested six to eight weeks before tupping. It has been demonstrated that around 20% of rams have sub-optimal fertility at BSE. • Testes size and mobility – scrotal circumference greater than 30cm (at six to 14 months) greater than 33cm (mature rams) and testes of equal size. Testicles should be freely mobile within the scrotum and show firmness like a flexed bicep, with uniform consistency. Epididymis – firm. Cords – no lesions. • Scrotum, prepuce, vermiform appendage – no lesions. • Brisket – no lesions. • Teeth – not broken mouthed, incisors aligning with dental pad, no missing molars. • Legs/feet – good conformation, no lameness. • Eyes – clear with no discharge. These tests will detect approximately 50% of sub-fertile rams. Semen testing is required to detect the other 50%. Semen can be collected on farm by your vet using electroejaculation. The vet

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can then assess the sperm motility on farm and assess the sperm morphology back at the office as the final part of the examination.

TEASER RAMS

Teaser rams should also be fit and healthy just like the rams, but not fertile! Introduce them two weeks before the rams go in, to tighten the lambing pattern. For the teaser effect to work the teasers and the rams should be kept at least a mile away from the ewes for several weeks before use (out of sight, smell, and hearing). New teasers should be vasectomised eight weeks before you want to use them.

TUPPING

Rams should run with the ewes for a minimum of 34 days (two x 17-day cycles). Change raddle/brisket paint colour every 17 days. Start with lighter colours and go darker. A significant number of repeats indicates subfertility in one of the rams. If using a raddle check that the harness has been well maintained so that it does not cause brisket sores. The ewe:ram ratio would usually be 40:1 in a lowland flock, and a maximum of 30:1 if teasers are used. For ram lambs the ratio would usually be from 20:1 to 30:1 depending on age, breed, genetics and nutrition. If using more than one ram per group (usually necessary in large flocks) it can be difficult to detect a sub-fertile or male-oriented ram. An older ram usually dominates a younger ram and may prevent it from breeding. If this dominant ram is sub-fertile this will lead to poor conception rates and an increased empty rate. If you would like to discuss anything covered in this article contact your local Westpoint practice

ANDY RICHMOND JACK BALKHAM

Westpoint Horsham Westpoint Ashford T: 01306 628086 T: 01306 628208 E: info@westpointfarmvets.co.uk

EMILY OZOLS

Westpoint Sevenoaks T: 01959 564383

www.westpointfarmvets.co.uk

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ALAN WEST SHEEP TOPICS

WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?

With lambing done for most of us, things are generally just a little more relaxed. Apart from worries about the impact of the weather on grass growth, this does provide a little breathing space, an opportunity for reflection and, for some, consideration of how we approach the post-Brexit future for the sheep sector. There is no doubt some still hold the view that things will carry on as normal. This approach has been encouraged somewhat by the buffering effect of very good lamb prices since the new year, which has tended to mask the real impact of Brexit. Unfortunately, the prices that we have enjoyed over the past few months have more to do with tight supplies resulting from producer marketing behaviour at the end of 2020 than anything else. They are not, as some seem to want to think, a result of our departure from the EU. In reality exports are down; prices are simply getting too high for continental buyers. Even with tight supplies on the continent, UK deadweight prices for the last week in April exceeded those in both France and Germany, where supplies will soon begin to rise; not a good situation for exports.

ALAN WEST Sheep farmer

At times, in the past, many lamb producers avidly watched fluctuations in the Sterling/Euro exchange rate, knowing that a fraction of a percentage change in the wrong direction would have an inevitable impact on exports and a consequential effect on lamb prices. We now have a situation where the additional paperwork and bureaucracy associated with lamb exports has added between £1 and £1.50 per lamb, an increase which, even at current prices, equates to a good 1% increase on the cost of exporting a lamb, something that has gone largely unnoticed. This combination of high domestic prices and additional costs is challenging for exports - a challenge that is yet to have a significant impact on prices. Current prices have given the sheep sector a much-needed confidence boost, but sadly they are simply not sustainable. It would be a real bonus if

> How about a bit of respect. Don’t you know who I am?

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they were, but we all need to be aware of the impact that high prices can have, not just on exports but also on domestic demand; there is the inevitable risk of consumers shifting to cheaper meat alternatives. The buoyant beef market has so far limited this shift somewhat, but for the catering trade lamb is already becoming too expensive. Even with the opening up of the catering sector, if hospitality customers can’t make a margin on the lamb dishes on their menus they will simply walk away. As more new season lambs come onto the market, prices will very likely drop back. This isn’t trying to talk down the market; it is simply being realistic. The last thing that we need is for producers to rush to get lambs sold before prices drop. A glut of lambs, particularly if poorly presented, will only hasten the decline. Orderly marketing of quality lambs is important, and going forward the latter must be one of our key selling points. In addition, we are facing a situation where BPS payments are being phased out at a time when there is a high degree of uncertainty as to what is involved in the new support mechanisms and just how they are going to operate at a farm level. It is inevitable that some will simply choose not to get involved with the new measures and forego any support; an approach that will have cost implications but will almost certainly make life a little less complicated. Add to this the additional pressures arising from things such as changing weather patterns; it already looks as if we could be facing yet another summer of near drought conditions even before the grazing season has really got going. There is also an expectation that as an industry we will need to make some significant contributions towards carbon reduction. We will undoubtedly come under increasing public scrutiny and there are plenty out there, many with their own agendas, who will use whatever arguments, reasonable or otherwise, truthful or otherwise, to drive that scrutiny. They cannot and will not be ignored; whatever our personal views, they will not go away. To add to our woes, production costs are increasing. Hay and straw are twice what they were 12 months ago and fertiliser is 20%+ above where it was last year. Quite

VET DIARY apart from the direct costs for grass and forage crop production, the impact on the arable sector will have cost implications for sheep producers. The default response to this sort of situation has been to intensify, to increase output per ewe, per hectare, etc, which is great in a situation where there is a growing market for lambs, but in a finite market increasing the supply of lambs will simply depress prices further. There is a limit to how far one can proceed in this direction; the inevitable consequences of larger producers having the ability to produce lambs cheaply (economies of scale etc.) are a further depression of market prices to the point where the smaller producers simply cannot compete and cease to produce. Such an approach is certainly contrary to the public’s perception of sheep production and one that might ultimately generate questions of consumer and policy acceptability. It is also an area that is likely to be subject to increased levels of both public and institutional scrutiny. The default position is, however, not the only option available. It is a route that tends to ignore the contribution that sheep flocks can make towards sustainable, well balanced, mixed farming systems. It was, after all, sheep flocks that maintained arable production on lighter soils for hundreds of years before the discovery of artificial fertilisers, and it is also far too easy to overlook the role that sheep have within the landscape. A rather more considered and science-based approach to traditional mixed farming systems, which are generally more in tune with both environmental and landscape considerations, is likely to provide more acceptable options, but do need to be recognised as such within support measures. Lamb produced to more publicly and politically acceptable standards will generally tend to have higher production costs which, if cheap food policies are to continue, should be compensated for as public goods. In addition, such approaches tend to have a greater level of resilience to adverse weather patterns and provide the whole of the agricultural sector with greater opportunities for improving soil health, contributing to significant carbon reduction and sequestration. There also needs to be some recognition of the not insignificant contribution made by the large number of smaller pedigree flocks maintained by enthusiastic breeders nationwide towards the genetic improvement of the national flock. Many of these breeders also make an enormous contribution to public relations and the promotion, not just of their own breeds, but of the sheep sector as a whole at agricultural shows across the UK. On the plus side, the wool market situation shows some positive signs. A 100% clearance at the last six Bradford auctions and an expectation of no hangover of the 2021 clip by the end of this marketing year, plus a price rise of almost a third (although 30% of next to nothing isn’t a great deal), are moves in the right direction.

