South East Farmer September 2020

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Est 1982

September 2020

NEWS £18M BOOST OUT & ABOUT TILLINGHAM ESTATE A unique offering of natural wines and tourism

COLUMNIST ALAN WEST

A challenging season

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CONTENTS NEWS & REPORTS

Hadlow-inspired review complete.

Farm worker fatalities.

Wool – putting the record straight.

Cost of crime reaches £8.7m in South East.

REGULARS

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MONICA AKEHURST

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OUT AND ABOUT

Monica fears her sheep have turned feral.

Nigel visits Tillingham at Dew Farm in East Sussex to meet co-founder and wine maker Ben Walgate and learn more about his unique offering of natural wines and tourism.

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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 AD PRODUCTION Studio Manager: Jo Legg jo.legg@kelsey.co.uk Graphic Designer: James Pitchford TO ADVERTISE CALL 01303 233883

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NICK ADAMES Weather forecasts have turned into chat shows.

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ANITA HEAD

the past three years – and getting big premiums for good oil content – must be

ALAN WEST

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MARKET REPORTS

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LEGAL

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hectare of oilseed rape off his land over

ADVICE FROM THE VET

the assumption that sheep are stupid.

SARAH CALCUTT

LAND AND FARMS

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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) Marketforce (UK) Ltd, 3rd Floor, 161 Marsh Wall, London, E14 9AP Tel: 020 3148 5000 PRINTING Precision Colour Print

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FEATURES

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SENTRY LTD Sentry is one of the largest farm management companies operating across the south of the country – and every one of the deals is bespoke to the landowner involved.

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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.

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www.kelsey.co.uk Cover picture: F J Bosworth & Sons © Martin Apps

OP IN IO N

There’s no time to lean on the gate

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There can’t be many people left in the country who still share the sentimental view of farmers represented by the Matt cartoon reproduced on page 12 of this edition.

As visual shorthand for ‘farmer’, the old boy in the cloth cap chewing on a straw while leaning on a five-barred gate against a pastoral backdrop works well, but it doesn’t in any sense reflect the reality of 21st century agriculture.

Farming these days is a business – whether or not it’s ‘big’ business probably depends as much on the weather, world markets and global pandemics as it does on the skills of those involved, but it’s certainly not an environment in which there is much time to lean on a gate. One only has to look at the technology behind agricultural GPS and data handling systems, which is at least on a par with anything used in other industries, to realise how far farming has moved on.

Like any other business, farming profitably involves planning; it relies on looking ahead at the opportunities, deciding how best to maximise those opportunities and investing in what it takes to capitalise on them.

And that’s why it’s so disappointing that while everyone else knows that Matt is just giving us a visual clue, the Government can sometimes give the impression that it believes farmers really are jovial, laid-back characters with string tied around the bottom of their trousers (with apologies to any jovial, laid back characters reading this).

With the Environmental Land Management scheme due to be rolled out fully in 2024 and pilot schemes expected to start next year, DEFRA has not impressed with its own, seemingly laid-back approach to this major change in the way farmers are rewarded for protecting and enhancing the landscape and our natural resources.

Both the Tenant Farmers’ Association and the NFU have expressed concern about the paucity of information the industry has been given about exactly how the scheme will work. As NFU Vice President Tom Bradshaw has pointed out, farmers have been given “an outline for a future scheme” but had expected rather more.

The Government has a chance to make a real difference to the way the country protects its natural resources and rewards those who are doing the protecting – and farmers and landowners are waiting in the wings to help them make that difference.

Those who look after the land have repeatedly shown themselves as innovative, inventive and prepared to take (calculated and well-judged) risks. You only need to look at the early investment across the industry in solar PV systems when they were in their infancy to see that. They are, on the whole, keen to support ELM, but they need to know what it involves and what the opportunities are in order to commit the necessary investment and plan the way forward. They won’t discover MALCOLM TRIGGS - EDITOR that while leaning on a gate.

EMAIL YOUR VIEWS, LETTERS OR OPINIONS TO: sef.ed@kelsey.co.uk or write to the address on page 3 ®

LUKEWARM

RESPONSE

Government proposals for a new Environmental Land Management Scheme (ELMS) in England have met a lukewarm response from farming organisations.

While the National Farmers’ Union (NFU) said the proposals lacked detail and called for “further clarity”, the Tenant Farmers’ Association (TFA) described them as “disappointing”.

TFA Farm Policy Adviser Lynette Steel said that while the organisation supported the idea of a new agri-environment scheme based on the idea of making public payments in return for public goods, it needed to be part of wider work around “agricultural resilience, productivity and future profitability”. She added: “There is much about how the Government intends to address this wider landscape that we do not yet know.”

She went on: “The proposal for ELMS outlined by DEFRA (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) is lacking in aspiration. It is also less comprehensive and innovative than previous discussions with DEFRA would have suggested.

“The new scheme must be outcome focused, targeting the farmed environment and sustainable food production. Farmers must be rewarded adequately for the value that they are providing in their production of public benefits, rather than simply being offered payments for their income foregone,” said Lynette.

The TFA is also lobbying to make sure that tenant farmers are not excluded from taking part because of the terms of their agreements or because they do not have secure tenure.

“There is considerable work ahead and we have concerns about the capacity of the Government machine to deliver ELMS within the timescales envisaged,” she said.

The NFU’s response to DEFRA’s policy document pulled together the views of members and called for the scheme to be “simple, flexible and accessible to all farmers and farm types across the country”.

NFU Vice President Tom Bradshaw said that while there was now “an outline for a future scheme”, many farmers had expected more information on what it would look like, “particularly with pilots expected to start next year and the full ELMs roll-out in 2024”. He added: “We urgently need DEFRA to provide further clarity.”

SUSPENDED SENTENCES

Two men involved in fraudulent Rural Development Grant applications were given suspended sentences at Canterbury Crown Court.

Agent Robin Turney, of Pools Barn Farm, Little Alne, Henley-in-Arden, was convicted earlier in the year of one count of knowingly or recklessly furnishing information that is false or misleading.

He was given a 15 month jail sentence suspended for two years, ordered to pay costs of £62,536.29 and disqualified from serving as a company director for two years. The court imposed electronic curfew monitoring for six months between the hours of 8pm and 6am and ordered him to pay compensation totalling £33,518 and a victim surcharge of £140.

Former ICA employee Simon Fitch, of 70, Old Hadlow Road, Tonbridge, had pleaded guilty to a charge of making or supplying articles for use in fraud and gave evidence on behalf of the prosecution. He was given a two year jail sentence, again suspended for two years. He will also be subject to the same electronic curfew requirements and was ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £170.

Turney acted as agent for farmers and growers and submitted applications on their behalf for grants available under the Countryside Productivity Scheme. The jury heard that the fraudulent applications had been put together by Fitch and forwarded by Turney.

NEWS

A top-level review launched following an investigation into financial affairs at Hadlow and West Kent & Ashford Colleges last year has called for government agencies to be more supportive and less focused on failure.

Dame Mary Ney’s Independent review of college financial oversight, initiated after a cash crisis saw the colleges placed in education administration last year, makes a number of recommendations aimed at encouraging a more ‘nurturing’ approach.

Her report stresses that the review is aimed at the Government’s future relationship with the further education sector and is “not an investigation of what occurred at Hadlow and West Kent & Ashford Colleges, which is the subject of a separate investigation being undertaken by the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA)”.

TOP-LEVEL REVIEW Hadlow is well-known in the agricultural and horticultural world as a specialist, high quality, landbased college which Ofsted rated as “Outstanding” at its most recent inspection.

At the height of the crisis, Hadlow and West Kent & Ashford College was also being investigated by the Further Education Commissioner.

Dame Mary’s review points out that the ESFA and the Department for Education (DfE) have developed a range of tools for dealing with financial problems, but adds: “Tackling the high and persistent levels of financial instability is unlikely to be achieved through current measures alone, which are essentially

FORMER NFU BIG HITTER MOVES TO RED TRACTOR

Essex arable farmer Guy Smith, former deputy president of the National Farmers’ Union (NFU), has been named Red Tractor’s new combinable crops and sugar beet sector chair.

Guy, who farms at St Osyth, near Clacton on Sea, will succeed Laurence Matthews in November 2020, bringing decades of experience in British agriculture to the organisation, together with a background in farm business management and award-winning conservation.

Earlier this year he said he had “no regrets” when he lost his bid to continue as deputy president of the NFU after six years in senior roles at the organisation. He has also served as an NFU Governance Board Member and an Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) Crops Board Member.

Red Tractor CEO Jim Moseley said agriculture

was facing “some of the greatest challenges of a lifetime”, adding: “We must show strong leadership to protect the integrity of the food chain and British agricultural standards. I’m sure that Guy’s experience and skills will help us navigate through this time.”

Guy, who has been Red Tractor Assured since its inception 20 years ago, said the organisation’s standards were “the bedrock of our industry”. Red Tractor is the UK’s largest food standards scheme, covering animal welfare, food safety, traceability and environmental protection.

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responsive to failure.”

The review notes that in April 2019, 123 colleges (45% of the total number) were in financial intervention categories and points out that the financial fragility of colleges “remains alarming”. Hadlow and West Kent & Ashford is to date the only college to have been placed in educational administration.

Dame Mary criticises the “relationship between government and the sector which is largely focused on financial failure and which inhibits colleges being transparent with government”. She suggests that the “largely contractual” relationship means government does not have “sufficient line of sight” on the wider issues facing colleges and the sector therefore “lacks confidence in seeking support and advice at an early stage”.

She adds: “It is a regime which does not position itself as nurturing individual organisations and therefore has little to offer in terms of prevention and support. It therefore inhibits colleges in seeking help at an early enough stage.”

The review also suggests that the funding system for colleges is too complex, pointing out: “The ability for colleges to improve their financial planning would be enhanced by government moving to a three-year funding settlement.”

It also says that ESFA only looks at historic financial data which does not take into account any wider issues affecting the college involved. The system “may be pushing some colleges into early intervention unnecessarily,” the review points out.

“The overarching recommendation from this review is that there needs to be a new relationship with the sector. Government should be more proactive and supportive which in turn will allow early line of sight on potential weaknesses and the opportunity to prevent the slide into financial failure,” it concludes.

Former Deputy Principal Mark Lumsdon-Taylor, who has yet to comment publicly on last year’s events, broke his silence to tell South East Farmer: "Specifically in relation to the review, the publication of Dame Mary's report (July 2020) has been long awaited.

It covers many of the circumstances and issues that have been of genuine concern to the Further Education sector for a very considerable time.

“The Government took a welcome and very positive step by commissioning the review and it is reassuring that the response to Dame Mary's clear and direct recommendations is favourable and forward-thinking."

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NEWS

FARM WORKER

FATALITIES

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Two workers in the South East died in the agriculture, forestry and fishing sector in the year to the end of March 2020, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has confirmed.

The statistics put the region on a par with neighbouring areas and were released as reports issued by various organisations to mark the eighth annual Farm Safety Week showed a generally improving performance.

The fatalities were a 21 year-old farm worker crushed underneath a steel structure he was dismantling inside a grain store and a 52 year-old forestry worker struck by a falling tree he was felling.

Farm Safety Week, which this year was 20 to 24 July, is led by the Farm Safety Foundation and enjoys widespread support across the industry.

The Foundation, an NFU Mutual subsidiary, said the HSE’s report showed that “great work has been done in the past eight years of the Farm Safety Foundation’s activity”, but added: “More still needs to be done to educate both the public and the agricultural industry about the sheer dangers of the profession.”

The HSE document, Fatal Injuries in Agriculture, Forestry & Fishing for Great Britain 2019/2020, showed that 20 workers lost their lives over the past year, a decrease of 37.5% on the previous year’s figure of 32. A four year-old member of the public was also killed.

The improving statistics – which marked a record low – were reflected in a report by LSBUD which highlighted a 42% increase in the number of online searches made by farmers checking for pipes, cable and other below-ground obstructions before digging.

Digging Up Britain 2020 revealed that there were 2,118 searches made through its free-to-use online portal last year for projects on agricultural land.

LSBUD Managing Director Richard Broome commented: “Farmers and agricultural businesses will have many different reasons to put a spade in the ground. This makes them a particularly vulnerable group in terms of striking an underground pipe or cable.”

With Digging up Britain suggesting that 71% of all digging work is now preceded by an online search,

> Stephanie Berkeley, Farm Safety Foundation Manager Richard went on: “It is fantastic to see that we have reached a tipping point. Our data suggests that conducting a quick free search on the LSBUD portal to check what buried utilities are on their land has rapidly become second nature for many farmers.”

Supporting the event, CLA Deputy President Mark Tufnell said: "Agriculture may have the poorest safety record of any occupation in the UK but there are signs that this is improving and we want to be part of this change. It’s in all our interest to take safety seriously.”

National Farmers’ Union Deputy President Stuart Roberts cautiously welcomed the improving picture but said the industry needed to get better at pointing out risks to each other.

“We are seeing more farmers making important headway when it comes to improving safety on farm,” he said, “but the fact that the main causes of fatalities on farms have been the same year after year demonstrates that we need to change our

SEPTEMBER 2020 | WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET

approach to doing things.

“Farming has changed since our grandparents were doing it and we have to change our approach to safety with it. We can no longer carry on doing things just because that’s how it’s always been done. We need to start looking at situations with a fresh pair of eyes and we need to help each other by pointing out risks when we see them.

“As an industry we too often turn a blind eye when we see friends and colleagues undertaking unsafe practices or cutting corners. I know I have – I didn’t want to have that embarrassing and awkward conversation, and I didn’t want to be seen as telling someone else how to run their farm.

“But if we’re serious about making long term improvements to farming’s safety record then we need to recognise that the best thing we can do for each other is to point out when we see unsafe practices, even if they’ve done the job a hundred times before and even if it makes us uncomfortable.”

NEWS

£18M BOOST

A Kent-based project has been awarded an impressive £18 million of government funding over the next five years as part of a campaign aimed at strengthening the competitiveness of Britain’s horticulture, food and drink industries.

The Growing Kent & Medway initiative, led by NIAB EMR, is one of Just seven national projects that have been given Government funding through UK Research and Innovation’s flagship Strength in Places Fund.

The high profile award follows two years of work and highlights the growing reputation of the independent specialists at what was formerly East Malling Research, in East Malling, Kent.

In an exclusive interview with South East Farmer, NIAB EMR Managing Director Professor Mario Caccamo revealed that scores of groups from all areas of the scientific community had bid for a share of the cash.

“Being given this funding is a tribute to the work that has been done here over more than a century as well as reflecting the contribution of the many partner agencies that worked with us to persuade the Government that this initiative deserved support,” he said.

“This will help NIAB EMR stay at the cutting edge of research and development in horticulture and allow the UK to compete in this important market place.”

Growing Kent & Medway will aim to stimulate research, innovation and enterprise by promoting the latest horticultural technologies and plantgrowing techniques. The funding will also help develop new crops to boost food production and economic growth.

Prof. Caccamo said approximately £5m of the funding would go towards infrastructure improvements, including erecting modern glasshouses and contributing to the development

of a research winery aimed at supporting UK viticulture. The East Malling centre already has the only research vineyard in the country.

He said a further £5m would be earmarked for new projects aimed at benefiting growers and the rest would be invested in people, the world-leading scientists and researchers whose work is helping boost production, develop high value, nutrient-rich foods, reduce waste and benefit the environment.

“The work we do here has to be good for the consumer, good for the grower and good for the environment,” he said.

The possibilities on offer from the work being done by NIAB EMR and its partners are remarkable.

Prof. Caccamo, whose background is in data science, said research suggested it was possible to increase the output of strawberry plants from 24 tonnes per hectare to 500 tonnes. “It may take ten years, but it’s something we should be able to do and it’s the kind of goal we are setting ourselves,” he said.

Research is also being carried out at East Malling into the benefits of using a yellow plastic film for polytunnels to increase the amount of usable light to which plants have access.

“Growers need to know that ideas like this work before investing money in them,” Prof. Caccamo explained. “We bridge the gap between the idea and the end user, researching what works so that the growers can have confidence in making the change – and that’s where our independence is so important.”

While led by NIAB EMR, the project brings together universities and leading innovators in the industry and promises to establish Kent and Medway as a world-leading region for the climatesmart production and processing of high-value, nutrient-rich foods and plant-based products.

Business Secretary Alok Sharma said the announcement “will ensure some of our country’s most promising R&D projects get the investment

Karl Franklin, from Oxfordshire, is one of the National Farmers’ Union’s 11 new Student and Young Farmer Ambassadors with the responsibility of representing the next generation of farmers on behalf of the NFU. Formerly a chef, Karl is a new entrant into farming, with a 60-acre smallholding and a small flock of sheep. He sells lamb to the public and also has a commercial interest in ornamental plants.

The 11 ambassadors were chosen from more than 130 applicants and represent every region of England and Wales, many sectors of the

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> Professor Mario Caccamo they need to take off and thrive,” adding: “Working with the private sector and our world-class universities, we’re backing new and innovative ideas that will create jobs and boost skills in every part of the UK for years to come.”

Prof. Caccamo added: “Growing Kent & Medway can now get to work to consolidate this part of the UK as the leading region for the production and processing of high-value foods. The timing of this support is particularly significant as we look to emerge from the Covid-19 crisis and address some of the most pressing challenges faced by the agriculture sector.”

Christian Brodie, Chairman of the South East Local Enterprise Partnership, which backed the bid to government, said: “Our area already delivers 40% of high-value horticulture in the UK. Growing Kent & Medway will drive innovation and productivity, meaning we can now expand the sector, strengthen supply chains and existing businesses and create sustainable new ones.”

Businesses and academic institutions involved in the partnership include APS Produce, Berry Gardens Growers, Chapel Down, Gusbourne Estate, Richard Hochfeld Group, Thanet Earth, Worldwide Fruit, Geku Automation, Smurfit Kappa, the Natural Resources Institute (NRI)/University of Greenwich, the University of Kent and NIAB EMR.