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BADGER VACCINATION PILOT

SCHEME FOR EAST SUSSEX What a varied month May has been. We have had cases of caseous lymphadenitis (CLA) in a couple of flocks and a further case of border disease following some disappointing scanning results. We saw a case of torsion of the bowel in a Sussex cow this week and revealed some further incidents of active BVD infection in a couple of suckler herds as part of the BVD Stamp It Out scheme. My diary, however, has been largely dominated by TB, more specifically relating to badgers and vaccination. The southern half of East Sussex is an island of TB in an otherwise fairly quiet South East, with Kent, Surrey and most of West Sussex being on four-yearly testing. Badgers have frequently been implicated epidemiologically in new TB breakdowns and there are clearly some areas of the South Downs where the wildlife reservoir and wildlife to cattle transmission needs to be addressed. For many reasons, local farmers have felt unable to pursue wildlife control measures as a method of managing this facet of TB epidemiology. Even though culling may have been our best chance of improving the situation, it was unlikely that we would have met the criteria needed for a licence for a cull to be granted. This, coupled with a recent government statement indicating a phasing out of badger culling in the next few years and a cattle vaccine still on the horizon, has meant that badger vaccination represents the best chance we have to take control of our situation in the short to medium term. Long term vaccination of badgers with the BCG vaccine has proved effective in reducing the number of infective badgers in previous projects, and fewer infected badgers should mean a reduction in cattle TB. Cliffe Farm Vets is heading up a group of local farmers, landowners and other stakeholders that has secured DEFRA funding to vaccinate badgers across a 250 km2 area of East Sussex over the next five years. The aim of this pilot project is to establish whether or not a farmer-delivered badger vaccination programme can be delivered at scale. Fundamentally, this project aims to pay farmers themselves (or their nominated associates) to undertake three tasks; surveying their farms for active setts, setting and baiting traps and vaccinating badgers.

When the idea was mooted by the TB Advisory Service a few years ago, there was broad support for the notion of badger vaccination, but when it was explored the two main concerns were: How much will it cost me and who will be doing it? Understandably farmers do not want any Tom, Dick or Harriet wandering over their farms. Due to the acquisition of funding, farmers will now be remunerated for delivering the tasks and, crucially, have total control over who is performing the tasks on their farms. TB testing appears to be monitoring rather than eradicating TB in cattle in East Sussex. With an increasing frequency of breakdowns across our area and a widespread cull out of the question, badger vaccination represents the best opportunity we have had in 40 years to reform how we might eradicate the disease locally. So, if you are a landowner or tenant in our target area, engaging with the project will mean you can make a significant, positive contribution – for the benefit of our farmers in East Sussex, and the livestock industry at large. The project represents a golden opportunity to determine with some certainty if farmer-led badger vaccination is both feasible and effective as a tool to use against bTB in hotspot areas alongside the current control measures. For further information, or to register your interest, contact the Project Manager, Dr Lindsay Heasman by emailing lindsay@hurstanimalhealth.co.uk

NICK PILE

BVM&S MRCVS, director of Cliffe Veterinary Group T: 01273 473232 E: nick@cliffevets.co.uk www.cliffefarm.co.uk

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NEWS

> Yellowhammer

> Wood pigeon

RECORD-BREAKING YEAR

The farming community came together despite bad weather and Covid-19 restrictions to make it a record-breaking year for the Big Farmland Bird Count. More than 2,500 counts – a 65% increase on the 2020 figure – were submitted in response to the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust’s (GWCT) annual request for farmers and land managers to spend 30 minutes recording the species they see on their land. The event, supported by groups such as the CLA and the National Sheep Association (NSA), saw more than 700 additional volunteers count 81% more birds this year, while the land area surveyed more than doubled to over a million hectares. The CLA pointed out the value of the count as “a simple way for the farming community to assess the natural capital on farm, an increasing requirement under the government’s Environmental Land Management scheme, and to chart the effects of any conservation they carry out”. A total of 25 species from the Red List for Birds

of Conservation Concern were recorded in this year’s count, with eight making the list of the 25 most frequently seen species. Starling, fieldfare, lapwing and linnet were the four most abundant red-listed species recorded, with over 112,000 spotted in total. The five most abundant birds counted were woodpigeon, starling, rook, fieldfare and chaffinch, with the combined total of 190,000 making up more than 37% of the total number of birds recorded. CLA Deputy President Mark Tufnell, who has taken part in the count every year since it launched in 2014, said it was encouraging to see eight red-listed species on the most frequently seen list, which he said demonstrated “how the increase in biodiversity and implementing conservation methods helps reverse declines in wildlife habitats”. NSA Policy and Technical Officer Sean Riches commented: “Lamb production supports rural communities as well as being a key player in

delivering environmental stewardship schemes. “Sheep can be effectively used for conservation grazing in areas that would be difficult to manage otherwise due to poor land quality or terrain. The use of livestock, particularly sheep, for conservation grazing is commonplace in national parks and ensures protection and access of these areas for the general public.” GWCT’s Dr Roger Draycott said: “All of this helps us build a detailed national picture of the state of Britain’s farmland birds, allowing us to better understand what is really going on in our countryside. It clearly shows that farmers, land managers and gamekeepers care for the land they work and, given that they look after 71% of all the land in the UK, that is extremely good news for the future of our treasured bird species.” In the South East, Hampshire led the way for participation, with 118 farmers taking part, although Kent topped the table for the most species counted, notching an impressive 96, including 21 on the Red List.

Number of farmers taking part

Total area counted over (acres)

% in agrienvironment schemes

% undertaking supplementary bird feeding

Species counted

Red Listed species counted

Kent

53,406

Surrey

5,987

East Sussex

19,684

West Sussex

17,126

Hampshire

118

52,000

Isle of Wight

832

Berkshire

35,180

Buckinghamshire

25,261

Oxfordshire

21,107

Essex

68,248

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NEWS

VIRTUALLY UNHEARD OF…

Organisers have confirmed that this year’s Cereals event will be taking place as a “real, live, in the flesh, face-to-face event with actual people”. The news, which will be welcomed by event-starved farmers across the South East as well as across the rest of the country, was confirmed by event organiser Alli McEntyre. “No online webinars, just real people meeting in the fields of Boothby Graffoe, Lincolnshire. Not a ‘virtual’ link in sight,” she explained. “You can walk across real

grass, eye up actual machines, talk to people directly, attend seminars in person and examine the crop plots - and there’s even a soil pit you can get into.” The show, planned for 30 June and 1 July, promises 300 exhibitors, a Syngenta sprays and sprayers arena showcasing live demonstrations and an Isuzu driving course, together with a full seminar programme. www.cerealsevent.co.uk

SCALED DOWN COUNTY SHOW PLANNED With the Government’s roadmap still under review, this year’s Kent County Show will be replaced by a smaller event planned for the weekend of Saturday 10 and Sunday 11 July. The county’s showcase event for farming, countryside and rural life in Kent will this year be replaced by The Kent County Summer Fayre, which will be held at the same venue, the Kent Showground at Detling. James Forknall, Chairman of the Kent County

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Agricultural Society, said: “After reviewing the Government roadmap, and with the final opening date being so close to the show dates, we could not take the risk of undertaking all the hard work needed to put on a large-scale event for it then to be potentially pulled at the last minute. “A smaller scale event is far more achievable within the timescale we have to organise it. It is so important to us this year to put on a show to help business owners grow after some very

challenging times, while also encouraging the public to once again enjoy a great and safe day out.” The fayre will still feature some of the wellknown aspects of the Kent County Show such as vintage vehicles, show jumping, a woodland area and live music and there will be a number of trade stands and catering options. Tickets will be limited, with the latest information available at www.kcas.org.uk

WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET | JUNE 2021

Legal services for farmers & rural businesses Call us today or visit our website:

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THE PERILS OF IHT WHEN PASSING ON YOUR FARM Ashley Partridge, Head of Wills, Probate and Estate Planning with Parker Bullen, talks about some of the issues around inheritance tax.

As all farmers know, farms tend to be family businesses and, as such, are passed down the generations, sometimes for centuries. It means passing on a business to the next generation is par for the course for many farming families. The evolution of tax laws, though, means passing on the family farm is perhaps not as simple as it once was. Death duties can be traced back to 1694, with inheritance tax (IHT) famously used in 1796 to fund the war against Napoleon, while IHT in its modern form dates back to 1986. Generally speaking, though, most farms are not liable for IHT, as if the farm is trading or used for agricultural purposes when it is passed on – which it most likely is – it becomes exempt. The same is true for many businesses. However,

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If your business needs help with: • Contracts and transactions • Diversification • Property purchase and lease negotiation • Equine law • Employment If you would like help with: • Family law and divorce • Residential conveyancing • Tax planning and trusts • Wills and estate administration

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properties and other assets not used for agricultural purposes are liable for IHT. Because of this, families often get caught out, not realising they can leave IHT unfairly distributed amongst their offspring. This is especially true where a farm has diversified into other forms of businesses which may, or may not, qualify for agricultural property relief (APR) or business property relief (BPR). If, for example, you leave your farm to one child and rental properties or other assets to another, the child inheriting the farm will pay little or no IHT whereas your other child could be hit by the tax. So how can a family ensure IHT liabilities are spread evenly when a farming business is passed from parent to child? Often three generations can work on the farm at one time, so it’s not unusual for the farm to be passed to those children that have been more involved in the farm than others, with the remainder of the estate left to their siblings. Even if finances are tight, a farm can be worth a significant sum, meaning that those who inherit the farm often inherit substantially more – financially speaking – than those who don’t. If the farm is gifted by your Will free of tax, this imbalance can become more pronounced, as the children who inherit the IHT taxable share of the estate are also liable for any IHT due on the farm. This could mean that these children not only inherit a smaller amount, but that amount becomes smaller still once they’ve paid IHT. A farming estate is rarely entirely tax-free, especially for those that have diversified into property letting, holiday lets or any other land uses that don’t qualify for APR or BPR. The application of APR and BPR can be complex, plus there may be restrictions on the value of the farmhouse as well as the ‘hope value’ of any land with potential for planning permission – all of which can affect whether you qualify for tax relief and/or the level of relief for which you qualify. Consequently, many families find themselves facing an unexpected tax bill. When making plans for your farm it’s therefore crucial to consider IHT carefully. Many choose to establish a discretionary trust in their Will, under which chosen trustees manage the estate and assets after the owner’s death. Trustees decide who ultimately gets what and can be guided by a detailed ‘letter of wishes’, which is less legally restrictive than a typical Will. It can also let trustees divide an estate in terms of the owner’s overall intention, rather than through the ‘letter’ of the Will – which could be out of date and not reflect the latest changes to IHT. Alternatively, you can make specific bequests in your Will, although you need to review your will and IHT positions regularly to ensure they’re up to date and relevant. The contents must continually reflect your intentions regarding how you’d like your assets split. Estate planning can seem complex, but taking time to plan now can ensure your children are treated fairly and your assets distributed in the way you would like. Smooth transition of the business between generations is the ultimate reward for all the hard work you have put in.

LEGAL

PROTECTING AGRICULTURAL WORKERS’ WELLBEING The largest wellbeing survey of its kind has been launched for the farming community in England and Wales by the Royal Agricultural Benevolent Instruction (RABI). Amongst other aims, RABI’s Big Farming Survey looked to identify the physical and mental wellbeing of those working within the sector. Engagement with the survey has been high, and it is estimated that around 15,500 responses have been received. The findings from the survey will be published this autumn, but it sparks an interesting dialogue about wellbeing within the sector. The impact on farmers’ mental health and resilience has been highlighted in recent years by the challenges presented by Brexit and Covid-19. Agricultural work often involves long hours and lone working. Adding Covid-19 isolation and the cancellation of many events in the farming calendar to these existing issues has only added to the mounting pressures within the sector. Like many business owners, those employing workers in the agricultural sector need to be aware of potential mental health issues amongst their workers. Employers have a duty to take reasonable care of the health and safety of their employees, which includes both physical and mental injuries. Employers must also follow applicable legislation, including the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulation 1999. This legislation highlights an employer’s responsibilities, including carrying out regular risk assessments, ensuring health and safety policies are up to date and providing relevant training around these areas.

HOW CAN I PROTECT THE WELLBEING OF MY WORKERS? PROMOTE WELLBEING AND SUPPORT

It is important that agricultural workers know what mental health support is available to them, both internally and externally. There is a growing number of support platforms available within the farming sector and organisations such as MIND have resources available online. Focusing on offering guidance and training to workers will help workers understand what options they have for support and will also help employers maintain a healthy workforce. Employers may want to consider arranging mental health awareness training or appointing mental health first aiders within their business.