REPRESENTING

THE NEXT

GENERATION

industry and many academic backgrounds. Their two-day induction and training session will take place via a video link in response to the Covid-19 restrictions.

WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET | SEPTEMBER 2020

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NEWS

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The price of wool has been in the spotlight for some time, with several South East Farmer commentators joining the debate in last month’s edition. Their comments prompted Rye sheep farmer Frank Langrish, who trades as Langrish Farmers, to offer to put the record straight.

With 5,000 Romney ewes and a lifetime in the business, Frank clearly knows his wool. A former National Farmers’ Union council member for East Sussex and a trade negotiator in China in 2001, he can remember when half the family business’ income came from wool. He was also the driving force behind the world’s first online wool auction, a facility the British Wool Marketing Board still uses.

So, if not from the horse’s mouth, this comes, at least, from the sheep’s…

Anyone who tracks the price of wool will see that the highest prices have always been reached just before wars. The last time the wool price was very high was at the start of the Korean War, when the USA was still using the old pre-war planning blueprint which meant buying up all the wool in the world to make tunics and blankets.

The price of wool before WW2 did not go as high because the Government effectively requisitioned it at a fixed price. In return the Government promised the farming unions that after the war it would set up marketing boards and pay a guaranteed price. The British Wool Marketing Board (BWMB) is the only survivor.

The guarantee finished in 1992 and wool has

PUTTING THE

RECORD STRAIGHT

traded at world market prices ever since. This makes it probably the only commodity farmers produce that has a true world value, although it is considered industrial rather than agricultural, which is why it attracts VAT. The marketing boards were considered anticompetitive when Britain joined the EU, and so the BWMB sold all of its downstream activities, many in processing. It never owns the wool but acts as agent for the farmer/producer and sells the wool at public auction, returning the auction price less the marketing costs.

There are 22 auctions held throughout the year, each handling up to 1.5 million kgs. Wool is delivered to regional depots from May to the following January and grading can take until March, but the previous year’s clip may not be sold until June or even July the following year.

The BWMB now sells around 27m kg a year, well down from its heyday in the late sixties, when it sold almost 60m kg. The number of sheep, also affected by the axing of headage payments, have subsequently declined.

Over the years huge amounts of money have been invested in looking at new or alternative uses for wool. The UK has a relatively small clip compared with many other countries. China is the largest producer,

> Frank Langrish

SEPTEMBER 2020 | WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET

followed by Australia and New Zealand, with many South American countries also significant. Wool, which, with cotton and other natural fibres, made up around 50% of the world textile market before 1940, now represents just 2%.

There are two main markets for wool, depending on how fine the fibre is. There are essentially only two base breeds of sheep, notwithstanding that the UK has more than 50 different breeds and wool types plus a multitude of cross breeds.

The Merino produces wool mostly below 25 microns. Until recently fine Merino wools were trading at record high prices as a luxury product for suiting and fine knitwear, including high performance sportwear.

The other market is for wool mostly from the Romney base breeds, the second most numerous worldwide and used historically for carpets, seat coverings and, at the finer end, chunky knitwear, often created by hand knitters. Most of the British Breeds fit into this mid micron category, with only some of the Down breeds and the Blue Faced Leicester having very fine wool. There is a small market for Futons and Duvets made from the Down type wools which are extremely resilient and have fantastic properties for sleeping on or under. The lowest quality wool is used for insulation.

So what has gone wrong with the value of wool, and why? In a word it is oil.

Once manmade fibres were invented, carpets and clothing became cheaper and cheaper, and with oil prices presently very low and not likely to increase, they will remain cheap. Extruding machines can work

NEWS 24 hours a day with virtually no labour to produce a perfect fibre with none of the irregularities of a natural fibre.

Nylon, Polyester, Polypropylene and others have taken the place of wool at a low cost in our disposable society. I have a Brintons wool carpet in my sitting room which has been there for nearly 30 years and still looks fantastic. These days people change cheap polypropylene carpets every time they redecorate.

We had the greatest wool carpet manufacturers in the world, but sadly most of them have gone out of business. Axminster, which finally finished this year, made carpet for casinos, trains, aeroplanes and cruise ships. Unfortunately demand for carpets for the last two have now ceased. In the past, cruise ships would change heavily used carpets every two years and use higher specification and higher value wools. Wool will always be needed wherever there is a potential fire risk as it will not burn or give off noxious fumes, unlike all manmade fibres, which give off toxic fumes.

Wuhan, where Covid-19 is thought to have started, was also the centre of the textile industry in China, which probably buys and processes two thirds of the world’s wool.

Once manufacturing stopped, the commodity became worthless and the world’s auctions have had no customers since January. Australia has already built up a large stockpile of 100,000 tonnes, which makes our clip total look insignificant! New Zealand prices for wool they have been able to sell have been lower than those achieved by the BWMB. Is there any hope for wool? It is an environmentally friendly product, a renewable resource and completely biodegradable. Plastics are destroying the planet and cotton, although a natural fibre, needs massive amounts of water and pesticides. Wool is a by product of the meat industry and sheep convert grass and forage to meat and wool very efficiently. If we are to become carbon neutral by 2040, then wool can be an important part of the journey.

I was Chairman of the BWMB for 11 years, until 2011, and in that time there were two women on the board. Any sheep farmer can stand for the board in each region, as long as they are proposed by ten registered producers.

BRITISH WOOL RESPONDS Also quick to highlight the efforts being made by British Wool to promote its use was Bob Blanden, Southern England Board Member for the farmers’ cooperative. He writes exclusively for South East Farmer: “British Wool is two years into a five-year strategy which aims to maximise returns to producers and improve our service so that we can maintain a high producer market share and keep the benefits of scale and the continuity of commercially attractive volumes in all our wool types. Despite the challenges of Covid-19, it’s now more important than ever that we continue to deliver that strategy.

The new British Wool brand licensee scheme has been in place for nearly two years. While historically our licensing scheme was based on trust, our new scheme allows for vigorous checking at every stage of the supply chain, right back to the wool merchants, via an on-line portal. This, together with a right to test physical samples, will ensure products have the appropriate content of verified British wool.

With a pleasing number of the leading brands using wool in the UK coming on board with the new scheme, we now have more than 50 licensees. The UK market, which takes approximately 50% of our wool, remains crucial to British Wool. Although Covid-19 has severely affected the current price, we believe our licensee partnerships and consumer-focused marketing will put us in a strong position to capitalise on opportunities once markets start to recover.

Its versatile nature means British wool is used in a number of products across the UK, and British Wool has welcomed many of the leading brands in each field to the new scheme.

Carpets – Approximately 50% of British wool goes into carpets. The largest single user of British wool in its products is Brintons Carpets, which supplies products to both the residential and commercial market, where they are used in airports, hotels, casinos and cruise ships. The first phase of our British Wool Collection carpet displays will shortly be launched in selected UK retailers.

> Bob Blanden Interior textiles – Yorkshire-based Camira Fabrics use British wool in the cloth that goes into the carriage seats on the London Underground. They do so because British wool has more natural crimp and bounce than wool from other parts of the world.

Beds and bedding – Wool has a natural ability to regulate body temperature, which is why many bed and bedding manufacturers, such as the Silentnight Group and Sleepeezee, use British wool in their products. We also have a sizeable bedding partner in China and sold over 30,000 duvets when we launched a new range last year.

Knitwear and clothing – Approximately 30% of British wool goes into this category and we work with many brands, including the Harris Tweed.

Insulation – Thermafleece is the leading brand in the UK for wool insulation for buildings and have been working with British Wool for many years on roof, wall and floor insulation products. Wool offers breathability, acoustic performance, energy efficiency and sustainability.

British Wool is always looking for new uses for wool and is currently working with a number of universities on new development projects.

British Wool focuses on maximising the returns to producers, returning the true market value of the wool via its auction system. We take all types of wool, year in, year out and regardless of its location in the UK. We believe we offer a superior service and we are determined to build on that advantage.“

PETITION SUPPORT

Farm & Equine

Meanwhile the National Farmers’ Union has lent its support to a petition that aims to deliver a new, long-term market for British Wool.

The petition calls for it to be mandatory for British Wool products to be used in the Governmen’ts new home insulation scheme and for insulation and carpeting in publicly financed building projects.

NFU livestock board chairman and sheep farmer Richard Findlay said: “We are pleased to support this much-needed campaign to find new and alternative uses for British wool. It is a natural, sustainable product and is suitable for a range of uses from carpets, textiles and clothing as well as housing insulation.”

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NEWS

SURVEY REQUEST

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Small-scale pig keepers are being asked to complete a survey created by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) as part of the battle to keep African swine fever out of the UK. Smallholders, pet pig keepers and hobby keepers are being quizzed about their knowledge of the disease, as well as about their feeding and biosecurity practices and where they look for guidance on keeping pigs.

The results of the survey will be used to improve the information available to pig keepers to help protect the health of their pigs and the UK pig industry as a whole.

The disease is currently circulating in parts of Europe and Asia and has caused the deaths of millions of animals worldwide. While the risk of exposure to pigs in the UK is felt to be low, DEFRA knows keeping it that way depends on the level of biosecurity in individual premises.

UK Chief Veterinary Officer Christine Middlemiss said that if it did arrive, the disease would have “a devastating impact on commercial pig keepers, small-scale pig keepers and pet pig keepers alike”, stressing: “Everyone who keeps pigs can take actions to contribute to keeping African swine fever out of the UK.”

The Government has unveiled plans to create thousands of new jobs to kick-start what it calls a ‘green recovery’ from the effects of the coronavirus pandemic.

The £40 million Green Recovery Challenge Fund will provide funding to help charities and environmental organisations start work on projects across England aimed at restoring nature and tackling climate change.

The fund will help conservation organisations and their suppliers create up to 3,000 jobs and safeguard up to 2,000 others in areas such as protecting species, finding nature-based solutions to tackling climate change, employing conservation rangers and connecting people with the outdoors.

Environment Secretary George Eustice said the recovery package would “deliver a steady stream of shovel-ready environmental projects, protecting nature at the same time as creating and retaining thousands of new jobs”.

He added: “Many of us have become even more appreciative of nature during lockdown and our Green Recovery Challenge Fund will help charities and other organisations employ more people to work on tree-planting, nature restoration and helping the public enjoy the outdoors.”

KICK-STARTING

‘GREEN RECOVERY’

The Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) is bringing forward £10 million from the Nature Recovery Fund and £30 million of Nature4Climate funding so that the money can be spent immediately. DEFRA has promised that details of how to bid will be released in due course.

The fund is expected to create a broad range of short and long term jobs such as ecologists, surveyors, nature reserve staff and education workers in environment organisations, while supporting suppliers in areas such as agricultural engineering, horticulture, and equipment and seed supply.

Natural England Chair Tony Juniper described it as “an unprecedented opportunity to build new careers for people from all walks of life to create the environment we need for the future”.

WHAT TO DO IF YOUR BANKING RELATIONSHIP IS TURNING SOUR Farm borrowing is rising as working capital, cashflow and investments in growth or diversification increases. However, banks are becoming more stringent with lending.

As a result, we are seeing farms having loan requests declined or terms withdrawn. Others are seeing banking relationships changed.

Farms can review their options if they aren’t happy with their banking relationship. We give the following tips: • Voice your opinion. A bank may prefer to offer a different rate or relationship than lose a customer.

• Switching is easier than you think. The banking industry has made it easier to change banks.

• Shop around. Approach more than one provider and see which offers the best terms.

• Explore options carefully. Different lenders will suit different business circumstances: • High Street banks want to see clean track records with plenty of supporting background information.

• Private banks suit deals above £750,000 with an asset base of over £3 million. Staff can make decisions with greater flexibility.

• Alternative lenders offer solutions for deals outside other bank criteria. Well-packaged proposals with robust projections are needed.

• Get proposals right first time. Lending proposals need solid figures, projections and realistic assumptions, and a sensible exit plan.

• Get professional support. Consultants experienced in the agricultural lending market know the different lenders’ decision-making systems, appetites for different scenarios, what they want to see in proposals and the staff who can influence decisions. This increases the chance of success and saves valuable time.

• Compare each offer carefully. There will be differences in rates, fees, conditions and breakage clauses.

The right decision can offer a fresh start in many ways, but professional advice is important.

SEPTEMBER 2020 | WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET

If you would like more information on any of the above, or assistance in reviewing or accessing farm finance:

ROB LISTER

Director, Rural & Business Specialists Ltd T: 01474 816500 E: rob@randbs.co.uk

GRAHAM SANDERS

Consultant, Rural & Business Specialists Ltd www.ruralmortgages.co.uk

RESEARCH PROVEN

COST OF CRIME

REACHES HIGHEST LEVEL

Two counties in the South East were amongst the worst affected by rural crime in the country in 2019 as the total cost reached £54m.

The NFU Mutual’s annual crime report said organised criminal gangs targeting high value tractors and quad bikes and rustling livestock had driven the cost of crime to its highest level for eight years.

The insurer launched a stinging attack on the police and highlighted the fact that crime did not just have a financial cost but also impacted on the mental health of those affected.

The cost of crime across the South East as a whole reached £8.7m, a rise of just 0.6%. That figure placed it second in a dubious league table, with the Midlands leading the way as the victims of a £10.6m crime spree.

In county terms, the list of the 30 worst hit saw Essex in second place, having recorded crime costs of £2.7m, and Kent fifth. Here crime dropped by a third but still cost the county’s farmers and landowners a cool £1.8m over the year.

The NFU report revealed an increase in crime of almost 9% on the previous year, with the theft of agricultural vehicles driving sharp rises for the second year running. Livestock theft also increased in 2019, with the cost rising to £3m, and farmers were badly affected by rustling during the coronavirus pandemic.

GPS thefts are another area of concern.

NFU Deputy President Stuart Roberts referred to the “devastating impacts” of crime on farm businesses and added: “It is becoming increasingly clear that the current police strategy to combat rural crime is not working. Police leaders and the Government need to take rural crime seriously and recognise that the organised criminals carrying out these crimes view rural businesses as an easy target.

“As well as the financial burden rural crime causes, we need to recognise the severe impact it has on the mental health of farmers, their families, and rural communities, who frequently suffer intimidation and threats of violence from the organised criminals behind these acts.

“We want to see increased funding from the Home Office for rural policing and a more co-ordinated approach between police forces to tackle the serious issue of rural crime and reverse this current trend.”

Also on the list of the 30 worst affect counties were Hampshire, with £1.4m worth of crime in 2019, Buckinghamshire with £867,000, West Sussex, which saw a 76% increase over the year and recorded crime costing £817,000, and Oxfordshire (£792,000).

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SEND YOUR VIEWS OR COMMENTS:

SEF.ED@KELSEY.CO.UK twitter @SOUTHEASTFARMER facebook-square SOUTH EAST FARMER

OPPORTUNITY TO INFLUENCE

UK-JAPAN NEGOTIATIONS

Farming businesses in the South East have an opportunity to influence the ongoing UK-Japan trade negotiations (as mentioned in Wyn Grant’s article in last month’s South East Farmer).

The House of Lords International Agreements Sub-Committee has announced that it is seeking evidence on a range of issues, including the agriculture and food sectors.

Sub-Committee Chair Lord Goldsmith QC said: “Japan is the UK’s 4th largest non-EU export market, with trade between the two countries flourishing. As the UK is set to leave

the EU-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) when the transition period ends, the Government aims to agree a comprehensive Free Trade Agreement with Japan that builds on the EU-Japan EPA to keep trade between the two countries flowing.”

As part of a broad inquiry into trade in general, the sub-committee is looking for comments from the farming community, asking “What consequences might there be for the UK agriculture and food industries if a deal is agreed? In particular, if a mini-deal or a limited version of a trade deal is agreed?”

Written evidence needs to be received by Monday 31 August. For more follow the links from https://committees.parliament.uk/committee/448/eu-international-agreements-subcommittee/

SADDENED Sir, I was saddened to read your article in the construction part of August’s South East Farmer. I find that when I pass sites of new housing, they advertise luxury houses and apartments.

Young people are vital for the future of our countryside. Those born and that have grown up in the countryside often leave because they cannot afford somewhere to live, be it to buy or rent.

Richard Keen, Ockley, Surrey

twitter INCREASE IN YIELD

We drilled an oil radish cover crop in one of our spring oat fields and saw a 5% increase in yield compared to overwintered stubble, plus we saved on a cultivation pass #ifm #sustainable #farming #harvest2020 @NoningtonFarms

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twitter NEARLY EMPTY

For every 1 ton of potatoes we will have irrigated a staggering 35 tonnes of water this year.

David Lord @essexwindyfarm

© Telegraph Media Group Limited 2020

SEPTEMBER 2020 | WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET

LEGAL DIARY

LIFE AT COURT SINCE COVID-19 I am sure that anyone reading this is probably, by now, fed up with hearing about the changes that Covid-19 has made to everything we thought of as normal. If you are due to be in court over the coming months you would probably like to know how it is all going to work.

While a number of the courts are now open and are doing some hearings face-to-face, many of the hearings are now being dealt with remotely. If the court decides that your hearing can be dealt with remotely rather than requiring you to attend court, an order will be made prior to the hearing date to state whether the hearing is to be by telephone conference or by video link and, if the latter, whether this would be by Skype or the court’s video platform (CVP).

Many interim hearings are being dealt with by telephone conference and, if this is the case, the court will request telephone and email details for each party and their representatives. At the time of the hearing, or thereabouts, the court will then telephone everyone to link them in with the judge. The judge will then carefully manage the hearing so that people cannot talk over each other and each party gets to put their case.

With final hearings, these are more likely to now be changed to video calls, if being dealt with remotely, and the court will again request email and telephone numbers for all parties, their representative and any witnesses.

Just before the time for the hearing, everyone concerned will be sent a link by email to access the video call. This link should be capable of being activated by laptops, desktop computers, tablets and even phones. No additional software or specific technology should be required. Again, the judge will need to manage the hearing very carefully to ensure that all parties and witnesses are heard.