KEEP COMMUNICATION OPEN

Clear communication is key. Opening up discussions around mental health and wellbeing is especially important in a sector where there has historically been a culture of remoteness and resilience. Initiatives such as the Big Farming Survey should help to address attitudes within the sector and employers

should create an atmosphere where wellbeing can be openly discussed and feedback is encouraged. Employers should make sure they check in regularly with their workers and allow them the opportunity to raise any issues. Regular one-to-one meetings, even on an informal basis, will allow line managers to identify any potential challenges to an employee’s wellbeing or pick up on signs that an employee may need some extra support.

CARRY OUT RISK ASSESSMENTS

In line with health and safety obligations, employers should be carrying out mental health risk assessments to identify any stress risk factors. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has online templates and tools to assist with this, but completing the assessment shouldn’t be the end of the process. Once any stress risk factors have been identified, these should be acted on and control measures put in place to reduce the risk of harm.

DEAL WITH ANY ISSUES PROMPTLY

Employers should make sure that any issues raised by workers surrounding their wellbeing are dealt with quickly and sensitively. Line managers should be aware of what processes to follow. Listen to any concerns raised by workers, and if they can identify what help they need this should be implemented if possible. Understandably, within farming it can be hard to make adjustments such as flexible working due to the nature of the work. However, employers should be mindful of their duty under the Equality Act 2010 to make reasonable adjustments for disabled employees. As the definition of disabled extends to those with a mental impairment, employers should make sure that they carefully consider a request for adjustments to assist an employee at work. This could include changes to working arrangements or responsibilities.

ENCOURAGE HEALTHY WORK HABITS

This could include making sure workers take their breaks and use their annual leave entitlement. It is important as part of any wellbeing strategy that employees are reminded to observe a healthy work-life balance wherever possible. Monitoring working hours can help identify those workers who may need more support to manage their workloads. One of the most important things you can do as an employer is to avoid seeing staff wellbeing ABIGAIL BRIGHTWELL as a tick-box exercise. A comprehensive Associate, Brachers LLP wellbeing policy can be a useful tool in ensuring T: 01622 655281 that review of practices and their effectiveness is E: abigailbrightwell@brachers.co.uk a regular and ongoing process. www.brachers.co.uk

Helping our agricultural community to thrive and grow Legal services which deliver long-term solutions to support the future of farming Call us on 01622 690691 Visit us at brachers.co.uk

TO ADVERTISE CALL 01303 233883

WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET | JUNE 2021

VED AP O R P PP

VED

APP

D A PROV P

IN ASSOCIATION WITH

Contact:

Battle Haywards Heath Pulborough Tunbridge Wells

01424 236145 01444 412402 01798 877501 01892 508240

Letting your property?

ICK

i HIGH HURSTWOOD | EAST SUSSEX

OIEO £1,100,000

For more information, contact Savills on 01732 879050 ABOUT 132 ACRES

ATTRACTIVE WEALDEN FARMLAND

IN IDYLLIC POSITION An attractive block of Wealden farmland in an idyllic position close to High Hurstwood, East Sussex, has come to the market through Savills. Reads Farm extends to about 132 acres of grade 3 land, including generously sized pasture fields, protective shaws and Stonehouse Wood, a block of broadleaf woodland extending to about 29 acres. At the heart of the farm is a newly created yard area with hardstanding, a steel framed six bay open-fronted barn and planning permission to erect a second barn of the same size. There is also a range of brick-built former bull pens, which offer potential for alternative use, subject to necessary planning consents. Reads Farm is currently farmed in-hand by the owners, who run a highly regarded sheep enterprise. Chris Spofforth, Savills head of farm agency in the South East, said: “Reads

TO ADVERTISE CALL 01303 233883

Farm is an extremely attractive block of Wealden farmland with fine views over the High Weald, towards the South Downs. Idyllic and peaceful, it is within easy reach of the pretty hamlet High Hurstwood and the larger towns of Uckfield, Crowborough and Tunbridge Wells.” Reads Farm is being marketed by Savills with a guide price in excess of £1,100,000.

EXTRA FARM INCOME?

Consider renting sporting rights and pest control to a local shooting club which prides itself on compliance with codes of good practice and practical on-farm conservation projects. Fully insured, references available, payment in advance, any land over 20 acres considered excellent rates paid.

Call 07703 729366. LAND OWNERS AND AGENTS FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT www.rmasc.co.uk WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET | JUNE 2021

LAND AND FARMS BLENHEIM ESTATE | OXFORDSHIRE

TENDER

ABOUT 1,100 ACRES

INVEST IN LONG TERM VISION A new approach to tenancy agreements is looking to give Oxfordshire farmers the confidence to invest in a longer term vision. The Blenheim Estate in Oxfordshire is inviting farmers to tender for around 1,100 acres of arable farmland as it implements what it describes as a “ground-breaking land strategy”. Successful farmers will be offered lengthy 10-year agreements that the estate hopes will lead to “long-term relationships allowing both landlord and tenant to share the positive outcomes of a new approach to efficient, sustainable food production, harnessing new income streams and placing care for the land at their heart”. The UNESCO World Heritage Site set out plans to change the way it managed and farmed its 12,000 acres in 2019 as part of a wider land strategy which placed value on its natural capital. Estate Director Roy Cox said: “The way estates like Blenheim care for land is vital as we become the first generation to recognise the true value of living alongside a thriving countryside.

NEW FACES IN

“As an estate deeply rooted in its local communities, we know that if our care for the land does not thrive, we cannot thrive, nor can those who follow us. As a long-term holder of land with a diverse portfolio of businesses and a world-renowned visitor attraction, we have a responsibility to help and an opportunity to make a real difference. “Finding the right partners for this land, and enabling them to thrive, continues our clear direction set out two years ago as part of our ambitious land strategy.” The Environmental Change Institute at the University of Oxford has calculated that the estate’s natural capital is capable of storing nearly half a million tonnes of carbon, slow down 12,000 tonnes of flood water and provide £4.3m of health benefits each year over its 70km of footpaths and 30km of rivers and streams. The estate is looking for tenders which “blend sound economics with the very best of land management by challenging the status quo and identifying opportunities to improve the local

OUR JOURNALISTS, PHOTOGRAPHERS & DESIGNERS ARE READY TO PROMOTE YOUR BUSINESS

YOUR TEAM?

NOUNCE? METHING TO AN DO YOU HAVE SO

environment for all who benefit”. Mr Cox went on: “We’re committed to working in partnership with our farm tenants to unlock the potential of produce from the land, improve our natural capital, encourage techniques that lock in and hold carbon and measure the health of our soils with the intention of being the first generation to leave Blenheim in a better state than it was found.” The 1,100 acres on offer is split into three lots – two with bare Grade 3 farmland and one including buildings and a grain store. The lots comprise varying field sizes and are located in and around the villages of Woodstock and Stonesfield. Ross Kent, Partner at Carter Jonas, described it as “a unique opportunity to secure a 10-year Farm Business Tenancy with the Blenheim Estate which has an ambitious vision. “At a time of huge change this tenancy will provide the successful farmers with certainty, security and the chance to be at the forefront of the changes which are happening in agriculture and land management.”