Of course, clients will need to confer with their legal representatives during

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hearings regardless of how they are being heard. Most often with telephone hearings, clients and legal representatives communicate by email. With video calls, legal representatives and their clients can communicate with each other via text message, remembering to mute yourself from the hearing if a conversation is required.

It is important that when participating with any hearing remotely, all participants ensure they are in a room on their own where they cannot be disturbed or overheard, to ensure complete confidentiality. It is also essential that parties do not record the hearing. If necessary, a transcript can be obtained afterwards.

It is certainly a very different world we are now living in and the courts have had to adapt very quickly to ensure that justice continues to be served. At Whitehead Monckton business has continued, and will continue, as usual. If you require any assistance with hearings or anything else, please do not hesitate to contact us.

MELISSA MARKHAM

Associate Family and Collaborative Solicitor, Whitehead Monckton T: 02075 312986 E: MelissaMarkham@whitehead-monckton.co.uk www.whitehead-monckton.co.uk

WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET | SEPTEMBER 2020

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MONICA AKEHURST AT THE KITCHEN TABLE

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The family was cajoled into helping to wean lambs. It took longer than estimated. It was hot and noisy but we got the job done. Three lambs managed to evade being separated from their mothers by dint of being excellent jumpers or quicker than me on the dividing gate. The lambs were graded and split into two groups. Transported by trailer to fields furthest away from their mothers and which had a fresh regrowth after haying.

The lambs that came home behaved impeccably, assisted by our smart fencing protecting our young hedges. But it’s a different story for the others. The fence looked sound, but 48 hours later, 20 metres of it were flat to the ground. The stakes must have rotted below ground. Sheep were scattered We’d hoped the river would keep them apart, but lack of water didn’t help. I had to admit defeat.

When I check them now, am I imagining that smug expression on their faces? I have scant sympathy when twins lift their mother’s feet off the ground in their enthusiasm to suckle. Early weaning has not gone according to plan. I’m despondent; I fear my sheep have turned feral. What can I do to rally the family for a re-run?

In this new normal world, even the chatter around the table is different, lack of gossip being a consequence of social distancing. Topics such as gates have been hotly debated. The ease of opening and shutting them and the different techniques required to do so have been discussed at length.

One gate that’s held shut by a loop of barbed wire

I FEAR MY SHEEP HAVE TURNED FERAL was heavily criticised. Family members complained about shoving, heaving, dragging, lifting and manipulating an assorted lash up of hurdles, heavy metal or flimsy mesh, a concoction of wire or wooden pallets, held together by varying grades of fraying string, rope, chains and locks.

Middle daughter Hazel decided to demonstrate that swinging well-adjusted gates would be a cost effective saving. She enquired the hourly rate for agricultural wages and did some calculations, based on negotiating through four of our gates, twice, on the way there and back. She allowed one minute each, therefore eight minutes per trip, seven days a week, becomes 56 minutes per week which is 48 hours per year and costs £480 per annum.

Over 40 years, opening and shutting these gates comes to £19,200. In order to keep the family on side, we might have to rethink our gate strategy. I wonder are there any good deals on posts and gates available?

Regardless of how smart your gate is, if footpath walkers leave it open when they find it closed, it’s incredibly frustrating. A bunch of our cattle got mixed with our neighbour’s because someone

untied two pieces of string and didn’t bother to close the gate. Cattle are naturally curious, they like an adventure just as much as sheep. Luckily this herd is being fed home-grown rolled corn to supplement the dwindling supply of grass. It only required a bag shaking and a familiar voice calling them to entice them back.

Personally I’m glad that more people are getting out in the countryside, hopefully appreciating their natural surroundings while gaining health benefits and cultivating a better understanding of food production. I like to engage with walkers and encourage them to buy local. I despair about those who have a total lack of respect for the land.

Parking in front of gates is incredibly annoying.

The other day we needed to load some cattle on the Pevensey levels. Firstly we had to find the owner of the van blocking the gateway, then we constructed a catching pen. Suddenly a noisy model jet aircraft began performing acrobatics over our heads. It was a miracle that we safely succeeded in penning and loading the required cattle. Lockdown had its merits; less traffic, no model aircraft. It was lovely and peaceful and I’m sure the wildlife must have

> Traditional family made cake, carrot/pistachio , coffee, Victoria & lemon drizzle > Hannah’s dress has been handed down through her family, and was first worn in 1890 as a debutante dress

> Lots of home grown confetti

SEPTEMBER 2020 | WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET

appreciated it too.

Hooray... countryside productivity small grant scheme money for a mobile cattle handling system has finally been received. Entering into this funding agreement has gained me more grey hairs and left me with a nasty taste, not coronavirus related.

Photographs of invoices, bank statements and of the equipment in use, were submitted as requested.

The postcode on the invoice was incorrect, a typo, one letter wrong. The claim was rejected. A 40% saving on this equipment is a lot and without this incentive we wouldn’t have purchased it. I felt very stressed by the threat of not receiving the payment on a tiny error which was not of my making. The Rural Payment Agency appear to have a ‘guilty until proven innocent’ attitude. Is it really necessary to treat farmers like fraudsters?

I support having a recognisable logo representing good standards on British food, but am I the only one to be astounded by the Red Tractor News? I’m not entirely sure when it arrived, but it had July printed on it, a busy time for farmers.

Glancing at it I was intrigued to read under the heading “Members’ Rules” that “Rule 4 permits Red Tractor to change the rules and standards as required”. This was followed by a list of other changes to the rules and then a statement: “We will treat your receipt of this as confirmation of your acceptance of the new membership rules”. Does anyone else find this a little high handed?

On the bright side of life, eldest daughter launched me on a paddle board and I survived.

Started on my knees and progressed to standing and paddling. I loved it, so tranquil, calming and relaxing yet good for core strength. A great way to observe river goings on. I’m hooked.

Good news; we’ve finally succeeded in getting Nigel and Hannah married. The May wedding wasn’t allowed. They got married on 1 August at Ninfield church, no singing, but it was a beautiful ceremony and we are delighted. That must mean I’m officially a dreaded mother-in-law... yikes!

Oh yes and if you ever fancy having ‘a tiger to tea’, uncle Nigel makes a very good tiger.

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> Lambs divided off , but they had other ideas

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> The Tiger looks suspiciously like uncle Nigel

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> Collecting up the flock

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RECRUITMENT

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Agricultural Service Engineer/Foreman Ashford is a lively depot, representing Kubota for Groundcare, Construction and Agricultural machinery. Each area has its specialist personnel and we are now looking for a working foreman to lead the Agricultural service team. This means that as well as being a great engineer, you’ll need to be an excellent communicator as you liaise with customers, a strong leader as you look to steadily develop your team and, whilst admin support is available, your paperwork will also need to be up to the mark!

It’s a wonderful opportunity to grow with a franchise and company that’s going from strength to strength, therefore if you’d like to know more details of the role or to come in for a socially distanced chat then we look forward to hearing from you.

Agricultural Service Engineer We are also looking for an Agricultural Service Engineer. You will be joining a very knowledgeable and friendly team and, as you would expect, we have a very well-structured training programme that works in conjunction with the manufacturer. The work is technically challenging, and you will be working on a wide range of agricultural equipment and drawing heavily on your knowledge of diesel engines, transmissions, hydraulics and electrics. An existing knowledge of farm machinery is essential, and you will need to have a positive appreciation for the countryside and the unique demands of farming if you are to really fall in love with the job!

Both positions come with a very competitive package.

If you are interested in one of these roles, then please send your CV to Karen Martin: karen@listerwilder.co.uk Concept House, 18 Henwood Industrial Estate, Hythe Road, Ashford, Kent, TN24 8DH

SEPTEMBER 2020 | WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET

Time for a career change?

Vacancies across the region Reach thousands of potential candidates by advertising here.

Get in touch: jamie.mcgrorty@kelsey.co.uk or call 01303 233883

Hadlow College is Kent’s premier land-based College and one of the top such Colleges in the United Kingdom, having been confirmed as ‘Outstanding’ by Ofsted in 2010

DAIRY HERDSMAN £ NEGOTIABLE Hours: Up to 39 per week, 52 weeks per year Locations: Hadlow Hadlow College (part of the Hadlow Group), situated in the heart of Kent with centres in south London and east Kent, boasts an extensive and thriving dairy herd, consisting of 120 pedigree Holstein cows with an average yield of 9000 litres using the TMR system. This is an element of the commercial farms which include 500 head of sheep; poultry and pig enterprises; arable estates and Beef. This is an exciting time to shape our educational and commercial future.

We are looking for a dynamic, open minded and proactive Dairy Herdsman with substantial experience to work on this progressive dairy and be involved in shaping Gold its future and developing our students for industry.

Students are at the Centre of everything we do and ability to engage with post 16 individuals is fundamental.

Dairy sales representative SGE (Seal) Ltd are looking for a dairy sales representative to join our expanding team covering the south east of England.

This role is an excellent opportunity for someone from a farming background looking for an opportunity in sales. A personable and confident attitude is vital to this role. The successful candidate will be supported with product training, a company van and a competitive commission structure.

• Previous sales experience is preferred.

• Must be familiar and comfortable with dairy farming and equipment used on farm.

• Must be able to negotiate effectively, ask for an order and close a deal.

• Excellent communication skills.

• IT literate.

• A full UK driving licence.

Good remuneration package based upon experience.

Contact: mark@sgeseal.com 01732 761724 or 07736 460333 TO ADVERTISE CALL 01303 233883

The duties will involve carrying out all tasks associated with the highly efficient management of the Blackman’s Lane Dairy facility, Hadlow, including milking, breeding, Herd Husbandry and accurate record keeping. Supervision of students on milking duties is a requirement, as well as maintaining appropriate standards of environmental and safety management and providing tuition support for FE and HE students.

This is a residential role and subsidised accommodation is provided on site and there are good public transport links to Tonbridge, Tunbridge Wells, Maidstone and London. Involvement into group management, and the ethos of Hadlow College will be expected unequivocally.

We are therefore keen that our new Hadlow College Dairy Herd Manager that has successfully operated within the industry and has been ‘hands on’, in addition to the: - Ability to maintain robust record keeping and to be able to use initiative within the working environment.

- Firm understanding of Health and Safety regulations.

- Excellent communication skills and ability to manage in meetings with senior staff - Effective team player/ problem solver The successful candidate will be required to undertake an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) Check and provide proof of their right to work in the UK. Where applicable, a prohibition check will be carried out.

The job description and application form can be downloaded from our website, www.hadlow.ac.uk.

Please return completed application forms to jobs@hadlow.ac.uk.

Closing date: Midnight on Friday 28 August 2020.

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WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET | SEPTEMBER 2020

17

OUT AND ABOUT WITH NIGEL AKEHURST

REGENERATIVE FARMING, NATURAL WINE MAKING AND TOURISM

This month Nigel visits Tillingham at Dew Farm in Peasmarsh, East Sussex to meet co-founder and wine maker Ben Walgate to learn more about his unique offering of natural wines and tourism.

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Tillingham Estate is unlike any vineyard I’ve visited before. Think East London members’ club meets idyllic 14th century Sussex farmstead. It is located at Dew farm, a 70-acre holding that is just one of a number of farms that make up the Peasmarsh Estate, owned by Viscount Devonport Terence Kearley.

In 2016, Wine Maker Ben Walgate had heard that Terence was looking for consultants and wine growers with a view to planting a vineyard on his East Sussex estate. The venture then came about when they met on site, identifying Dew Farm as suitable for viticulture and perfect for wine tourism.

They named the brand after river valley which the land overlooks.

“Terence is visionary. He inherited this estate but converted the family home – Peasmarsh Place – into a care home. He created a wind farm on his estate

in Northumberland. He’s constantly looking at new ideas. When we met, I came here in 2016 and realised this was a once in a lifetime opportunity,” Ben said.

“It couldn’t have happened without his help and he left me to get on with it,” he continued.

Ben and his family moved into the farm house and set about working with local architects based in Rye to develop the collection of old and modern farm buildings into a winery, shop, restaurant and boutique hotel.

FARMING BACKGROUND AND GETTING INTO WINE

Ben grew up with his brother on their father’s estate on the Lincolnshire Wolds. He helped out corn carting and on their pig unit during holidays, though admits he never thought he would end up a farmer.

SEPTEMBER 2020 | WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET

“I went to a grammar school and like many of my friends thought I’d go and do something different to what you were used to. Go make my mark on the world.

“As much as I respected what my father did it’s partly the legacy – you see your grandfather at the top of the hill, your father at the middle of the hill and you trying to get in – so when are you going to get any control? I always wanted to be my own boss – so I went off to uni and studied humanities,” he said.

Ben never really looked back apart from the occasional bit of work during summer holidays.

“Wine was always something I was interested in – hospitality, too. My mother had a wine bar with my step father and they were natural hosts. So that was a big influence. I’d worked in restaurants and wine shops at University; Majestic, Oddbins…

TILLINGHAM ESTATE, EAST SUSSEX and that’s when I got interested in wines and new wines like biodynamic first caught my attention. So I started to read around that,” he explained.

He got to the end of university and didn’t have a clear idea of what he wanted to do, so bought a one-way ticket to Athens and spent four months travelling around Europe, visiting vineyards mainly.

“I did all sorts. I went to a big conventional vineyard in Burgundy producing millions of bottles and to the exact opposite, a small family domain where the father had passed away and the son had come in to take over the estate, but also coming at it from a different background and interest, cottoning on to biodynamic and a more sensitive approach to production,” he said.

These experiences were transformative and inspired Ben to return to the UK to study the two-year wine making foundation course at Plumpton College.

Ben left with the intention of going straight into production but with little experience decided to set up a business importing the wines he loved instead.

“I persuaded a few of the growers that I had heard of from my time at Oddbins to let me sell their wine,” he said.

He supplied restaurants and had his own shop and a few employees. He loved learning about wines, visiting vineyards and communicating

about wine but didn’t enjoy the sales targets side of the business. In 2008-9 the credit crunch wiped out the margin on all the imported wines and he ended up running out of money and being forced to wind the business up.

Fortunately he managed to get a job for another company doing the same thing, so he managed to keep his customers and pay back what producers he could. “It was a stressful time but a great learning experience,” he said.

A job offer came up on the Isle of Wight to run a vineyard and make the wine. He jumped at it and moved his wife and young baby out to Bembridge.

He was out there for three years, rejuvenating, replanting and starting up the winery.

“It was a great way to cut my teeth but ultimately wasn’t going anywhere as the couple that owned it were in the process of selling and I couldn’t afford to buy it,” he said.

After his time on the Isle of Wight Ben spent four years as chief executive officer at award-winning English sparkling wine makers Gusbourne in Kent before leaving to set up Tillingham.

PLANTING VINES, REGENERATIVE AND BIODYNAMIC FARMING

Ben believes passionately in taking a more regenerative approach to farming and wine making.

“We’ve been ruining the soil for decades through persistent cultivation, salt-based fertilisers and not putting organic matter back in. The soil biology and structure is going downhill, so the plants are reliant on being propped up with chemical fertilisers and pesticides,” he said.

“By rebuilding our soils and restoring the fungi in the soils, we are providing the conditions for a plant to be able to defend itself and access the nutrition it needs. Most crops in conventional systems aren’t able to operate at the optimum levels of photosynthetic potential and the quality of the crop is reduced as a result.

“Furthermore, the industrial approach to agriculture is a dead end. The rate we are destroying top soil and soil structure in large scale, broad acre farming is alarming.”

Ben planted 10,000 vines in 2018 and an additional 30,000 in 2019 to bring the total area of vines to 25 acres. >>

FARM FACTS

• Business partnership with visionary landowner Viscount Devonport Terence Kearly

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• Located on 70 acres at Dew Farm, outside the village of Peasmarsh • 35 acres dedicated to viticulture (of which 25 acres is vines) • Planted 10,000 vines in 2018 and 30,000 in 2019. With 43 distinct blocks containing 21 varieties and clones including the classics; Chardonnay, Pinot Meunier, and Pinot Noir. Germanic varieties including Ortega, Dornfelder and Regent and more obscure names including Manzoni Bianco, Trousseau, Chenin blanc, and Pineau d’Aunis • Intention to produce 100,000 bottles • On-site winery capable of processing 250,000 bottles annually allows the business to offer contract wine making for organic and local producers

> Ben

Walgate

• Business will be 50:50 wine - hospitality • On-site 11 room boutique hotel • Restaurant • Tours and tastings • Sales of wine split roughly a third wholesale, a third export and a third direct to consumer • Employs 20 people, with the majority working on the hospitality side of the business.

TO ADVERTISE CALL 01303 233883

WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET | SEPTEMBER 2020

OUT AND ABOUT WITH NIGEL AKEHURST

20

<< He tells me that the site is perfect for wine making, with a low elevation, coastal proximity and mostly good interesting soil on the slopes over an Ashdown sandstone bedrock.

“Though, like a lot of the Weald, there are big slabs of clay so where it’s flat it’s not much good for anything as vines do not like having wet feet,” he added.

Before planting they applied 50 tonnes of compost per hectare and in the first year he choose to do zero cultivation, planting 10,000 vines down the back of a spade and drilling cover crops alongside the vines to increase biodiversity and improve soil health.

This approach yielded mixed results, which he puts down to some of the land being too compacted. Tellingly he notes that in areas where they didn’t manage to drill cover crops, due to bad weather, the vines are twice the size.

In 2019 he planted a further 30,000 vines, using all the same preparations but this time employing the use of a subsoiler to carry out a small amount of cultivation.

This year will be his first harvest of the 2018 vines. Ben has also recently started working with Abby Rose, of Sectormentor software, to help monitor his vines above and below ground.

Though Ben admits he hasn’t made life easy for himself.

“We planted 43 distinct blocks with 32 variations of grape varieties and clones. Management wise it’s a lot, but then I like making lots of small batch wines with bags of character, so it suits that,” he said.