WANTED

We are a family run Oak framing manufacturer looking for Industrial unit for manufacturing use along with office space. Workshop Area Minimum ~30 x 15m Building (5000ft²) Office Area ~15x5m (800ft²) Exterior space to unload arctics Good Access & 3 Phase electrics Ideally within 15 miles of Robertsbridge.

Please contact edward@tradeoakbuildingkits.com or call 07738 733253

TO ADVERTISE IN SOUTH EAST FARMER 01303 233883 TO ADVERTISE CALL 01303 233883

WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET | JUNE 2021

TH & Co

TED HANDLEY & Co LIMITED

PROPERTY CONSULTANTS AND ADVISORS SHORTLY AVAILABLE 31 acres grass and buildings Battle/Johns Cross

R DE UNFFER O

28 acres grass and buildings MountField PEVENSEY 68 acres Well known excellent Grazing land

26 acres grass and buildings Mountfield/Johns Cross 5.72 Acres woodland Westfield 6.73 acres – amenity area Fairlight

BUXTED 15 acres

WANTED Mayﬁeld – Wadhurst – Burwash 40-95 acres house and buildings max £2.25 million

8.52 acres grass, shaw and buildings Fairlight

WANTED Robertsbridge – Sedlescombe – Bodiam 50 acres residential farm max £1.25 million

East Sussex Land and buildings for smallholding up to £400,000

All areas TBC. Details available after 13th June. Email your details to request information.

Rye – Beckley – Battle 18–25 acres to create smallholding. £150,000-£375,000

THE ESTATE OFFICE • HIGH STREET • MAYFIELD • EAST SUSSEX • TN20 6AB TELEPHONE: 01435 692058 MOBILE: 07483 108078 EMAIL: th@tedhandley.co.uk

Kent | Ashford To Let A rare opportunity to let just over 165 acres of arable and pasture land near Ashford, Kent from the 16th September 2021

Grade 3 Arable land, Pasture and Woodland

About 165 acres (67 ha) To let as a whole or in 3 lots Deadline for tenders Friday 16th July 2021

Canterbury Office 01227 473 719 | 07471 354 000 henry.wethered@struttandparker.com /struttandparker

@struttandparker

struttandparker.com

Over 50 Offices across England and Scotland, including prime Central London.

JUNE 2021 | WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET ZB494 South East Farmer Half Page.indd 1

19/05/2021 16:12

LAND AND FARMS

> Wadhurst Land – 35 acres

BLACKBOYS | EAST SUSSEX

> Barklye Farm – 40 acres

> Coles Farm – 60 acres

HEATHFIELD | EAST SUSSEX

WADHURST | EAST SUSSEX

35-60 ACRES

HARD TO EQUAL FOR QUALITY Watsons of Heathfield is delighted to be marketing more of the rural properties and parcels of land in which they specialise. There are two grassland farms and two parcels of land, all of which are within the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and have features that make them not only desirable but also hard to equal in the qualities they offer. Coles Farm occupies an idyllic tranquil location near the hamlet of Blackboys and comprises a well presented three bedroomed bungalow that overlooks the southern part of the farm and the attractive, heart-shaped Coles Wood. The wood boasts numerous specimen oak trees, further woodland areas, an agricultural building of more than 3,400sq. ft (316 sq. m.) and an attractive pond fed by a brook that runs through the land. The ring-fenced farm has no public footpaths and the agricultural building offers a livestock yard, workshop area and lockable and open storage space. Despite the rural location, Coles Farm is well positioned for good road and rail connections, being only about one mile from the B2102, one and a half miles from the A272, just over two miles from Buxted Station and five miles from the town of Uckfield with its extensive shopping facilities. Barklye Farm, located between Heathfield and

Burwash, is another grassland farm and has about 40 acres of land, with a further 63 acres available separately within half a mile. Located at the end of a private drive, with outstanding panoramic views over the surrounding farmland and woods towards Mayfield and beyond, the farm comprises a timber framed three bedroomed bungalow for modernisation, a traditional former dairy and adjoining cowshed with planning permission for conversion to a further three bedroomed dwelling and pole barns with a floor area of over 4,500 sq. ft (418 sq. m.). This ring-fenced farm has some woodland and is bordered by a small stream on the northern boundary. There are no footpaths over the pasture or woodland; the only footpath on the property passes over the drive at the far southern end, and then only for a short distance. Despite the fantastic views, rural feeling and peaceful setting of the farm, it is only about quarter of a mile from the A265, which provides good access to Heathfield and its wide range of shops. Stonegate Station is about five miles away. Located just over two miles east of Heathfield, with frontage to the A265, is a parcel of 63 acres of land that comprises about 56 acres of south facing pasture, including the extremely unusual feature of

a former polo field, and about six acres of woodland. This would either work well as a useful addition to nearby Barklye Farm, also currently being marketed through Watsons, or as a stand-alone block of grazing. Not only does it have far reaching views over the surrounding countryside, but the land also benefits from two access points, while the combination of woodland, mature hedgerows and open areas of grassland provides a haven for wildlife, including deer. A very rare opportunity has arisen to acquire about 35 acres of land in a picturesque setting that not only includes spectacular views over Bewl Water but also borders it to the south. The land is in the Cousley Wood area of Wadhurst and is principally south facing organic pasture with attractive areas of woodland on both the eastern boundary and towards the southern edge. There is great potential to improve the existing equestrian facilities that include an F.E.I. sized sand school requiring restoration, together with a water jump. In addition to the good riding available in the area, further excellent leisure activities are available at the Bewl Water Outdoor Centre, located within a mile of this land. As well as the sailing and fishing facilities based there, the land around the reservoir offers about 13 miles of walking, cycling and riding.

For more information, contact Watsons on 01435 865077

> Heathﬁeld land – 60 acres TO ADVERTISE CALL 01303 233883

P O T

K C PI

WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET | JUNE 2021

LAND AND FARMS

MAXIMISING LAND VALUE AND HOW A

PROMOTION AGREEMENT CAN HELP

Selling land for development is often a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for landowners and requires careful consideration to ensure that returns are optimised. The Government has targeted delivering 300,000 new homes a year across England to meet the chronic shortfall of housing. The evidence is clear; there has been a severe shortfall in building new homes over recent decades. It is therefore essential that we accelerate building homes to catch up, and we need your land to contribute to this. As a land promoter, Catesby Estates can assist you in maximising the value of your land by guiding you through the complex and expensive planning system. We enter into land promotion agreements with our landowner clients to maximise the value of their assets at no cost to them.

• You still own the land, and during the process you are free to continue farming or working the land as you wish. • There is a common interest to achieve the highest deliverable price. This is unlike an option agreement, commonly used by a housebuilder, which is a legally binding agreement to purchase the land in the future. Under an option agreement it is in the interest of the housebuilder to purchase for the lowest possible cost, which is at odds with the landowners’ goal of maximising value. • Finance: – No money is spent by the landowner throughout the process, with Catesby covering all the costs involved in obtaining planning permission. – The risk in achieving planning permission is on us.