Ben has also been focusing on implementing some biodynamic practices on the land, although he doesn’t envisage certifying for a few years partly due to the additional administrative burden.

Alongside their vines, they have their own chickens and cattle and sheep supplied by James, a fellow tenant farmer on the estate, to graze the 35 acres of

SEPTEMBER 2020 | WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET

pasture. Ben has a reciprocal agreement in place enabling him to buy beef and lamb for his restaurant at a good price.

They are also able to grow all manner of things in their kitchen garden in the walled garden at nearby Peasmarsh Place.

Ben also sources English flour to use in sourdough pizzas and would like the farm to grow heritage wheat so that it could make its own flour one day.

NATURAL WINE MAKING AND BRANDING

Keen to build the Tillingham brand while waiting for his own vines to come into production, Ben has been buying in grapes from vineyards in the South East to start experimenting with different natural wine making techniques; using carbonic maceration, skin contact and pét-nats.

His first wine was a pink pét-nat which he labelled PN17 and was released last year.

Ben decided to screen print the label directly onto the bottle; a neon blue on a pink wine which created something quite impactful.

“The reaction to it was huge – the wine sold out just like that. Now most of our wines sell out like that,” he said.

Good branding was something Ben wanted to get right from the start.

“The guys who do my labels have a fine art background, Royal College of Art graduates who have a design studio - do publishing, events but not drinks. I wanted my labels to be representative of what I do. I’m not alone in what I do, there are thousands of people doing regenerative farming and low intervention wine making, but there aren’t many people doing it in England,” he said.

Instagram has been key to telling the Tillingham story, with a dedicated following of over 12,000 fans with whom Ben is able to communicate directly.

“Instagram has been great. We wouldn’t have had the success without it.

TILLINGHAM ESTATE, EAST SUSSEX > The

sunken clay pots under the oast are Georgian Qvevris which Ben uses for some of his wines

Better people Best placed SEASONAL LABOUR PLACEMENT

But that’s true of a lot of businesses,” he added.

I ask Ben why he thinks there aren’t more natural wine makers in the UK. “In places like Melbourne, the Adelaide hills, Beaujolais, the Loire, even Germany – the industry is really well established, loads of grapes, loads of wineries, communities around wine. We don’t have that; the barriers to entry are significant. Getting access – the price of grapes is a lot more expensive.”

Ben said that was one of the reasons why he didn’t go straight into producing wine after Plumpton and he questions the longer-term sustainability of the UK industry.

With a limited market for wine at £30 or more, he believes that investors continuing to pile into English wine may be disappointed.

“The middle-of-the-road guys who are making 30-40,000 bottles, selling some of it to the big houses. They’ll be getting under £10 a bottle and if you’re investing a few million quid, it will take a long time to get your money back,” he said.

“There’s also that old adage: ‘How do you make a small fortune in wine?

Start with a much bigger one’,” he added.

That’s not to say Ben isn’t thankful to his visionary forebears.

“Mike Roberts in particular, who started Ridgeview, and Bob Lindo at Camel Valley. They realised the future of English wine 30 years ago, I’ve just been lucky enough to be riding on the wave. If it wasn’t for some of these people coming in with vast fortunes like Lord Ashcroft, English wine wouldn’t be on the map,” he said.

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VINES DIRECT LTD EST. 2006

FALLING GRAPE PRICES AND COVID-19

Ben points to falling prices this year. “Previously growers were receiving between £2,500 and £3,000 a tonne. This year it’s looking more like £1,500 due >>

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WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET | SEPTEMBER 2020

OUT AND ABOUT WITH NIGEL AKEHURST << to a lot of vineyards not being able to sell much wine, and exports have shut down.”

“Direct to consumer sales have been good, but if you’ve been making a million bottles of English sparking it’s not going to touch the sides,” he added.

On the flip side Ben believes it’s possibly a good time to get in so long as you’ve got a route to market sorted.

Longer term he believes that as grapes become more accessible, people will start making wine on industrial estates in small commercial properties, rather than going for the castle with the big wine estate.

He intends to produce 100,000 bottles per year but the winery is capable of producing 250,000.

To support other local organic producers and local growers he is offering a wine contract.

I ask Ben what the impact of Covid-19 had been on his business.

“We had to furlough nearly all our staff and I thought there might not be a business in six months when lockdown first happened,” he said.

“As things went on I got to see the advantages to lockdown; the fact that we got to reset. There were things that were making me very unhappy and we’re now able to reopen as a totally different business.”

22

WINE SALES

Ben explained that roughly a third of the wine was sold via a UK wholesaler, another third exported and the rest sold direct to consumers.

“We’re in Michelin star fine dining restaurants and in new wave cooler stuff in the UK. Our wines are big in Scandinavia, too - you can find our wines in places like Noma in Copenhagen,” he said.

He explained that UK wholesale and export are loosely the same price per bottle but added they are ceding quite a bit of margin.

“The wines need to be in Noma to help build the brand. Then over time the wine will improve, they’ll become more expensive and the business will get better and better.”

During lockdown the direct to consumer sales went from around £1,000 per month to more than £12,000.

I ask him how he works out his pricing.

“We’re already fortunate enough to be significantly above the average English still wine.

I look at my competition, which isn’t necessarily English wine. I go into wine shops where retailers are selling low intervention wines and benchmark against those. So if a Pét Nat from a cool producer that tastes delicious is £30, then there is no reason why mine shouldn’t be £30, especially now I’m three years in,” he replied.

He thinks it’s a shame we’re taxed so heavily to sell to our fellow countrymen.

“It’s around £2.73 a bottle. In France the growers pay 5 cents; you can drink amazing wines for far less than you can here,” he said.

WINE TOURISM

Adding to the mix, hospitality is key to Ben’s thriving business model. Tillingham has an on-site restaurant, wine bar, bottle shop and a boutique hotel offering 11 rooms.

“There’s a lot of London people coming to Rye and Dungeness. Hastings is cool, too. We’re another reason to visit.”

Tillingham also offers tours and tastings at £35 a head on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Tours are currently limited to groups of six people at a time due to social distancing and take approximately one and half hours, followed by a tasting.

Ben is excited about the reopening of his restaurant from early August with a new chef

SEPTEMBER 2020 | WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET

joining from St. John restaurant in London. It will be offering a dinner service Wednesday through to Saturday at £40 per head for a set menu to both residents and non-residents, but booking via the website is essential.

A recent addition has been the conversion of an old Dutch barn into an outdoor kitchen with a wood fired pizza oven and plenty of outdoor tables and seating. This is open Friday to Saturday from midday to 7pm and Sunday midday to 6pm.

BUSINESS MODEL AND FUTURE PLANS

I ask Ben what the business split is and about his plans for the future.

“By the end of 2021, we’ll be fifty-fifty wine to hospitality,” he said.

He tells me he wants the business to be big enough so everyone gets their money back and enjoys a good lifestyle.

“We could get bigger by planting more vines, or make the wines more special, but I don’t want to make it inaccessible,” he said.

“I need to slow down a bit - enjoy life and take some time off. As it is already modelled it’s a good model.”

Ben tries to do a couple of days a week on hospitality, a couple of days in the winery and a couple of days on production and the farm and takes one day off if he’s lucky.

“This is a critical phase in the establishment of the business, so for the next couple of years I’m expecting to be flat out,” he said.

I’ve no doubt it will be an exciting couple of years. What Ben and Terence have created at Tillingham is an inspiring showcase of what’s possible on a small farm given the right set of ingredients.

FINANCE

I’m sure many of you will have had the chance to enjoy a glass or two of wine over the recent heatwave, and for many that might have included a glass of English wine.

The most recent figures published by WineGB show the major growth enjoyed by the British viticulture sector in recent years, and this upward trend is expected to continue, especially in the South East, where 76% of UK production already takes place.

For those interested in investing in the viticulture sector, or for those already in the sector looking to expand further, options can be limited.

Land is the most important part of any vineyard operation, but the very specific requirements for soil, aspect and elevation mean there is a finite number of good sites in the region. This has naturally driven up the price per acre, but due to Covid-19 we now live in different times and new opportunities could start to open up.

If existing land holdings are not suitable, and if land isn’t available to buy, then renting land is a way into the market or to expand. However, the long-term nature of the production and the capital investment required means that land needs to be rented under long-term agreements.

Landowners are often reticent to lock up their land for long periods and in doing so need to be assured that the vineyard tenant can afford the rent on an ongoing basis – and that’s far easier for an established, well-funded business than for a start-up venture.

The time frame from planting to production means there is the need for working capital to be funded before any income is generated. Funding is therefore critical and private money has been the key source to date (either own funds or with other equity investors).

Lenders are increasingly taking an interest, but given it is a relatively young industry, they are showing caution. This means cashflow management and access to real time accounting data is essential.

With the significant capital investment into a viticulture business comes the opportunity to claim available tax allowances. The proposed reduction of 100% year one capital allowances for plant and

VITICULTURE – MISSED THE BOAT OR TIME TO JUMP ON BOARD? machinery from £1 million per annum back to £200,000 per annum from 1 January 2021 will not be helpful in this respect.

If you are planning on growing your own grapes and outsourcing winemaking, then a number of potential issues arise. Contract production is a good way for a smaller business to operate with relatively low volumes but as the business expands it needs to focus on achieving consistent quality and timeliness of operations.

There are concerns that wineries which have the capacity to undertake contract production have used this as a way of filling their own spare capacity and ‘sweating their assets’. As these operations themselves expand, their ability to undertake contract production will shrink, so what do you do then?

There are also concerns about the future size of the market for English sparkling wine as supply increases, which could have a downward effect on prices, and larger producers will be looking towards new export markets now and for the future.

Looking at how the business is structured, consideration needs to be given to individual circumstances from a tax and risk perspective.

Some new investors into the sector may have been attracted due to planting and growing grapes being added to the list of activities that qualify for Agricultural Property Relief (APR) to mitigate Inheritance Tax. The Covid-19 pandemic has however raised the spectre of APR being removed, so caution is certainly needed.

A word on diversification, and while tourism is a natural progression for many vineyards, which

has helped many underpin cashflow with tours and events, this has been severely affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. Having the cashflow to navigate the months ahead will be vital for many businesses.

To find the best source of funding, first approach your existing lender. They have built a relationship with you over time, have detailed information about how your business and accounts have been managed and are focusing on their existing customers, so there are a number of options and products available, including reviewing the terms of existing lending. Secondly, speak to your existing private investors regarding further investment and/ or consider attracting new investors.

Other options still available at least until the end of September to a business which was both ‘viable and profitable before the pandemic’ are the various government Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan schemes including the Bounce Back Loan Scheme (BBLS) or the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS).

Ultimately over time we are likely to see the viticulture market here in the UK continue to fragment further into larger brand-driven commercial operations and lifestyle producers.

There is a place for both business models, as other wine producing countries demonstrate.

ADRIAN PEARCE

Partner at Kreston Reeves T: 0330 124 1399 E: adrian.pearce@krestonreeves.com www.krestonreeves.com

TO ADVERTISE CALL 01303 233883

WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET | SEPTEMBER 2020

23

PIG AND ARABLE

24

LIQUID GOLD

> Large

White cross Norwegian Landrace

It seems pretty clear that any farmer averaging 3.9 tonnes per hectare of oilseed rape off his land over the past three years – and getting big premiums for good oil content – must be doing something right.

The farmer in this case is Jack Bosworth, who farms with his father Stuart at Spains Hall, Willingale in Essex, and he knows exactly what he is doing right.

Trading as F J Bosworth and Sons, the father and son team run a pig and arable operation that could almost be used as the dictionary definition of sustainable farming – and it’s one stage of that sustainable loop that makes a significant contributions to Jack’s impressive yields across his cereals and oilseeds.

“The slurry from the pigs does two vital jobs for us each year,” Jack explained.

“The first is an application by dribble bar in the autumn, which we do just before planting our oilseed rape.

“That slurry application works like liquid gold. The instant nitrogen hit seems to be enough to give the rape a head start. We took over four tonnes per hectare off last year and three and a half tonnes this year, which we were delighted with under the circumstances.”

Jack explained that he also grows winter barley, which is typically harvested

SEPTEMBER 2020 | WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET

in mid July. “This gives us time to chit and eliminate volunteers before applying slurry and drilling the new rape crop towards the end of August,” he said.

“I’m not one for early drilling unless perfect conditions arise. Late August drilling suits us for volunteer control, labour availability and fresh seed availability and gives the previous OSR crop just harvested a chance to germinate, which I believe gives the flea beetle and slugs something else to go at.

“I am certain that we couldn’t achieve the consistently good yields and premiums, such as £99 per hectare for oil content, without the slurry.

Tramspread Contracting, the company that spreads it for us, tells me that our slurry holds the company record for nitrogen content.”

The second slurry application, in spring, helps the farm’s second wheat crops maintain good health and nutrition even in a dry spring such as this one. “After a very dry spring, some wheats didn’t uptake their final nitrogen so well and that has resulted in poorer yields, particularly on lighter land,” Jack said.

“The slurry kept the growth greener for longer and was particularly useful in the dry spring. The two inches of rain we then had in late May/June also helped, and we combined at an average of 4.3 tonnes per acre, which is slightly better than we have achieved with the first wheat we have harvested so far.”

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A successful wheat crop is important to the business, since it supports the systems Alternatively, view our website for further From start to finish, we do it all information at www. quality-equipment.co.uk From start to finish, farm’s impressive sustainability loop. All the wheat and winter barley grown on we do it all the land is used to feed the 600 sow indoor unit and half the progeny that Spains Project Management

Hall is home to – creating more slurry to support next year’s crop.

The feeding operation is equally sustainable, since the farm has two solar installations that generate enough electricity to run the business’ in-house mill and mix facility, allowing the Bosworths to feed their animals from home-grown ingredients mixed with home-grown energy.

With the father and son team having recently doubled the business’ pig population and in a bid to continue to expand the business, Jack is now looking to increase the amount of contract farming he offers – and it comes with a distinct bonus.

“We can store 4,500 cubic metres of slurry on site, but with the extra pigs we have some to spare and so we are looking to provide a contracting service that will allow nearby farms to benefit from the ‘liquid gold’ that is proving so successful here at Spains Hall,” said Jack.

Taking on more contract farming will also help make efficient use of the impressive Claas Tucano 430 combine harvester that is part of the >>

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FRAM FARMERS?

Alternatively, view our website for further  01728 727700  mail@framfarmers.co.uk information at www. quality-equipment.co.uk

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WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET | SEPTEMBER 2020

PIG AND ARABLE > The

grain is milled on site

> Grain

stores of wheat and barley

26

> Jack

and Stuart Bosworth

SEPTEMBER 2020 | WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET

<< equipment line up at the farm, which has been owned by the family since 1934.

The Tucano has also given Jack two additional income streams; a larger area of contract combining and increased demand for his straw since the straw walker machine produces an impressive quality and volume of straw.

“A walker machine is perhaps slower than a rotor, but I’m netting an extra £50 per acre on average due to the quantity and quality of straw we produce,” Jack said. “I use SOYL for regular soil nutrient analysis, and if phosphorus levels come back lower than I would like I incorporate the straw for a year and spread farmyard manure on affected areas.

“I incorporate straw on headlands – except for winter barley – to help maintain a good soil structure in the areas which are obviously most susceptible to compaction. I sell the rest, but I wouldn’t do so if the price dropped below £35 a tonne as there wouldn’t be enough in it after budgeting for topping up key soil elements.”

Jack grows four combinable crops on the 270 hectares at Spains Hall, with the fourth one being marrowfat peas that are mainly turned into Japanese bar snacks.

Jack’s great grandfather Frederick started keeping pigs in 1919 and moved to the current land 15 years later. Fred had two sons; Stuart’s father Tony and Henry who is now 88, lives nearby and is still a partner in the business.

Henry’s son Simon was also a partner in the business until March 2018 and was running the arable side of the farm while Tony’s Son Stuart looked after the pigs.

Jack, who had been gaining management experience as the harvest manager

FEATURED COMPANY: for Strawson’s leek enterprise in Nottingham, returned to the family farm in September 2017 so that he could be ready to play his part in the business following Simon’s retirement six months later.

The business plan now is for Carol, Stuart and Jack – who is due to become a partner shortly – to move the business forward as a family unit. Jack and Stuart knew that to raise the necessary cash they would need to rethink their approach in some areas, expand the profitable parts of the enterprise and trim costs elsewhere.

Leaving Stuart to concentrate on the pigs he had been farming for many years, Jack studied the arable side of the business and was concerned at the high establishment costs, mainly caused by extensive ploughing and power harrowing. “It’s a good system but very expensive,” he commented.

The farm now exclusively uses Weaving machinery for establishment in areas that are not ploughed. “We use a Weaving Subdisc, which is an excellent one-pass machine that brings much needed versatility,” said Jack. “We purchased a Weaving Shortdisc recently and this again brings versatility and offers extremely high work rates to reduce time and labour requirements.

“We also have a new Weaving Sabre tine drill that allows us to drill into any system whether that is direct, min till or plough-based.”

With the farm’s existing machinery becoming outdated and attracting rising maintenance costs, the business invested in two Massey Ferguson tractors, one 180hp and the other 200hp, bought from R W Crawford Agricultural Machinery, which opened a state-of-the-art new depot in Writtle in 2018. >>

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27

PIG AND ARABLE

> Solar

28

<< The tractors were complemented by an Amazone UX3200 sprayer with an auto shut-off function that Jack estimates will cut pesticide costs by around 5%.

All the arable vehicles have GPS and all establishment, except for ploughing, and application operations are carried out using an RTK signal. This has improved efficiency, reduced compaction and allowed detailed analysis of operations. “A lot of the machinery also benefits from service contracts and good warranty cover, allowing the business to keep control of its costs and reduce the chances of unexpected repair bills,” added Jack.