WHAT IS A PROMOTION AGREEMENT?

MAXIMISING THE VALUE OF YOUR ASSET

As the name suggests, promotion agreements entail land being promoted for development. A promotion agreement offers the landowner and land promoter a partnership agreement funded by the promoter that aligns the interests of both parties when seeking planning permission. A promotion agreement is becoming a popular alternative to the more traditional option agreement, which often ends with a dispute on the sale price due to the lack of transparency. The promotion agreement would typically include: • An agreed period by which the promoter must obtain planning permission • A cap on the costs incurred by the promoter. • The percentage split between the landowner and promoter from the eventual sale of the land. • An agreement that the site is marketed with the benefit of planning consent and sold to the highest bidder to maximise value. The core aim of a promotion agreement is maximising the value of your land, with Catesby Estates financing the process of planning and preparation for sale in return for a fixed percentage once the land is sold. The process guarantees that both you and Catesby Estates are aligned to achieve the best possible result without any conflicts or ulterior motives; the whole transaction operates transparently.

ADVANTAGES OF A PROMOTION AGREEMENT

• Use of the promoter’s expertise and extensive network of contacts. • The promoter is responsible for all the work involved in the promotion of the site through the planning process and for regularly feeding back to you. A promotion agreement enables you to retain control over your land throughout the promotion, marketing and sales process.

The key to maximising value through a promotion agreement is the active marketing of the site once planning is secured, which will result in competing bids. It is a competitive process, and because land with planning permission is in short supply, the demand from our housebuilder customers maximises the sale price. As land promoter we are paid a fixed percentage of the eventual selling price and therefore it is in our interest to obtain a high-quality planning permission to help drive the best price possible. This is a working partnership between you and us, rather than having the buyer-seller dynamic created by an option agreement. The promotion agreement will result in you receiving greater value for your land than if it was purchased by a housebuilder exercising an option agreement.

LANDOWNER BEWARE – ALL PROMOTERS ARE NOT CREATED EQUALLY

A landowner must use an experienced land promoter with a strong financial backing and well-equipped team that has good knowledge of local planning policies and the market within which the land is located. At Catesby Estates we have taken this a step further by having a dedicated technical team in situ that deals with all major constraints such as access, drainage and ground conditions. This is an invaluable resource to ensure the land is not only deliverable for the planning permission sought but that the land value is maximised. In essence, this is the secret of successful land promotion. Catesby Estates takes on the cost and risk of securing planning permission. We use our expertise to find a buyer for the site and we help you secure the best price for your land. What do you think your land could be worth? Contact us for a no-obligation appraisal of your site.

Find out more about land promotion and how Catesby Estates can assist in maximising your land value

GURDEV MOORE

Area Land Director, Catesby Estates plc T: 07702 533243 E: gurdevm@catesbyestates.co.uk W: www.catesbyestates.co.uk

JUNE 2021 | WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET

LAND AND FARMS

The number of people looking to buy farmland so they can manage it to improve biodiversity or generate carbon credits is on the rise, according to land and property specialists Strutt & Parker. “One of the most notable developments in the marketplace over recent months has been increased demand from green investors looking at alternative land uses to food production,” said Matthew Sudlow, head of estates and farm agency. “They still represent a very small subset of the market, but it does look as if that proportion is set to grow. We now receive phone calls on almost a daily basis from buyers interested in purchasing land to be managed environmentally – with their plans involving tree planting, rewilding and other conservation and carbon-offset projects. Interestingly, such buyers are starting to become active in lowland areas of England, as well as the uplands. Growth in environmental land investment is a trend we are also seeing in Scotland and Wales.” Analysis of Strutt & Parker’s Farmland Database, which records the details of all farms, estates and blocks of publicly marketed farmland in England over 100 acres in size, shows that while farmers remain the biggest buyers of farmland, non-farmers are playing an increasingly big role in the market. The proportion of farms bought by farmers has dropped to 52% which is its lowest level since Strutt &

GREEN INVESTMENT

IN FARMLAND

ON THE RISE

Parker’s survey started over 20 years ago. Conversely, the proportion bought by lifestyle buyers and private investors has risen to its highest level – accounting for 47%. This category includes investors who buy land for privacy and amenity reasons, those who see land as a safe asset in which to store their wealth and individuals who have made capital gains from the sale of land for development and want to roll over funds. Non-farmers are now the main type of buyer in the South East and South West of England. Strutt & Parker’s data shows the volume of land coming onto the market remained at record low

levels during the first three months of the year. “Only 20 farms were publicly marketed in the first quarter of the year, which is below the five-year average of 24. The farms were also smaller than in previous years and so the 4,600 acres publicly marketed is well below the five-year average of 6,100 acres,” said Mr Sudlow. “With demand also remaining relatively robust, this means prices have remained virtually unchanged at an average of £9,200/acre for arable land and £7,000/acre for pasture. However, prices continue to be very variable around these averages, depending on supply and demand within a localised area.”

WATSONS COUNTRY PROPERTY AGENTS AUCTIONEERS

CHARTERED SURVEYORS VALUERS EST. 1873

Bespoke Planning Advice

for your planning journey

www.therpp.co.uk CRANBROOK 01580 201888

CIRENCESTER 01285 323200

office@therpp.co.uk TO ADVERTISE CALL 01303 233883

Chartered Town Planner

BLACKBOYS

HEATHFIELD

60 Acre (24.3 Ha) Residential Grassland Farm in Superb Rural Location • Tranquil location • Three bedroom bungalow (d) • Grassland and woodland • Modern farm building Offers Over: £1,250,000

40 Acre (16.2 Ha) Grassland Farm in Elevated Position • Panoramic views • 3 bedroom bungalow for improvement (e) • Consent for a second dwelling • Pole Barns Offers Over: £950,000

HEATHFIELD

WADHURST

About 63 Acres (25.5 Ha)

About 35 Acres (14.16 Ha)

• South facing pasture

• Idyllic location adjacent to Bewl Water

• Sporting potential

• Superb Views

• Former polo field

• Ideal for equestrian purposes

• Road frontage and two accesses Offers Over £450,000

• Grassland Offers Over: £395,000

Tel: 01435 865077

The Estate Office - Burwash Road, Heathfield, East Sussex TN21 8RA www.watsonsestates.co.uk

WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET | JUNE 2021

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CONSTRUCTION CONSTRUCTION

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CONSTRUCTION Ltd

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Strength, Security, Style Contact us for a free quotation 01269 831831 enquiry@shufflebottom.co.uk www.shufflebottom.co.uk Shufflebottom Ltd Cross Hands Business Park, Cross Hands, Llanelli, Carmarthenshire SA14 6RE

www.gjelgarconstruction.co.uk For more information contact us: t: 01233 623739 m: 07860 414227 e: simon@gjelgarconstruction.co.uk

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formabuild.co.uk

 01273 492404  info@formabuild.co.uk  www.formabuild.co.uk We specialise in the supply and construction of steel framed buildings together with the repair and refurbishment of existing farm buildings. Based in the heart of Sussex, covering the South East. Sussex builders since at least 1605. Forma offer all aspects of steel framed construction and cladding together with groundworks and electrical fit out if required.

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JUNE 2021 | WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET

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visit www.southernsheeting.co.uk for our full range or call 01342 315 300 to speak to our friendly sales team NATIONWIDE DELIVERY

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We are available to carry out ESSENTIAL REPAIR WORKS to AGRICULTURAL LIVESTOCK/STORAGE BUILDINGS etc Kenward Construction based in Horsham, West Sussex offer a full design and build service for your next steel framed building including composite cladding, concrete panels, roller shutter doors and bespoke designs to meet individual planning conditions. Kenward Construction also offer a wide range of services offering a truly one stop shop for your next farm building project. Demolition, plant hire, access roads, drainage, sewage treatment plants, rainwater harvesting, biobed wash downs, paving, concrete foundations / slabs, walling and site landscaping.

Arrange a site visit with one of our contracts managers to discuss your project in more detail by emailing enquiries@kenwardgroundworks.co.uk or call 01403 210218

www.kenwardgroundworks.co.uk

SOUTH EAST CLADDING LTD Professional Services to the Agricultural, Industrial & Equestrian Sectors

CALL TO DISCUSS YOUR PROJECT!

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To advertise in South East Farmer telephone 01303 233883

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Specialists in agricultural and industrial buildings

LET’S KEEP WORKING!

ASBESTOS

Asbestos Sheet removal Roof & gutter repairs New roofs & cladding Refurbishments Roller shutter doors Demolition & clearance

Survey Removal Disposal

GUTTERS Aluminium liners PVC liners Accessories

SHEETING Complete buildings New roof system for conversions Repairs – Rooﬂights

07864 823 476 07889 481618 penfoldprofiles@btinternet.com www.penfoldprofiles.co.uk

We are available to carry out ESSENTIAL REPAIR WORKS to AGRICULTURAL LIVESTOCK/STORAGE BUILDINGS etc

Contact: Chris, for a no obligation quotation: Tel: 07813 142145 or 01233 659129 (7 days) www.jprmaintenance-construction.co.uk

Penfold Profiles. Lees Paddock, High Halden, Ashford, Kent

CROP DRYING

SHORTLAND STRUCTURES LTD

• STEEL FRAMED BUILDINGS • CLADDING • ERECTING • • EXTENSIONS • ALTERATIONS • CONCRETE PANELS • ROLLER/SLIDING/PERSONNEL DOORS •

Manufacturers of centrifugal, low volume and portable fans, air tunnels, drive over floors, grain stirrers and gas burners

PELLCROFT

Tel: 01732 460912 Mobile: 07976 287836 Email: sales@shortlandstructures.com

www.shortlandstructures.com

www.pellcroft.com | sales@pellcroft.com | 01526 342466 DESIGN • PLANNING • PROJECT MANAGEMENT • DEMOLITION • GROUNDWORKS • CONSTRUCTION • FIT-OUT • LANDSCAPING

RESIDENTIAL AGRICULTURAL INDUSTRIAL tom.bower@salamandergroup.net / 07507 639 560

Salamander is focused on delivering high quality sustainable developments within the residential, agricultural and industrial sectors. We offer the full range of services from planning through to completion, providing a unique perspective on how to get the most value from your assets.

www.salamandergroup.net

JUNE 2021 | WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET

john.houlton@salamandergroup.net / 07813 747 361

CLASSIFIEDS

CONSTRUCTION Contact Maurice today 07468 429409 O’Reilly Oakstown Ltd Atlantic Way, Barry Port, Barry, Wales, CF63 3RA, UK info@oreillyoakstown.com

O’REILLY

concrete

CONTRACTORS Grubbing, timber & groundwork services • orchard grubbing

• land clearance

• windbreak removal

• excavations

• timber extraction

• cultivations

• fallen tree removal

• pond dredging

• ground contouring

• reservoir construction

01622 744640 - 07711 264775 S W ATTWOOD & PARTNERS www.whskinnerandsons.co.uk

L Walls & A Walls Grain Storage Walls Precast Storage Tanks Prestressed Wall Panels Agricultural Precast & Storage

W.H.Skinner & Sons

S W ATTWOOD & PART

LAND DRAINAGE

   

LAND DRAINAGE

FIELD MAPPING To advertise in South East Farmer DRAINAGE SURVEYINGtelephone 01303  FIELD233883 MAPPING DESIGN  DRAINAGE SURVEYING DRAINAGE

FROM £220 PER ACRE

 

DESIGN SWA DRAINAGE

SW ATTWOOD & PARTNERS

S W ATTWOOD & PARTNERS FROM £220 PER ACRE LAND DRAINAGE

S W ATTWOOD & PARTNERS LAND DRAINAGE

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L D I

K AC D

• BL

   www.oreillyoakstown.co.uk 

FIELD MAPPING DRAINAGE SURVEYING DESIGN DRAINAGE

07375 855 024 FROM £220 PER ACRE

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION montyhart.15@gmail.com

PLEASE CONTACT US OR VISIT OUR blackdogwelding.info WEBSITE:

Quality welding service FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PHONE: 01795 880441 Agricultural | Industrial • FIELD MAPPING • DRAINAGE SURVEYING PLEASE CONTACT US OR VISIT OUR Estate Fencing • DESIGN • DRAINAGE EMAIL: james@swattwood.com Onsite Repairs WEBSITE: FOR FURTHER INFORMATION

www.attwoodfarms.com PHONE: 01795 880441

Bespoke Fabrication Agricultural and plant repairs Steel framed buildings and construction

PLEASE CONTACT JAMES OR VISIT OUR WEBSITE TOM: 01795 880441 or 07943 192383

james@swattwood.com EMAIL: james@swattwood.com  EMAIL: GRAIN STORAGE & TESTING MOBILE SERVICE  LANDwww.swjfattwood.com DRAINAGE FOR FURTHER INFORMATION  PLANT HIRE OUR CONTRACTORS PLEASE CONTACT US OR VISIT INERT TIPPING WEBSITE:   GRAIN STORAGE & Competitive Direct Drilling Service G & S BROWN  880441 CLAY SALES PHONE: 01795 Using our proven Simtech Aitchison direct drill we seed into all surfaces - grasses, clovers,

www.attwoodfarms.

Drainage Contractors Working with farmers since 1947

   

LAND DRAINAGE

brassicas, cereals, pulses, maize and all mixtures. The unique T-slot boot allows a perfect

environment for the seeds to germinate, along its 3m sowing width with 20 rows (15cm). EMAIL: james@swattwood.com This method saves time and money compared with more traditional re-seeding methods, but is also capable of stitching and rejuvenating existing crops.