As well as starting to develop the arable side, selling straw and picking up more contracting work, Jack continued to work with his father on modernising and growing the pig operation at Spains Hall.

When he joined the business, the farm had a

farm used to power the mill and mix facility

270 sow breeder/feeder herd, all kept indoors on a mixture of straw and slats. Looking to the future, Stuart and Jack knew they needed to expand the herd to generate more capital.

That expansion needed better and more up-to-date accommodation for the sows, and so Jack and Stuart took a trip to Belgium with Quality Equipment, where they were shown a modern pig building and ordered a replica copy for Spains Hall at a cost of close to £1 million.

While commissioning the building in January 2019, the family realised that they had been practising precision farming on the arable side since 2012 but were not making the best use of technology to support the pig operation. They redressed the balance by investing in electronic sow feeding that delivers a precise, carefully measured amount of food to each of the 600 sows on the farm.

Ear tags tell the computer which sow is looking

> Piglets

drinking from milk cup system – powered by the new Automix

SEPTEMBER 2020 | WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET

for food and will deliver it to the feeder as long as she hasn’t exceeded her day’s ration. The same ear tag allows the computer to check whether or not the animal needs to be separated for serving, a vaccination or pregnancy scan – or any other reason. If the tag indicates that she needs separating, a gate system ushers her into a holding pen. “It’s much simpler than trying to find the sow you want amongst many others,” Jack noted.

Another job that is now much simpler is detecting sows and gilts that have not been serviced successfully. A boar is penned in each corner of the dry sow house, together with a heat monitor. When a sow pokes her head into the pen, the monitor gives her a heat reference number – again allocated to the sow via her ear tag – and an automatic email alerts Stuart, Jack and the pig unit staff to her condition.

“Previously we had to run a boar up and down

FEATURED COMPANY: > Slurry

from the pigs which is used on the land

the passage between the sows trying to work out which one was interested,” Jack said. “That wasn’t fun or efficient.”

The extra efficiency brought by the new technology means that the same size team now looks after a doubled breeding stock. “Excellent” stockman Alex Lake is supported by Zoe Barton, “an impressive new entrant to the industry who was running a pet-sitting business until the Covid-19 lockdown struck”, and Charles Clack, who joined a month ago and is studying at Writtle University College.

While the coronavirus affected Zoe’s previous livelihood, it didn’t harm the Bosworths’. Their pigs are all sent to an abattoir that supplies catering companies, restaurants and local butchers, and with demand for locally produced meat increasing dramatically, trade increased.

The new building at Spains Hall has

accommodation for 440 dry sows, 60 farrowing crates, a service house and accommodation for gilts, but with the number of sows more than doubling, Stuart and Jack needed somewhere for the weaners to be sent for finishing.

The business’s nutritionist, Zarkos-Smith Associates, put Stuart in touch with another client, a Norfolk farmer who was looking to stop breeding pigs so that he could concentrate on his other business interests.

He had ready-made accommodation and now provides ‘bed and breakfast’ accommodation for the Bosworth weaners. Stuart makes the 200-mile round trip to Norfolk virtually every week to deliver 150 weaners for finishing.

When the weaners are at their finished weight, they are delivered to an abattoir near to the Norfolk unit. Spains Hall, which has high welfare standards that are reflected in its Red Tractor accreditation, is

currently selling around 29 pigs per sow per year.

Another innovation in the farrowing house has helped give the weaners an early boost while reducing stress on the sows. The farm has for some time used a milk cup system that allowed the weaners to give mum a break, but the manual mix system relied on staff continuing to top it up and meant that it was often cold and unpalatable.

After another visit to Europe, the farm has now added an Automix function that means whenever a weaner sucks from the milk cup, the machinery automatically mixes up one litre of fresh, warm, nutritionally balanced supplement. “It’s a bit too early to make predictions, but the last time dad took a load of weaners up to Norfolk Richard said he’d never seen young pigs like it,” Jack commented.

“If you can get them off to a good start, you’re likely to see a better margin at the end,” Jack said.

“It’s much the same as with oilseed rape.”

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WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET | SEPTEMBER 2020

29

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We operate our own high welfare outdoor breeding units which supply our high welfare indoor straw based growing units.

The finished pigs go to one of our three abattoirs, then to one of our own packing plants and finally to the UK’s leading retailers.

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We currently have over 160 new purpose-built pig buildings around the UK and offer a new build package to help existing and new entrants into pig

SEPTEMBER 2020 | WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET

farming. Many of our farming partners who were previously exclusively arable farmers have chosen this option due to the subsided capital outlay that we offer.

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No, but a willingness to learn and a commitment of approximately two hours a day is essential. All new farms are guided through their first batches and have a dedicated field person and vet for continued advice and support.

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31

NEW ENTERPRISE

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Like many of our farmers, pigs were a new enterprise for the Barnes family when they decided to diversify. They started contract growing pigs in 2018.

The family ran an arable and solar enterprise, until adding contract pigs to their business.

The additional enterprise is managed by Lucy who has come back to the family farm to manage the pigs, alongside working as part of the arable operation.

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WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET | SEPTEMBER 2020

NICK ADAMES WEST SUSSEX DIARY

32

These past five months of ‘captivity’ have simply flown past, which is just as well because I don’t think they have been particularly good news for anyone. It has seemed better not to mention the virus and its implications, because there has surely been too much talk in the press and on the air already. It rendered TV worthless, given there was no live sport to watch and the main channels were so full of fake news.

This household decided early on that the only thing to do was listen to the radio news when our day began at 6am, be reassured the Queen was keeping well, hope that Trump had not yet started the Third World War, then switch off and get on with our lives. The rest of TV was, as we later learned, just the usual pile of half truths and distortions, of what ‘might’ or ‘could’ be. Similar to BBC Farming Today’s Anna Hill’s favourites: “People are saying” or “Some would say” of some negative thoughts invented in their studio. It used to be a farming programme, for goodness sake…

These problems have now spread to the weather forecasts, which have mainly become a chat show about some phenomenon that ‘Kirsty from Merseyside’ has seen from her window but otherwise bears little resemblance to what actually results. Weather is more important to a farmer crying out for a good rain than to the average listener.

Anyway, until the end of June it would not even have mattered to most folk as they were mainly ‘confined to quarters’ with little to occupy themselves apart from pulling the odd weed out of a window box or lawn. Latterly, thank goodness, restrictions have been eased, but not before a huge proportion of the population had become so indoctrinated by the daily Downing Street briefings that they had become terrified to leave their houses. Luckily as farmers we are still classed, in some quarters anyway, as essential workers, so could get out.

I recently read a well-argued article pointing

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MORE LIKE A CHAT SHOW out that by staying home for weeks, isolated from outside contact, germs and bugs, such timidity might well be storing up the bigger risk of reduced immunity (from germs we humans are in normal contact with all our lives) when folk again venture forth into the big wide world.

As I wrote this on 31 July, the combine was cutting the winter wheat up on the Hill farm.

Following cattle for some 50 unbroken years, the crop got away well last October and never really looked back. I spent a while with the driver in the cab, watching the computerised ‘feed back’ of yield, moisture content etc. Very impressive.

The first 50 acres came off at some at 11.5 tons a hectare and the last 20 let the side down a little to average 10.5 tons in total. I imagine it might have been amongst the top crops on the Downs in what has, after all, been a very difficult growing season.

The land was let out to some neighbours and I think they too were quite pleased with the return on their work!

Meanwhile on the vineyard a gang of contract workers went right through the 50,000 new vines, lifting off their individual vermin guards to snip surplus growths and leave one predominant shoot to form the future ‘leader’. A labour intensive task which these chaps completed at the most amazing rate and the vermin tubes were quickly slid back into position. Meanwhile Emma is hand hoeing the weeds over the whole hillside. Walking 77+ miles to cover the plants once!

Driving quietly past the vines recently it gave me huge pleasure to see what is now a rarity to us, a brown hare, hopping around the plants; it seemed almost unconcerned at my presence. It reminded me of those other rare creatures we saw

down in the Kruger Park a few years back. Lions, which we could approach very closely as they either rested, fed or made a kill, but always with the ranger’s very strict instruction: “Don’t get out of the vehicle!”

When I was young, hares were everywhere; on some vegetable land they were considered the ‘number one’ pest, such was their ability to destroy crops such as brussels sprouts and broccoli.

On winter days shooting on two local farms we could see 30 or 40 hares in the ‘bag’ at the day’s end. Then the next time we shot the land there would be as many again. I quickly risked my host farmer’s wrath as I decided not to shoot them, simply hating to hear their cries if they were not killed outright; they would scream like a baby. Very distressing. Mind you, a traditionally prepared ‘jugged hare’ was always seen in our family as the finest of all wild game dishes.

Then increasingly, through the eighties and nineties, their numbers were reduced, not from shooting but from hare coursing. People with their dogs, hunting the creatures almost to extinction in some areas just to give their mates the chance to gamble on the outcome of their dogs’ prowess.

No regard to the time of year or growing crops.

Chasing lactating does in the breeding season, leaving the leverets to die into the bargain. So it was a real thrill to see there are still some around, and if the vines attract the hares, it makes them even better value!

Late news. The ash trees with dieback were felled along our roadside boundary late in July. A very impressive operation, some 250 plus trees cut and removed in a week. Bit of road rage due to traffic controls, I’m told!

NICK ADAMES Former dairy farmer

> July dust flies as wheat fills the trailer

SEPTEMBER 2020 | WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET

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THE LANDOWNER Farming brings together a broad range of skills, opportunities and variables – including, of course, the weather – but for Sentry’s Richard Peck, it’s all about relationships.

Sentry is one of the largest farm management companies operating across the south of the country, with sites ranging from two fields to entire landed estates – and every one of the deals is bespoke to the landowner involved.

“We manage a nine hectare ‘farm’ in Dorset and I make sure that the landowner there gets the same level of attention as we give to our other clients,” Richard explained. “We put a great deal of effort into coming up with a deal that suits both Sentry and the landowner. There is no point in proceeding if one half of the partnership is unhappy.”

In the real world, of course, happiness equates to the bottom line, and Sentry knows that it needs to come up with an arrangement that gives the landowner a good return on their investment while also making a return for the company, which was

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set up in the late seventies and has developed an impressive reputation since then.

In theory, Sentry offers landowners the normal range of options, from farm business tenancies through contract farming – which makes up the bulk of its operation – to management agreements. In practice, its deals are more nuanced, as Richard explained.

“No two deals are exactly the same,” he said.

“We spend a long time talking to the landowner about what they want to achieve, how much involvement they need and what level of risk they are looking for. In the end – and it can take a fair amount of negotiation – we come up with a bespoke agreement that meets their specific requirements.”

Sentry succeeds by using the considerable economies of scale that its portfolio generates, as well as by bringing to bear the experience it has amassed over the last 40-plus years of farming a wide range of different sites.

> Richard Peck

These days it complements that impressive level of knowledge with new wisdom introduced by the likes of Tom Spencer, who manages the Sentry Sussex site which is based at Lock Farm, Partridge Green, south of Horsham, but oversees seven farms and 10 landowners.

At just 27, Tom is promoting and supporting a shift towards direct drilling in a bid to improve the soil, together with increased use of new technology that allows greater efficiency and lower >> costs.

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FEATURED COMPANY: << That focus on new technology comes at a price, of course, which is where Richard plays his part as Sentry’s Head of Purchasing for the group – as well as looking after his own group of Sentry-run farms.

At Lock Farm, where Tom has recently combined two Sentry operations into one, again to create economies of scale and a more efficient operation, the company has been able to review its machinery needs and has invested in brand new kit to support Sentry’s vision of a low impact, direct drill future.

In his purchasing role, Richard has just handed over a John Deere 7290, a Tillso Advantage low disturbance sub-soiler and a John Deere 952i trailed sprayer – together costing somewhere around £250,000.

“At Sentry we believe strongly that we have to continue to invest in order to stay efficient and deliver a good return to the landowners who invite us to manage their land,” said Richard. “If we weren’t efficient, we simply couldn’t do what we do.”

Tom was quick to agree: “You either keep up or

FARM MANAGEMENT you quickly get left behind,” he added.

That need to keep up is particularly true when it comes to technology, which is developing at a remarkable rate and offering a vision of increasing tractor and machinery automation.

Sentry uses John Deere’s impressive GreenStar technology, a system Richard describes simply as “awesome”, for all its precision agriculture.

Tom explained that the system has allowed him to dispense with paper forms detailing what work needs to be done. “The computer in the office sends the job spec to the tractor. Once the driver is in the field, the tractor plots its route according to the GPS and then the sprayer, or whatever else is attached, does whatever it is told to do by the software.

“At the end of the day I know where the tractor went, at what speed, what the engine revs were, how much fuel it used and at what L/ha it consumed it, how much work it did, how many hours it was working, etc. Importantly it gives me an accurate cost for the work the tractor did, and that’s vital business information.”

Richard added: “There is already technology

that will allow a tractor’s onboard computer to sense that an engine bearing is getting too hot and send a message to the dealer via a satellite link. The dealer will then order the part and have it delivered to the farm so that one of its team can replace the bearing – before the farmer even knows it needs replacing.

“It sounds far-fetched but is already possible – and that kind of preventative maintenance can make all the difference at busy times of year, when a dead tractor sitting in the field can cost a huge amount of money and perhaps mean missing out on a dry spell during harvest.”

The GreenStar systems, looked after by Kris Romney from Burden Bros Agri Ltd, which supplies Sentry’s John Deere tractors and machinery, also talk to Tom’s Gatekeeper crop recording software, again helping to pin down accurate costings.

Tom started at Lock Farm in 2016 as a tractor driver but in January 2019 took over as farm manager when his predecessor moved on. In June this year his operation was combined with another Sentry setup that farmed land at Henfield, >>

S5

> Tom Spencer and Richard Peck TO ADVERTISE CALL 01303 233883

WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET | SEPTEMBER 2020

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<< Biggin Hill, West Clandon and Ockley to create the larger operation he now looks after.

“Across the group a number of younger farmers have stepped up to the mark and brought a renewed focus on making better use of technology, reducing costs and improving soil structure,” said Richard, who runs a successful and profitable farming business in Dorset as well as overseeing Tom and other Sentry sites in the south of the country and looking after purchasing.

Richard has worked for Sentry since the company, which operates a very flat structure, was set up in the late 70s. As well as Richard, Managing Director Paul Christian, who re-joined Sentry over two years ago, is supported by John Barrett, who looks after the company’s farms in Norfolk, Suffolk and Kent and is responsible for marketing, John Hall, who is responsible for the Cambridgeshire to Leicestershire sites and Robert Kilby, who, in

Richard’s words, “sells everything”.

On the ground, the business has a further 20 or so farm managers such as Tom, Sentry is proud to be employee owned, with an employee forum and a direct ownership model for all employees to participate. With a head office in Ipswich, Suffolk, it farms from Leicester to Norwich and down to the south coast, looking after land for everyone from hobby farmers to investors and everything in between.

Tom’s newly expanded operation at Lock Farm now oversees large areas of arable and countryside stewardship land and looks after no fewer than 10 landowners, all of whom will have negotiated the particular arrangement that suits their needs. ”Some have the land as an investment; others are actively involved in the day-to-day business of their farm,” he explained.

Sentry’s economies of scale are impressive, with

all the inputs centrally purchased by Richard, who follows market data closely to time the group’s buying and obtain the best prices. “You need good information to get it right and I’m confident that Sentry has information that’s as good as it gets when it comes to seed, fertiliser and sprays,” he said.

In another nod to the importance of relationships, Richard pointed out that over the past 40-plus years the company had worked hard to build up trust across the industry, putting it on a good footing when it came to negotiating effective deals on behalf of its landowners.

Sentry also offers a consultancy service, with a small team based in Ipswich looking after ‘external’ clients who don’t need hands-on help but enjoy benefiting from the company’s experience.

Tom explained that with margins getting >>

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> John Deere 7290R pulling a Tillso Advantage Subsoiler << tighter, businesses like Sentry Sussex had to look hard at ways to run more efficiently, reducing overheads and using innovation to drive costs down.

Doubling the size of the business at Lock Farm has cut overheads considerably and has also allowed the company to replace two sets of machinery with the new John Deere, sub-soiler and trailed sprayer. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The new kit, allied to the GreenStar technology and the larger land holding, has made the whole operation more efficient,â&#x20AC;? he explained.

The technology is not just state-of-the-art but continues to evolve, meeting the needs of operators in much the same way that Sentry tries to meet the needs of its clients. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Farmers like us ask â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;why canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t the software do such or such?â&#x20AC;&#x2122; and by the next update you find it can,â&#x20AC;? he commented.

Meanwhile the combination of GreenStar and Gatekeeper means the company can find out exactly what any field within the business has cost in seed, fertiliser and spray applications, which is not just useful in terms of costing but is very useful for benchmarking and driving continual improvement across the group.

As well as the new tractor, the Tillso Advantage and the John Deere sprayer, Tom has the choice of a Weaving GD disc drill, which offers ultra-low disturbance and can be used for drilling into green cover, or a Triton tine drill which can be used when the ground is wetter. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Having a choice of the two drills means the best of both worlds and fewer compromises,â&#x20AC;? he commented.

Tom has moved in recent years from minimum tillage to strip tilling and is now switching to direct drilling, which means reduced soil disturbance, less moisture loss and better soil condition in general. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s part of Sentryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s move towards regenerative agriculture, which aims to reverse the detrimental impacts of past practices on soil condition. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We have seen a loss of organic material in the soil over the years thanks to excessive cultivation,â&#x20AC;? he said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Multi-pass cultivation has harmed the soil, and farms that have been using regenerative methods are seeing a definite improvement in the health of their soil. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Better sampling is helping to prove how much damage has been done and is showing improvements that are directly related to the new techniques. As well as better soil, these techniques reduce the use of expensive inputs and mean less metal and diesel usage.â&#x20AC;?