PLANT HIRE

INERT TIPPING www.attwoodfarms.com

● LAND DRAINAGE ● DITCHING ● POND WORK ● WATER SUPPLIES ● SEWAGE TREATMENT PLANTS ● GROUNDWORKS ● PLANT HIRE 360° EXCAVATORS FOR ESTIMATES & ENQUIRIES

(01622) 890884 Email: info@brownsdrainage.co.uk

www.brownsdrainage.co.uk TO ADVERTISE CALL 01303 233883

CLAY SALES

 GRAIN STORAGE & TESTING  LAND DRAINAGE  PLANT HIRE Town Place Farm, Haywards Heath  Mob: 07970 INERT TIPPING Tel: 01825 790341 621832 Email: Charlie@townplacefarm.co.uk  CLAY SALES

WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET | JUNE 2021

CLASSIFIEDS

FENCING CONTRACTORS

Redhill Farm Services: Fencing Division

ALL TYPES OF FENCING & GATES

Supplied and erected & Repairs

LAND DRAINAGE, EARTHWORKS, GROUNDWORKS & CONSTRUCTION

Tel: 01737 821220 Mob: 07768 931891 Email: redhillfarmservices@gmail.com

FULL LAND DRAINAGE SERVICE sportsfields, amenity and irrigation systems using Mastenbroek trenchers PONDS, LAKES & RESERVOIRS construction and maintenance

To advertise in South East Farmer telephone 01303 233883

GROUNDWORKS & CONSTRUCTION primary excavations, aggregate sub-base, agricultural construction and concreting

ENVIRONMENTAL HABITATS water course maintenance and improvement works

For all enquiries call 01233 860404 07770 867625 (Harvey) or 07768 115849 (Dave)

EVENTS

HAULIERS 07860 728204 Hay & Straw Merchant | Machinery Haulage

HIRE SPECIALISTS ACROSS THE SOUTH EAST • Toilets & Showers for hire • Large range of Temporary canteens, stores & welfare units • Effluent Tank Emptying

HAY & STRAW IN STOCK | ROUND & BIG SQUARE BALES

Find us on Facebook

• Events also catered for with chillers & toilets

FOUR JAYS GROUP

Tel: 01622 843135 Fax: 01622 844410 enquiries@fourjays.co.uk www.fourjays.co.uk

IRRIGATION Why dig when we can trench it?

Trencher with operator for installing:

BIG PROJECT? ON SITE? NEED A TOILET? Call QiK Group today for a competitive price P U O R G

01233 713555

or check out www.qikgroup.co.uk

FENCING

• Irrigation and water pipes • Utility cables and ducting • Repairs to water pipes • Impact moling

Enquiries FieldWaterInstallations@gmail.com Est 1993

01580 891728 or 07768 626131 www.fwi-trenching.co.uk

STORAGE TANKS KING

Manufacturers of Chestnut Fencing Products

Horizontal Cylindrical Tanks From 54,500 litres to 27,250 litres (12,000 - 6,000 gallon)

Hardwood gates

Single and twin compartments, with cradles

Cleft post and rail

Bunded Tanks From 27,000 litres to 10,000 litres (6,000 - 2,000 gallon)

Stakes and posts

With cabinet, guage and alarm

Chestnut fencing

CWP fenci f n ng

STORAGE TANKS

Tel: 07985298221 www.cwpfencing.co.uk

JUNE 2021 | WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET

All suitable for fuel, water and effluent Call today for details

Tel 01638 712328

www.thekinggroup.co.uk/tanks

CROSSWORD ®

VINEYARDS

COMPLETE OUR CROSSWORD TO WIN Two Biddies 8, four Biddies 5, one Special Reserve and one Special Mead

ACROSS

1 5 8 9

11 12 14 16

10 11

18 21

13 14

24 26 27 28

DOWN 20

Crossword by Rebecca Farmer, Broadstairs, Kent

PRIZE ANAGRAM: Fruit tree pest (7,4)

1 2 3 4 6 7 10 13 14 15 17 18 19 20

Feed livestock for payment (5) Change (5) Covering of a wheel (4) Male relative (7) Neither hot or cold (5) Flowering plant (7) Predatory seabird (4) Male red deer five years or older (4) Person living nearby (9) Gentle accent (4) Family (3) Create a false impression (5) Colour (3) An infant that has stopped taking mother’s milk (6) 22 Consumed (5) 23 Breakfast favourite (5) 24 Stupid person (5)

To enter, simply anagram (7,4) using the green squares.

Email your replies with your name, address and phone number to sef.ed@kelsey.co.uk Correct entries will be entered into a draw which will take place on 14 June. The winner will be announced in the July edition. TO ADVERTISE CALL 01303 233883

LAST MONTH’S ANSWERS:

PRIZE ANAGRAM: Left behind after harvest (5)

unscramble the

Versatile (9) A point or step in a process (5) Fit together with parts overlapping (9) Tiny part of a plant capable of reproduction (5) Spin (4) Inspected (7) Rare breed sheep (5,9) A cocktail that includes Angostura bitters (4,3) A tower where a bell hangs (6) Team sport with seven players on each side (7) Lazy (4) Facial hair (9) Undergoing instruction (8) Amphibian (4)

VINEYARDS

To celebrate Father’s Day we are offering readers the chance to win two Biddies 8, four Biddies 5, one Special Reserve and one Special Mead. Biddenden Vineyards is Kent’s oldest commercial vineyard producing award winning wines, ciders and juices. For more information about the vineyards, please visit www.biddendenvineyards.com or call 01580 291726. *Subject to availability

N 8

I H

U 11

O A

E S

L E

M 16

R D

A R

L E

A W

N 26

M O

R S

I 25

E 12

N 13

D R

O E

D E

S 23

T P

W A

R T

G R

Correct answer: Flystrike LAST MONTH’S WINNER: Edwina Bridle from Lightwater, Surrey

WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET | JUNE 2021

& WINERY SHOW

For viticulturists in Great Britain In association with

g n i l l fi e c a p s r o t i b i Exh ! W O N K O O B . t s a f up

24th November 2021 Kent Event Centre, Detling, Maidstone, Kent ME14 3JF

FOR GENERAL ENQUIRIES PLEASE CONTACT ONE OF THE TEAM:

Booking enquiries Sarah Calcutt 07827 642396 Jamie McGrorty 01303 233883

South East Farmer June 2021

Articles inside

Approaching the post-Brexit future

ANITA HEAD

ADVICE FROM THE VET

MARKET REPORTS

SARAH CALCUTT

farming therapy

It takes a special sort of individual – and a great deal of hard work – to grow a business from scratch and then continue to fi nd new opportunities to take it forward

Lambing has its usual challenges

RECRUITMENT

Recognition for rural young people

REGULARS

Think carefully about woodland off er

Net zero’ now a realistic target