Tom uses organic manures and green compost to increase the carbon stored in the soil, along with chopped straw mixed with organic manures. He is hopeful that environmentally conscious farmers will be rewarded in future

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with a system of carbon credits to reflect their efforts. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s clear that these new methods are making a difference,â&#x20AC;? he said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The soil wants to break up, heavy clay is much easier to work and we are seeing more worm activity. More worms indicate increased nutrients, they take leaf litter down into the soil and the holes they create help it to drain. I really believe that regenerative agriculture is a welcome advancement in farming.â&#x20AC;?

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S9

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With farm lubricant specifications becoming more and more specific and often confusing – with application a case of guesswork in some circumstances – the central purchasing team at Sentry Ltd has negotiated a professional approach to lubricant purchase through Witham Group.

Witham Group, the trading name of Witham Oil & Paint Ltd, is now offering its latest products and services at beneficial prices to direct, managed and associate Sentry Ltd members.

Dealers advertise agricultural manufacturer-branded lubricants, but with expert recommendations these can be replaced by Witham’s Qualube Lubricants, creating a significant saving.

The professional approach is to carry out a technical lubrication survey of all the farm equipment in the first instance to ascertain manufacturer warranty specifications and ensure correct application of product to machine. This will allow Witham to rationalise the number of grades stocked.

The lubrication survey is free of charge and produced without any bias.

Members of many farming groups and machinery rings across the whole of the UK have used the Qualube product for many years and been completely satisfied with quality, price and service.

A trained technical operations executive organises the survey, rationalises the recommended products and creates significant savings for the farmer or landowner without jeopardising warranty, even on brand new machines.

This service has been taken up by many Sentry Farms, which have rationalised grades, made the application of lubricants simpler and appreciate this fresh approach to farm lubrication.

Products are distributed from Witham Group’s head office in Lincoln. With only a small minimum order quantity, delivery takes place within one to three days.

Managing Director Nigel Bottom commented: “We are committed to ensuring all our customers get the correct oil for the correct application at all times.

Regardless of the brand on the outside of the container, its what’s inside that matters.”

S11

EXPERTISE AND EXPERIENCE

Rural business adviser Alec Smith shares the expertise and experience built up by Sentry over the years to other ‘external’ clients.

Alec works alongside George Thomas, an RICSqualified land agent, to provide advice on a broad range of farming issues, from budgets and cash flow to recommendations on cropping, Countryside Stewardship and Basic Payments schemes.

“Unlike some companies that provide advice to landowners, Sentry benefits from the fact that our team is also out there on the ground, farming for

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real,” said Alec. “We can use all their experience in offering advice to clients who don’t need us to farm their land but would like some help in making the right decisions.

“Because we farm right across the south of the country, we also have experience of different soil types, different approaches to establishing crops and other variables. That broad range of experience is really helpful to our external clients.”

As well as providing advice, Alec who is based in Ipswich but works with clients all over the country,

also makes some of the strategic decisions for his larger management clients. He is currently on the lookout for a third member of the team and is keen to talk to landowners who would like Sentry’s advice but don’t need on-farm support.

Sentry also offers Sentry Business Solutions, an agriculural membership scheme which gives landowners access to additional support and services as well as the ability to benefit from the company’s buying power on seeds, fertilisers, sprays and other items.

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ORGANISED CHAOS ANITA HEAD

Well, the weather has been amazing for harvest although the yields appear to be a little lower than last year. Straw has been in short supply and the prices seem to be climbing. Hay seems to be in demand although the price has not climbed as much as some would like. This has been an exceptional haymaking year, but with the very wet winter and the ground being waterlogged followed by the hot spring, the ground went from being rather wet to very dry in under two weeks, thus affecting the yields.

Having thoroughly enjoyed lockdown and been determined to continue with our newfound lifestyle, we seem to have been inordinately busy of late. Life seemed to have been going along at 15mph and now we have reached 100mph.

Thankfully, home schooling has finished and thus far the commencement of “proper” school seems to be on the cards.

Unfortunately, Ted fell over on the trampoline and managed to spend most of the summer with a full cast on his arm! A trip to A&E had not been on my agenda. The NHS staff were amazing, coupled with the resilience of a three year-old and the body’s ability to heal; four weeks later he had his cast removed.

We then went on to have an utterly amazing summer holiday; camping in the garden seemed to be a hit with all concerned apart from myself who quite likes the comfort of a bed. Picnic lunches in the fields etc.

British Eventing has resumed in a “socially distanced” way and has been a great success.

Zara has had some brilliant results so far this season. Unfortunately Pony Club camp was abandoned due to coronavirus and a two--day rally took its place. Amazing fun was had by all.

Combine chasing and the Trans-stacker

EXCEPTIONAL

HAYMAKING YEAR has been a huge success. What a phenomenal piece of equipment it is. British designed and manufactured to an extremely high standard, it is capable of moving 1,000 bales in a day with just Fergus carting; it has to be seen to be believed.

Taking a leap into the unknown is always unnerving but is also very reassuring when the decision is definitely the right one. Modern day farming at its best.

For many decades, agriculture has been associated with the production of essential crops. At present agriculture includes forestry, dairy, fruit, poultry, beekeeping, mushroom growing, livestock rearing etc. Today, processing, marketing, and the distribution of crops and livestock associated products are all acknowledged as part of the current agricultural system.

Agriculture plays a vitally important role in today’s society and is the backbone of the economic system in our countryside. In addition to providing food and raw materials, agriculture also provides employment opportunities to a large percentage of the population.

Approximately 70% of people rely indirectly on the agricultural industry for a living, including haulage companies, restaurants, breweries, shop keepers etc. How do we endeavour to promote our industry? We appear to pay an incredible amount in levies to do so, but the

effect would appear to be insignificant. If every industry worked together, they would become a formidable force. Is this an achievable goal?

During lockdown, the general public diligently used their local farm shops as food appeared to be in short supply. Since the queuing has dissipated and supermarkets have increased their opening hours, a small proportion of the general public has continued to fulfill the promises they made during lockdown.

Buying British with the confidence of knowing where your food has come from and that it has been locally sourced should play a huge part in everybody’s lives. Children need to learn this as soon as they enter primary school. The UK is certainly not self sufficient in food production.

The country imports 48% of the total food consumed and the percentage is still rising.

The UK relies on both imports and a thriving agricultural sector to feed itself and drive economic growth. The last time the UK was believed to be self-sufficient was during the Napoleonic Wars, when importing food from continental Europe became exceedingly difficult.

The only country in Europe to be self sufficient is France. Worldwide, Canada, Australia, Russia, India, Argentina, Burma, Thailand and the US can be classed as being self-sufficient. It is something as a country we need to be striving towards, especially in these uncertain times.

ANITA HEAD Farmer

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45

SEED

FERTILISER

GRAIN

STORAGE

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ELVED PHILLIPS ARABLE NOTES

46

Well the 2020 harvest seems to have produced many contradictions so far. In the south, milling wheat has been lower in protein at around 12%.

Often low protein signifies a higher yield – as nitrogen has been diluted and utilised in the growing plant – but not this time. The yields are average at best.

It’s normal that high bushel weight over 76kg means a good yield; this is not the case so far, but there is still lots of wheat to be harvested, and it may improve. For no apparent reason, hagbergs have started lower. Instead of 350/400 they are around 250.

All of these quality issues will cause further concern for UK flour millers, who were already faced with having a lot less domestic milling wheat to fill their grist. It is rumoured that as much as 900,000 metric tonnes of German and other EU milling wheat may have already been purchased for import before the Brexit deadline of 31 December. However, the Germans have similar protein problems, so UK millers may have to seek an alternative supply. They will still want to use as much UK milling wheat as possible and will need to be innovative with additives to fortify their grist.

All of this means that the already high milling wheat premiums are likely to increase. Just now, milling wheat is expensive across the whole world. The UK miller already knows that he has the small window of September to December to import milling wheat into the UK tariff free. As things stand, if no formal deal is agreed with the EU by 1 January 2021, the situation will default to a minimum 12 euro per tonne tariff for a limited quota of imported EU milling wheat followed by a penalty import levy of £79 per tonne.

This could now mean a rush by millers to ‘fill their boots’ before Christmas with imports. While milling premiums are

MILLING WHEAT IS EXPENSIVE likely to be higher than the current £25/£30 per tonne, once the miller embarks upon this course, we may well overdo it, and increased premiums may be at the expense of feed wheat falling in value.

Obviously if less UK potential milling makes the grade, it will create more feed. Also, while we knew we would have to import, or carry over from old crop, anything up to 4.5 million tonnes of all wheat, rapid importation could have a big impact upon our supply and demand balance sheet. It would not be the first year when sky high UK prices were brought tumbling down before the end of the season by overzealous ‘front end’ importations. That’s before you start thinking about all the cheap maize that could replace costly feed wheat in animal feed compounds.

Barley is running a bit truer to form. Our chalkland winter malting barley, like Craft, has produced some excellent good-sized low nitrogen samples and spring malting barley from the chalk has also produced good quality so far. Yields are average, with little drying cost.

Yes, we have a lot more acres of spring barley, but I don’t think that will translate into a much bigger than normal malting barley surplus. Already the barley harvested in the eastern counties is appearing higher in nitrogen than ours; they didn’t have as much rain, so their barley crops are thinner and lower yielding.

Even in the south, we had a lot of late-planted spring barley which germinated unevenly. Secondary and tertiary green tillers have caused big problems with uneven ripening, ELVED PHILLIPS so some of these crops are being combined and dried hard as feed.

Openfield If you add those crops to barley which had to be planted on

IMPROVE THE HEALTH OF YOUR SOIL

unfavourable land, or soils which suffered from lack of rain in April and May, there will be a lot less malting surplus than expected. Unlike milling wheat, malting premiums are poor, at about £10. With our good export programme, and if the easing of lockdown means more beer is consumed, perhaps by next spring malting prices will improve.

Another contradiction is feed barley. We are supposed to have a large carry over from old crop, plus the biggest UK barley crop ever seen, but where is it? You get the impression that in anticipation of the big UK barley crop and record world stocks, the whole trade has tried to get in front of it by selling the market short. Well so far, with lots of space that would have housed wheat and oilseed rape, farmers are not rushing to sell. This becomes strange when, as we think we know, the UK will have a 2.5 million tonne surplus to export, and it may be competing with the Black Sea at £110 ex farm!

For months the trade has been hopefully looking for the usual spectre of late summer drought in Russia; they are now talking the wheat crop up in the central “Black Earth” regions to 80 million tonnes.

Oilseed rape is not contradictory; my view has not changed. If we are only getting one tonne to the acre, we will have under 1,000,000 tonnes, needing to import about 900,000 metric tonnes. So you can take your time over selling it. Don’t forget oilseed trading is for consenting adults only!

Lastly the biggest contradiction: Overall in the world we have plenty of grain supply and even allowing for “Covid-19 demand destruction” there is lots of demand to come. So why isn’t anyone trading anything? (Apart from China buying barley from France).

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STEPHEN CARR

GRAIN HARVEST REVEALS A PITIFULLY SMALL HEAP With my own grain harvest now in the shed, I have to report a pitifully small heap. A wet autumn followed by a wet spring and then an early summer drought have produced a dismal result. Oh well, at least there is the Basic Payment Scheme to fall back on. For now.

My problem, in terms of contemplating life without the BPS post-Brexit, is that I can’t remember a harvest in a 40-year arable farming career where I wasn’t aware of my reliance on EU subsidies of one sort or another to make a living.

I was only 14 years old when Britain joined the EU in 1973 (or EEC as it was called then) but I was already driving combines and I can remember my father climbing up onto the driver’s platform of a cabless Massey Ferguson 500 alongside me, and him being very excited by the sight of a bumper wheat crop flowing into the grain tank. But I also remember him shouting into my ear (this being so long ago ear protectors were not yet invented) “What are they going to do with it?”

By ‘they’, he was referring to the EU bureaucrats

and politicians who had devised a farm policy that guaranteed farmers high grain prices whatever the level of production. By ‘it’ he was referring to the wheat that was already in big structural surplus within the EU. If prices started to fall, the EU stepped in and started buying up grain and then transported it to ‘intervention stores’. In no time at all the EU had a range of grain mountains to rival the Alps.

That policy eventually ran out of taxpayer money, but a new policy of ‘export restitutions’ took its place. This again promised the farmer a guaranteed price at the farm gate, with values rising incrementally each month from harvest. So, EU internal grain prices were maintained at artificially high levels.

That policy too quickly lost favour as the EU was accused of dumping surplus production and ruining farmers in less economically developed countries who were trying to produce grain without subsidies.

From there we moved in the 1990s to ‘Arable Area Aid’ under the MacSharry Reforms and in more

STEPHEN CARR Arable farmer

recent times our beloved BPS, which pays us all a fair whack whatever farming we do or don’t do.

But now all this taxpayer largesse is due to be done away with, and claimants of the BPS are due for an uncomfortable withdrawal of payments by 2027.

My father is long gone but his questioning of the logic of open-ended EU farm subsidies at the very beginning of Britain’s membership has proved valid.

We are about to reject such policies post-Brexit. But the UK’s membership of the EU has more or less spanned my entire farming career. So I am now of an age that whatever happens once the BPS is finally phased out in seven years time won’t worry me much.

GREENING A THING OF THE PAST ‘Greening’ has been declared a thing of the past as the government moves to cut red tape and ease farmers towards its new Environmental Land Management Scheme (ELMS).

Environment Secretary George Eustice announced at the end of July that the need to comply with the European Union’s greening requirements would be dropped from next year.

In a dismissive statement which referred to “the Eu-delivered so-called greening requirements”, the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs said farmers would benefit from “a reduced administrative burden”.

AGRICULTURAL SERVICES

The statement added: “These requirements have historically delivered little for the environment” and said the ELMS would deliver “greater benefits”. The announcement, which has been welcomed by the National Farmers’ Union, means the three-crop rule will be permanently dropped in 2021 Referring to “government plans to simplify the Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) and cut red tape faced by farmers during the agricultural transition period”, the statement said the changes would not affect the overall payment received by each farmer as the money would instead be added to farmers’ entitlements under the BPS.

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47

AGRONOMY

‘MEASURE TO MANAGE’ FOR

PRODUCTIVE CROPPING IN 2021

> Field performance capture

48

The legacy of the very difficult 2019-20 cropping year means that many growers are looking at ways to get farm rotations back on track, while continuing to bring costs down, without any detriment to overall profitability.

For example, many growers will be looking at the viability of keeping oilseed rape in the rotation, if and how cover crops can play a role in improving soil conditions, how cultivations will impact establishment and the associated costs of these actions within the whole farm gross margin, points out Nick Strelczuk, precision technology specialist for Hutchinsons covering the South East.

“After a very challenging season, relentless benchmarking and budgeting are vital for any arable grower to be in a position to identify opportunities to improve an individual farm’s financial position, efficiency and profitability.

“Unless you measure it, you can’t manage it.

There’s little we can do about the big economic factors, so the focus needs to be on those things farmers do have control of or can influence.”

He believes that having comparable, quality data is key to making these decisions and, as a result, beginning to take specific actions that are crucial to long-term success.

“Its important to know what each area of the field actually produces, and if these results are the same year in, year out. Omnia allows users to analyse multiple layers of field data – including yield maps – to pin down under-performing areas.

“Through the Omnia yield performance mapping capability, it’s possible to identify and map areas of fields by categorising them in terms of the consistency of performance such as poorly consistent yield, good consistent yield and so on.

“In this way, decisions can be made based

on this sub-field information; it could be that a higher yielding area of the field has shown up to be potentially inconsistent, so it may not be worth pushing this area, whereas if another area delivers an average yield and is potentially consistent, it could be worth investing in this.”

Combining this yield map analysis with what it actually costs to produce, is an excellent way to start assessing overall productivity at field level, he explained.

Within Omnia, growers are able to create average cost of production information by crop, market outlet, variety or by field using known or predicted costs, with known or predicted yields.

“The importance of properly calculating the cost of crop production might seem obvious, but the variation in output across a field and the increasing use of variable input applications mean that some elements of cost of production may be misleading when done on a field scale.”

“There can be significant variations in actual production costs within fields when examined on a tonnage basis, and we need to understand why areas are costing more than the cost of production – and make a plan as to how this needs to be managed going forward.”

NICK STRELCZUK

Precision Technology Manager, Hutchinsons T: 07442 536446 E: nick.strelzcuk@hlhltd.co.uk Canterbury: 01227 830064 www.hlhltd.co.uk

SEPTEMBER 2020 | WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET

Host farmer of the Helix East Farm in Suffolk, Tom Jewers, has just started to use the yield performance and cost of production mapping tools in Omnia to look at how different areas of his farm have performed and what it has cost to produce that yield.

“The cost of production mapping tool includes all of the possible costs involved with growing a crop, so it’s helpful to work through this and then you know the figures you have are as accurate as possible. It’s detailed enough to contain costs such as lime spreading and mole draining, and also costs such as loading the grain – which I had forgotten to include in my initial costings,” he pointed out.

“Fundamentally it’s a measured way of doing what we would normally do.

“It’s definitely a tool that will become increasingly valuable as increasing years of data goes into it, particularly with regards to the yield performance.

“This year has been an eye opener. It has really showed up some clear differences in terms of the effect of soil type and more so the organic matter levels in the soil, on yields, following on from the very wet and then very dry winter and spring.

“As you would expect, crops in heavier soils, rich in organic matter, have done better than those on the lighter soils with less organic matter, that struggled during the drought,” said Tom. “But by putting the figures into the tool its possible to see the actual differences in what it has cost to grow crops between these soil types within sub-zones of fields.

“Where headlands have not performed as well, I can very easily calculate what effect running a cultivator through will have on my costs of production, and then I can decide if it’s worth doing or not.”

Tom plans to use the tool to decide how he will enter ELM (Environmental Land Management) as it will allow him to look at several rotational options and play around with potential areas to put into the scheme. “In this way we know we are making the most financially astute decisions for the farm business.

“Once you know the exact costs of producing the crop, it also helps to know when to sell it,” he added.

ARABLE A grower’s ballot to obtain views on the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB), organised by three professional growers, has attracted what they have described as “unprecedented interest across both agriculture and horticulture”.

As revealed in last month’s South East Farmer, the growers are unhappy at the AHDB’s turnover-based levy and the fact that failure to pay it can lead to a criminal conviction.

Because the growers, Lincolnshire-based Simon Redden, Peter Thorold and John Bratley, were unable to persuade the AHDB to let them have a full list of its 4,000 levy payers, it was only able to ballot 1,600 horticultural businesses and potato growers, but after publicising the survey it was asked for papers by more than 400 other growers keen to voice their views.

The growers said a government call for views on AHDB in 2018 received responses from less than 0.5% of levy-payers, and claim the results of that survey do not provide a mandate to keep the statutory levy.

They believe the funding mechanism should change to reflect both the low margins in the industry and the current crisis.

Simon Redden explained: “The ballot company

GROWER’S BALLOT RECEIVES

UNPRECEDENTED INTEREST has already received around a quarter of the ballot papers we sent out. This already gives us a more representative sample of what levy payers really think than DEFRA’s review, which attracted just 225 responses from horticultural and potato growers.”

Vegetable and potato producer Peter Thorold added: “The response so far has been tremendous.

The polling company has been receiving up to 70 completed ballot papers daily. We are also pleased to see increasing interest from farmers in other levypaying sectors such as dairy, who are also unhappy with the way that AHDB is set up and run, supposedly on their behalf.”

John Bratley commented: “Despite a Freedom of Information request, AHDB did not release all levy-payer’s names. This means AHDB have denied smaller independent levy payers an opportunity to have a vote, something which is very damaging for the industry.

“If AHDB are confident that they have the

overwhelming support of growers, and provide true value to levy payers, they would welcome the feedback from all those who currently fund them.”

The ballot, which closed on 27 July, asked recipients whether they felt the statutory levy should continue or be replaced by a voluntary option as suggested in the 2018 survey, and called for the immediate decriminalisation of the failure to file returns.

AHDB Corporate Affairs Director Guy Attenborough earlier insisted that a ballot had “never been denied to levy payers”, explaining: “A statutory mechanism exists for a ballot to be triggered if 5% of levy payers write in to request one.

“In the horticulture and potato sectors this is less than 70 and 125 levy paying businesses respectively.

A total of 15 requests have been received in the past five years from horticulture growers and none from potato growers.”

APPLIED BACTERIA REDUCES NITROGEN

49

REQUIREMENT IN WHEAT The Smart Rotations range of beneficial soil bacteria was launched onto the market in 2017, having spent four years in the laboratory at the Kent Science Park and been trialled in over 70 field trials sites across the UK. Sprayed post emergence, Smart Rotations Plant Growth Promoting Rhizobacteria (PGPR) interact with the soil and plants to release nutrients, produce natural plant growth hormones and fix nitrogen from the air. Data from three years of field trials have shown yield benefits across the product range that include tailored consortia for: wheat, oilseed rape, onions, sugar beet and barley, amongst others.

Having shown benefits across different climate conditions, soil types and crops in the UK in 2019,

large field trials were established at a series of ‘monitor’ farms to quantify how, by enhancing key microbial communities, other farming inputs can be modulated to improve farming profitability when using Smart Rotations SR3 PGPR. Edward Davison, from the 600-hectare Childs Farm in Cambridgeshire, commented on his experiences of managing soil biology: “As one of the early trial sites we were keen to see if the small block experiments on wheat using SR3 would translate to large field areas and to explore the effects of reducing nitrogen. On a 24-hectare wheat area we treated one hectare zones at differing applied nitrogen inputs and our yield maps show that we can maintain yield at 50% nitrogen levels on bacteria-

treated fields. In addition, we have noted some very encouraging weed suppression effects that we are keen to explore further as we extend our use of Smart Rotations across the farm in 2020.

“We are very pleased to see the outcome of these larger wheat trials that replicate results that other groups have had using Smart Rotations bacteria on wheat, both in terms of direct yield and reducing nitrogen inputs,” said Natallia Gulbis, Technical and Arable Farming Lead at Smart Rotations.

For more information and to review the trials visit https://smart.plantworksuk.co.uk or contact PlantWorks on 01795 411526.

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WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET | SEPTEMBER 2020

5

ADVICE FROM THE VET

TIPS FOR REDUCING

ANTIMICROBIAL USE IN

CLINICAL MASTITIS

Most dairy farms are already seeing the benefits of selective dry cow therapy. With increasing pressure from milk buyers and the general public to reduce antimicrobial usage, this article looks at what is often the main contributor to dairy antimicrobial use, namely clinical mastitis, writes David Jackson BVetMed MRCVS.

1. SAMPLING; KNOW YOUR ENEMY!

50

It is good practice to sample every case of clinical mastitis. Take and freeze a sample from every case before treatment (labelling it with cow number, quarter and date). If treatment fails or the mastitis recurs, there will be a pre-treatment sample to which you can refer. Your vet will advise you on how to take a clean sample. Samples can be cultured and/or tested with PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction), increasing the chances of a meaningful result.

Once we know what organisms are responsible for your mastitis, we can advise on appropriate husbandry changes and treatment. It may also guide decisions on drying off and culling.

2. NON-STEROIDAL ANTI-INFLAMMATORY DRUGS (NSAIDS)

NSAIDs (e.g. meloxicam, keloprofen) improve treatment success and reduce the recurrence of clinical mastitis, even in mild cases. If you are not already doing so, discuss with your vet the merits of using NSAIDs in mastitis treatment.

3. CHRONIC MASTITIS AND TREATMENT FAILURES

Discuss problem mastitis and high cell count cows with your vet. A few problem cows can account for a lot of antimicrobial usage. Has she had multiple cases this lactation? Has she not cured after treatment? These are the animals we may send off a milk sample for or they may be candidates for early drying-off or culling.

4. INJECTABLE ANTIBIOTICS IN MASTITIS

There is very little evidence to support the use of injectable antibiotics in mastitis treatment. The only animals likely to benefit are those which are systemically ill (e.g. severe E.coli mastitis) and even then evidence for the use of injectable antimicrobials is limited. Treatments such as fluids (oral/intravenous) and anti-inflammatory drugs are of more benefit. If still routinely using injectable antibiotics for mastitis treatment, revise your protocols with your vet.

5. VACCINES

Startvac is a vaccine against E.coli, Staph. aureus and coagulase negative Staphs (CNS). For herds with significant levels of these types of mastitis, it can demonstrate a significant cost benefit by reducing the mastitis severity and decreasing milk losses.

UBAC is a new vaccine against Strep. uberis mastitis. This is one of the most common forms of mastitis and can be responsible for recurrent or hard-to-cure cases. The vaccine has been proved to significantly reduce the incidence of Strep. uberis mastitis.

SEPTEMBER 2020 | WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET

> Sample pots suitable for milk. Plain pots (right) are suitable for traditional culture or PCR testing but must be refrigerated or, if not being tested immediately, frozen. Preservative pots (left) are only suitable for PCR testing but require no cooling or freezing.

Use of these vaccines should only be considered after a vet has assessed farm suitability. Milking routine and/or husbandry changes are often required to get the full benefit from them.

WHERE DO I START?

A good starting point is to complete an AHDB mastitis control plan for your farm. This is a wide-ranging farm audit concentrating on mastitis and udder health that helps focus on potential problem areas so appropriate advice can be given.

Annual reviews of your health plan with your vet, as well as medicine courses such as Milksure, are important to ensure your team remains up to date with best practice.

SUMMARY

Nobody wants to compromise animal welfare by denying cattle the treatment that they need. The latest initiatives are about thinking twice about the antibiotics we prescribe and deciding if they are: • Necessary • Appropriate • Being used correctly.

Antimicrobial resistance and residues in milk are a real concern for the reputation of our product. Acting now meets these concerns head on and also reduces the pressures on finances and time caused by high levels of clinical mastitis in a herd.

If you would to discuss anything covered in this article contact your local Westpoint practice.

ANDY RICHMOND KATHY HUME

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

JOHN MCALOON

Westpoint Sevenoaks T: 01959 564383

SHEEP TOPICS ALAN WEST Sheep keeping is always beset with a range of issues. I will never forget David Roberts, for many years secretary to the Romney Sheep Breeders’ Society, telling me, many years ago, that “there is no limit to the number of sheep that one man can neglect”. To put it into context, this was at a time when the flock size required to justify a full-time shepherd was increasing rapidly year on year. It is something that has remained with me ever since. It has probably tainted my view on the term “easy care” when applied to sheep; some breeds may be more amenable than others and some are the antithesis of ”easy care”, but all sheep have their problems at various points in time. Easy care does, in my view, create the wrong impression, particularly to the novice sheep keeper; sadly, I have seen and still do on occasions see the results of the perception of easy care.

For the novice, the most frequent mistake is the assumption that sheep are stupid. They are far from stupid; sheep are complex characters, with a level of cognitive ability similar to dogs and even some of the primates. The second misconception is that all they need is a bit of grass. In an ideal situation, yes, it would be great if we could do it all off grass and forages, but unfortunately that is not always the case. In a good year, maybe, but in a season like the one we are currently experiencing it is not quite so straightforward.

Sheep, in evolutionary terms, are desert animals; they do thrive and enjoy hot and dry weather, hence the saying “better a roast lamb than a boiled”, but they do need to have adequate feed in front of them, adequate in terms of both quantity and quality. Just because sheep are in a field of grass does not mean they have adequate nutrition. Personally, we have had an unprecedented and disastrous season in terms of grass growth. At the beginning of lambing we were paddling in mud, towards the end we had some very good conditions, with plenty of grass in front of the sheep, but then just when grass growth should really have been taking off we went from flood to drought over a period of a couple of weeks. We probably had two or three weeks of good grass growth.

Our main grazing block is on relatively shallow soils, over a thick layer of ironstone, and as a result we are prone to drying out over the summer and have learnt to manage accordingly. Ordinarily we will try to build up a bit of a grass wedge from the spring flush to help carry us through. The judicious use of the topper to knock off any seed heads that appear keeps the grass just ticking over well into the summer dip in production, which, along with a few molasses blocks, will normally hold the ewe condition until the autumn flush of grass in readiness for tupping.

Sadly the writing was on the wall for this season when we went rapidly from paddling about in mud to just 3mm of rain in the last couple of weeks in March; a reasonably good April kept the grass going long

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A CHALLENGING SEASON

enough to put plenty of milk under the ewes, but a spell of hot and dry weather with only 10mm of rain in May rapidly depleted soil moisture and stopped grass growth. Moving to a rotational paddock system last year did help to make more effective use of available grass and stretch supplies, but there are limits.

We have always used creep feeding strategically; the introduction of some creep feed as grass supplies dwindled did help to take some of the pressure off the ewes and keep lambs moving forward. It was a strategy that certainly paid off this year, with the majority of ewes in at or around body condition score (BCS) 2.5 at weaning, just where they needed to be. All credit to the ewes, some breeds would not have coped as well; the few plainer sorts came as no surprise and were all plain for a reason. Most had already been marked for culling.

I have always been of the view that sheep need to be challenged. It is only then that you can identify the better sorts and move forward, but there are limits on how much of a challenge is acceptable. With the lambs having priority for grass, things began to get very tight for the ewes, eventually reaching the point where we have resorted to sacrificing a couple of paddocks and feeding hay and a bit of hard feed to ewes simply to maintain BCS through to tupping, or until we get a decent drop of rain; in more than 30 years an unprecedented move.

There are still some green shoots appearing.

Grass shoots are few and far between and even the deeper-rooting yarrow and plantain are struggling but still seem to be finding a bit of moisture at depth; sacrificing a couple of paddocks has protected these green shoots from being constantly nipped off as soon as they appear, which should help the remaining grazing to recover more readily once we get a decent drop of rain, whenever that will be. With a soil moisture deficit almost 50% greater than the norm for early summer, quite a substantial and sustained period of rain is required to bring us back into some sort of balance.

I was in a Zoom meeting (a real feature of lockdown) a week or so ago and it did pain me rather to hear producers in other parts of the country complaining about rain interrupting their haymaking, shearing etc.

It would be good to have the rain to grow the grass to have the haymaking to interrupt; certainly hay and silage yields in the area are significantly reduced, with some producers and contractors reporting crops of

50% to 70% less than they would expect in a normal year.

At least now all the sheep have been sheared it is very much easier to monitor body condition; it is rather too easy to be deceived by a good covering of wool into thinking that all of the sheep “look well”. Certainly with woolly sheep the only way to monitor and manage BCS effectively is by being able to put a hand on the backs of a few sheep from time to time.

With regards to shearing, the wool situation has not improved significantly, to the point where some producers have now resorted to composting or burning (not an easy option) their wool. Others, where they have the capacity, are holding it in store until prices improve. At the same time people around the country are exploring alternative uses and markets for wool. An obvious option is the development of products that exploit the excellent thermal insulation, moisture wicking and other beneficial qualities of wool.

There are a number of companies in the UK that currently produce a range of woollen insulation products, including insulating packaging materials for vaccines, perishable foodstuffs etc, and loft and cavity insulation, but these do tend to be rather more expensive than alternatives such as ‘Rockwool’ and glass fibre insulation.

I suspect that much of the disparity in price is associated with the current economies of scale. Some pump priming funding to encourage up-scaling of production would no doubt make wool insulation far more competitive. With the Government putting significant additional funding into improving the thermal efficiency of homes as part of its “green recovery”, now is an excellent time to be promoting the use of wool, a natural product that runs off grass (well mostly), with a significantly lower Carbon footprint (very low, if regarded as a by-product of lamb production, which it largely is) than all of the alternative materials. With this in mind there is a petition aimed at encouraging the Government to consider supporting the use of wool and wool products as insulation material. All sheep producers ought to be supporting this; any measures that take some of the surplus wool out of the system, even if it is only some of the poorer quality wools, must be of benefit. The petition can be found at https://you.38degrees.org.uk/ petitions/british-wool-for-british-insulation How effective it will be is unsure, but It will only take a couple of minutes. Support your industry.

ALAN WEST Sheep farmer

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AT COLCHESTER MARKET GRAHAM ELLIS FRICS FAAV FLAA Stanfords T: 01206 842156 E: info@stanfords-colchester.co.uk

www.stanfords-colchester.co.uk

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With this report being written at the beginning of August, we have just seen the most tremendous month for livestock producers selling prime cattle and sheep in livestock auctions, with the live auction system proving its merits.

It was also pleasing to see increased numbers of cattle and sheep through the markets all adding to the general feeling that livestock auctions are leading the way.

Prime sheep are an absolute belter of a trade at levels unheard of in July, with plenty of good lambs well over £100 per head and averages some 30/35p above 12 months ago. This equates to an average of between £12/£15 per lamb for the average weight lamb. A needed and welcome return to a realistic value; let us hope it continues.

Competition is being seen for both the export and the home trade that has been boosted by increased demand through retail outlets. Let us hope that trend also continues.

The ewe trade is still somewhat difficult throughout the period but again is up on last year.

Large numbers of ewes are being sold, particularly

VET DIARY There is some renewed positivity in the air concerning the control of TB in England, with several recent good news stories to report.

In the counties of Gloucester, Somerset and Dorset, where the targeted badger cull has been carried out longest, there is now a significant decline in the incidence of bTB. It is important to realise that this has been achieved in combination with a test and cull of all cattle that have failed a TB test (skin or blood), and improved on-farm TB biosecurity measures being adopted.

It appears that a joined up approach, eventually, really works. For many of these farms, the new challenge then becomes a matter of minimising the risk of re-introduction of bTB from badgers, neighbours or purchased cattle.

The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) has announced the start of on-farm trials of a TB vaccine in cattle that will not interfere with the TB test. This is not a new vaccine and is still based on the original BCG vaccine used in humans for many decades to prevent TB, and its use will probably adversely impact international trade. It could, however, be a useful tool to use in chronically infected herds as it will at least

TREMENDOUS MONTH around the Eid Festival, but not looking any greater value than a month before.

Store sheep are coming forward in small numbers and are very keenly sought after, as would be expected. There are few breeding sheep being sold in July but meeting exceptional trade again supported by the finished lamb trade, and the prospects for vendors are looking good at the time of writing.

In the cattle ring, competition is also strong, with prices well above 12 months ago and increased numbers through the live ring. There is good competition for quality cattle throughout with best beasts still trading well above 200p/kg up to a peak of 240p/kg in Colchester. Weight is also paying, with cattle regularly seen between £1,400 and £1,500 and higher for exceptional cattle. Again we hope this trade continues; it is again boosted by the increased retail trade and butchers competing well for all stock.

The store cattle trade is again being supported

by the finished trade at levels not seen for some time. The over-30 month trade is also exceptionally good, with cull cows showing a really good return throughout, with strong trade for processing meat.

All in all, a very satisfactory scene for cattle and sheep farmers.

The pig trade is somewhat more difficult. Increased numbers coming forward and the trade dropped towards the end of July. The biggest difficulty was the cull sow trade, where the issues with Covid-19 and the Continent have caused a complete fall off in demand.

Let us hope the pig trades increases, although there are a few doomsters about for the coming months.

Harvest was well forward by the end of July, showing very variable yields with some clients reporting average yields and other very poor yields, depending on when the crops were drilled. It is likely to be an early finish to harvest if the weather continues as it did at the end of July.

TB TESTING: LIGHT AT

THE END OF THE TUNNEL? make infected animals less infectious to others and slow down the spread of disease.

There are ongoing discussions about a government-funded badger vaccination project in East Sussex, again using the human BCG vaccine. There is a desperate need for a large scale, scientifically monitored study to demonstrate the impact of badger vaccination on the incidence of bTB. I urge anyone who is asked to participate to consider supporting the project, which will also be providing evidence for a possible exit strategy in counties that have been culling badgers for several years.

The British Veterinary Association has just produced a new policy document that it is hoped will guide vets, farmers and government in tackling TB. It makes a total of 35 practical recommendations, but refreshingly, at the heart of this document is the inclusion of behavioural science.

The BVA recognises that the actions of farmers and vets are key to success and that long-term feelings of

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negativity, powerlessness and concern fatigue need to be addressed. Included in the document is a call for improved partnership and data sharing between government vets and private vets in providing support to farmers, as well as a call to allow farmers that are TB free (OTF) to use APHA-approved but currently un-validated novel blood tests for bTB as a pre movement test, for example.

Call me an optimist, but maybe there is light at the end of the tunnel.

BILL PEPPER

BVSc CertCHP MRCVS of Cliffe Veterinary Group T: 01273 473232 E: bill.pepper@cliffevets.co.uk www.cliffefarm.co.uk

AT ASHFORD MARKET

ELWYN DAVIES

Reporting on the sheep market at Ashford T: 01233 502222 www.hobbsparker.co.uk July is normally a difficult month for lamb marketing, with prices often suffering a seasonal dip as demand struggles to keep up with increased supplies. It is a time when sellers have to decide whether to sell now at today’s prices or hold to market later at increased weight but risk a fall in the trade and be no better off.

This July there has been no seasonal dip, with prices holding remarkably firm at around 220p/kg, up by 40p on recent years, with best heavyweights selling readily at £100 plus and up to £118 and smart continental crosses attracting big premiums and often selling in the 240p to 260p/kg bracket. These prices have been achieved despite the disruption worldwide caused by Covid-19 and a plentiful supply of lambs on the home market.

Throughput at Ashford Market has been well up, with a total of 19,000 head sold over the five Tuesdays, comprising 15,200 new season lambs – up 40% on recent years – and 3,800 cull ewes.

Some 7,559 lambs were marketed on the last two Tuesdays of the month alone, a record at Ashford Market for this time of the year, and with 15 individual buyers in attendance competitive prices were achieved throughout. The increased demand due to the Muslim Eid-al-Adha festival helped boost prices and take up of extra supplies towards the end of the month.

The recent strong demand has rewarded all vendors handsomely, from the regular ad lib concentrate feeders to the vendors selecting half meat lean lambs just off grass. Large consignments from both G H Dean & Co, Sittingbourne and C & J Georgetti & Sons, Rolvenden, have been significant during July, with just short of 2,500 head of new season lambs marketed from them alone.

G H Dean & Co produced a high percentage of smart Beltex cross for the high end premium market, with lambs often selling in the 240p to 250p/kg bracket, while C & J Georgetti & Sons, using Charollais and Texel sires, targeted the heavier market, 43-50 kg, with gross returns topping at £118 and the majority ranging favourably in the £100 to £110 bracket. The top monthly price per kg was £99.50 (269p/kg) for smart handy weight Beltex cross from regular vendor C A Worley Farming Ltd. The numbers sold at Ashford Market have been boosted by the relatively high percentage of lighter, leaner lambs just off grass, mainly 34 to 40 kg, which have sold at around 200p/kg with the majority in the £72 to £80 bracket. These vendors have been attracted by the favourable return available and the

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LAMB PRICES

HOLDING FIRM

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tightening grass keep situation in the South East.

In recent months, UK slaughterings have been up on the year despite a 2020 lamb crop forecast to be marginally down on 2019. In addition, imports are in decline due to reduced production in both New Zealand and Australia and sustained demand from China for their product while production in most EU countries continues to decline. On the demand side, retail outlets continue to be busy, particularly the independent butchers and farm shops, and the recent relaxation of Covid-19 restrictions allowing the re-opening of pubs and restaurants will help to support the lamb trade.

The strong finished trade was reflected in the first store lamb sale of the season on Friday 31 July.

A total of 5,233 were penned and sold, topping at £84.50 with an overall average of £65.28, up by some £12 per head on the year. Despite the shortage of keep in the South East, this was a good quality show of lambs and away buyers were attracted, particularly from the south west, where there is an abundance of grass. Top run included 182 Charollais cross to £83.50 (ave. £79.20) from Miss J A Biddle,

Edenbridge; 208 Charollais cross to £82.50 (ave. £73.10) from E W Homewood, Rolvenden; 150 Suffolk x Mule to £74.20 (ave. £71.50) from E & M E Brundrett, Charing; 189 Suffolk and Charollais cross to £77 (ave. £71.40) from J & C Kellett, Benenden; 475 Suffolk x Mule to £76.20 (ave. £70.90) from D Howard Farms Ltd, Brede and 405 Texel x Romney to £70.80 (ave. £64.00) from Langrish Farmers, Rye.

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT – RAM SALE 2020

Due to current and ongoing restrictions imposed on livestock markets please note the following amendments to our advertised Ram Sales.

Monday 28 September 2020 All breeds. Sale to commence 3pm.

Friday 2 October 2020 Romney sale including show & sale Romney Rams.

Friday 30 October 2020 All breeds. Sale to commence 11am.

Please note: Rams will not be accepted for sale on any other day. Please accept our apologies for any inconvenience caused.

WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET | SEPTEMBER 2020

SARAH CALCUTT FOCUS ON FRUIT

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A CHALLENGING YEAR IN EVERY WAY…

BUT WE ARE GETTING THERE

The autumn and winter of 2019/20 have SARAH CALCUTT been confirmed by the UK Met Office as the fifth wettest and fifth warmest on record.

Chair, National Fruit Show With almost 250mm of rain from September to November and then an unprecedented 209mm in February 2020 (making it the wettest February on record), British orchards had a wet and soggy start to the growing year. This has resulted in small numbers of tree deaths being reported across the country.

The spring of 2020 brought yet more records. Over 600 hours of sunshine have made it the sunniest spring ever. In fact, it was so sunny that this spring has almost beaten our sunniest summers on record. Why am I not surprised?

We’ve only had three summers with more sunshine than the spring of 2020 – 1976, 1989 and 1995. As I write this in early August, the Met Office tells me that we will be hotter than the Caribbean for the remainder of the week. So what is this going to do to the top fruit crop?

Well, let’s hope that the warm weather will slow the growth in fruit size; with issues such as frost, hail and winds, the set crop has the prospect of a larger than average fruit size. One piece of really good news is that the warm weather during pollination and throughout the main part of the season means that fruit is going to taste great this year; we always make much of the benefits of our maritime climate, but sometimes it really pays off.

At the 2020 World Apple and Pear Association conference, I heard reports from around the continent that showed a very challenging set of problems; very damaging weather patterns, issues with the loss of plant protection products and extremes of temperatures have reduced the crop in many areas, young orchards are not delivering their potential volume increases and fruit sizes are not matching the optimum market placement.

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The issue of reduced access to labour was raised by every delegate. In the USA there is an ongoing issue with border controls. New Zealand’s dependence on Pacific Islanders is going to cause them big issues when next harvest’s workers have to spend 14 days in a government hotel in quarantine before returning to their farms. Brazil does not know how its farms will recruit for the next harvest as they enter lockdown. Slovenia is still experiencing problems getting their workers out of Bosnia and Serbia. The list goes on…we are not alone.

The last of the national and international shows have now moved online.

Keeping things positive, that does mean more opportunities to attend without the cost of travel and additional time away from work.

Interpoma in November, online for the first time, is promising new forums, increased machinery demonstrations and speakers from across the globe. The National Fruit Show is also heading online, and we are refusing to see the lack of physical show as a sadness. It has given us a great opportunity to add in a conference element at which we will bring in some big guns to help decipher incoming government policy.

In partnership with the Fresh Produce Journal, we even have a preview event at the beginning of the month at which we will be talking about overseas opportunities, demystifying the phytosanitary requirements of other nations that might love some British apples.

We’re also working with the Worshipful Company of Fruiterers to highlight all the new research they’ve supported and the brilliant Nuffield scholars they have sponsored. The competition will take place, tastiest apples judged and ciders supped and there will also be an online party to celebrate as we always do. Not sad, just different.

FRUIT

RIPE FOR GROWTH Leading Kent top fruit grower Bardsley England has acquired competitor Newmafruit, adding a further 485 hectares of land to its operation.

The fifth generation farming business, now run by Managing Director Ben Bardsley, has its headquarters, stores and packhouse at River Farm, Staplehurst but now grows fruit on more than 850 hectares across 23 sites in three blocks.

In recent years, the 128 year-old family business, which combines the fruit growing expertise of fourth generation grower Nigel with the drive and ambition of son Ben, has established itself as a major player in a highly competitive industry.

In 2016 the company invested millions of pounds in a 41,000 sq ft new building at River Farm together with a state-of-the-art Aweta pre-grader.

Ben said at the time that it was “just stage one of a five-stage growth plan”.

The acquisition of the trading assets of

Newmafruit sees Bardsley England now handling 35,000 tonnes of fruit a year through the River Farm facility – ahead of the target of 30,000 tonnes revealed in 2016. The Newmafruit orchards will take the amount grown by Bardsley England from 10,000 tonnes to 23,000 tonnes a year.

Ben Bardsley said: “Newmafruit is an excellent addition to the Bardsley England group and this is a great opportunity for the business. It will enable us to increase our offering of top and stone fruit to the UK market and therefore enhance the strategic partnerships and alliances we have already forged.

He paid tribute to the support of specialist lender Shawbrook Bank, which provided funding to support the acquisition and provide ongoing working capital.

“The significant funding provided by Shawbrook has not only secured our growth by allowing us to purchase and implement the trading assets of Newmafruit into the Bardsley England

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organisation but also enables us to focus on strengthening our position as one of the leading top fruit producers in the UK,” said Ben. “Our future goals of a fully automated business are one step closer with the assistance of this funding and plans to implement game changing technology into our business.”

Steven Munt, Director of Corporate Lending at Shawbrook Bank, said the coronavirus crisis had made the transaction “challenging” because of the asset transfers, lease assignments and freehold property issues to be resolved.

But he added: “The fact that we had to navigate difficulties associated with Covid-19 added to the satisfaction of successfully delivering this facility for Bardsley England.

“We believe this acquisition provides them with the potential to expand the business further and we are delighted to have played our part in what I’m sure will be a successful future.”

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

01227 763939 furleypage.co.uk

CHANGE MAY BRING

OPPORTUNITY

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Rural businesses have been advised to look for opportunities that might be offered by major changes to commercial property planning classes announced recently.

The changes to the Use Class Order take effect from 1 September and represent a significant change to planning regulations as part of the Government’s efforts to simplify the system.

They will see a number of existing uses, including retail, financial and professional, café and restaurant, business and leisure, replaced by a new ‘Class E’ (Commercial Business and Service).

The new class will mean that buildings used for any of these purposes will not need planning permission for a change of use, creating greater flexibility and allowing for a mix of uses within one building.

Ned Gleave from BTF Partnership said: “Only time will tell whether a simplified Use Class will have the desired effect, but it should certainly help in some locations by reducing barriers and increasing flexibility. It will be interesting to see whether some local authorities seek to explore the use of Article 4 Directions to limit the loss of office and retail uses to protect some core employment and retail locations.”

> Simon Lush and Andrew Thomas Henry Adams LLP has announced that Andrew Thomas will be joining the partnership’s rural and valuation teams on 1 September.

Andrew, who will be based at the company's Chichester head office, was previously a partner at Strutt & Parker, where he led the land management departments in West Sussex and Surrey for 12 years.

He is already known to many farmers on the south coast, having opened an office in Chichester in 2008 from which he then relocated to Guildford in 2015.

NEW FACE Andrew worked on family owned Hebridean fishing vessels in the Atlantic before graduating from Harper Adams Agricultural College. During the 2001 foot and mouth disease crisis, he was on the front line, managing farms and estates in the Lake District. He now lives in Easebourne near Midhurst.

Andrew will strengthen the rural department that Simon Lush has led at Henry Adams LLP for more than 30 years.

RULE CHANGE BENEFITS ‘POP UP’ SITES A change in planning regulations means that landowners in England can now set up ‘pop-up’ campsites for longer without falling foul of red tape, allowing them more time to recoup hard-hit revenue from the past few months.

Following a relaxation of ‘permitted development’ rules, campsites can now open for 56 days a year instead of the normal 28 days, until the end of 2020.

The change is good news for farmers and landowners and for holidaymakers, who have

rushed to book ‘staycation’ breaks since sites re-opened on 4 July after the coronavirus-inspired lockdown.

Online camp site portal Pitchup has seen record bookings since sites reopened, smashing all previous records by taking 5,250 bookings in a single day and noting that the relaxation of the rules is seeing more and more sites popping up daily.

The company said total bookings via the platform had gone from 98% down when lockdown was first announced to 92% up.

Pitchup.com founder Dan Yates described the

> Donnington Wild Camping, Chichester

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change as “huge news for the industry” that would give landowners an opportunity to claw back lost revenue. He commented: “Some sites have received over 600 bookings since 23 June, and of course can also sell farm produce, logs and other extras.

“The new permitted development rule covers the full season but will also mean some sites that have remained closed will now be able to open with immediate effect, adding significant capacity for those planning a camping trip this year to counterbalance those pitches lost to Covid-19 measures.”

LEGAL

BEWARE OF COVID-19 CARELESSNESS

The importance of formalising a land agreement.

As agricultural and rural businesses have expanded and diversified over the years, so too has the array of legal formalities that farm owners need to consider in order to protect themselves and their businesses. In this time of Covid-19 it is ever more important, yet even more challenging, to ensure that legal arrangements are properly dealt with.

This article looks at two cases which demonstrate the gamut that rural business owners must run and highlight the varying legal formalities required for land transactions.

The first case, Neocleous & Anor v Rees [2019] EWHC 2462 (Ch), shows how a contract can inadvertently be concluded by email. The second example is a case from earlier this year - Solomon v McCarthy [2020] 1 WLUK 130 (21 January 2020) – where the parties tried to comply with the legal formalities in dealing with a land agreement, but failed.

CONCLUDING A CONTRACT BY EMAIL

The Neocleous case concerned a dispute over a right of way. The parties reached a compromise in which Mr Rees agreed to transfer land to Mr Neocleous for £175,000. Mr Rees then wanted to back out of the deal, but Mr Neocleous said that it was too late to do so because a binding agreement had already been made. The binding agreement had been created because Mr Neocleous’ solicitor had sent an email to Mr Rees’ solicitor which set out all the terms of the compromise for the sale of the land, with Mr Rees’ solicitor confirming the agreement by email.

As no formal agreement was actually signed, Mr Rees contended that “signed” meant a handwritten name, so there was no binding contract. The court disagreed, stating that the email signature was sufficient to conclude the agreement. The test was whether the name at the footer of the email was applied with “authenticating intent”.

Recent developments have caused a tremendous shift towards working from home and increased use of digital technology. This case serves as a timely reminder that care is needed to ensure that the legal formalities are not inadvertently met, and contracts concluded, unless and until they are intended to be. Heading up emails with ‘Without Prejudice’ and ‘Subject to Contract’ will not necessarily avoid the problem.

VERBAL DECLARATION OF TRUST FOR LAND INEFFECTIVE The second case of Solomon v McCarthy illustrates the opposite effect, and shows that varying legal formalities can produce an entirely different outcome.

While in the Neocleous case the contract could be concluded by means of

a simple signature, in the Solomon v McCarthy case a deed was required which had to be signed and witnessed to be effective. The parties intended to transfer land which was then to be held on trust for a third party. However, the declaration of trust was only made verbally, and it did not satisfy the legal formalities for a deed set out by the Law of Property Act 1925. The court held the trust could not be enforced, meaning that the third party was deprived of the benefit of the land.

Although there are some exceptions which the courts can rely on to overcome lack of compliance, it is useful to note that these will not always be available.

ELECTRONIC SIGNATURES IN TIMES OF COVID-19

There is no doubt that Covid-19 has increased our reliance on digitalisation.

Electronic signatures can now be used to execute documents, including where there is a statutory requirement for a signature, and can also be used to enter into contracts. This means that, in most cases, electronic signatures are a viable alternative to handwritten ones.

For land agreements, however, many transactions have to be by deed, where signatures need to be witnessed. Effective from 27 July 2020, HM Land Registry updated its procedures to accept “witnessed electronic signatures”. This means that while electronic signatures can be used by an individual to sign a deed, they will still require a witness to be physically present at the time to also sign the deed electronically. While this should help those working from home to comply with the legal formalities, the ability to witness electronic signatures by the use of video technology, with appropriate safeguards, will be a further welcome development.

The pandemic has led to increased pressure on costs, challenging accessibility to legal advice and practical obstacles in formalising agreements. However, it is important to note that it will not constitute a ‘free pass’ for non-compliance with the required legal formalities. To achieve certainty in land transactions, take care in Covid-19 times.

ALLIS BEASLEY

Partner, Brachers LLP T: 01622 776454 E: allisbeasley@brachers.co.uk 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 | SEPTEMBER 2020

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LAND AND FARMS

IDENTIFY THE KEY FACTORS

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It is hard to believe four years have passed since the UK voted to leave the EU. Many thought the referendum result would impact lifestyles in ways not experienced for generations.

Opposing points of view divided families and shortened political careers. Economists filled columns with untested theories predicting either economic disaster or unparalleled growth; for those involved in complex trade negotiations nothing could be more important than getting us out of the EU and shaping a new future for the UK and its people.

Just a few months after independence, none of the theatrics experienced either before or after the referendum seem important. Coronavirus has changed the economic landscape in a way not seen since the Second World War. With no end in sight and long-term strategic plans consigned to the dustbin, governments around the globe have been forced into managing countries on a day-by-day basis as they attempt to navigate through a pandemic for which no one was prepared. The rule books have been discarded and now the only certainty is uncertainty.

This Armageddon-like appraisal exaggerates the situation, but there is no denying that planning for the future has become harder.

With more variables than usual, is the simplest solution to do nothing and hope for the best?

Some sectors might favour that approach but with subsidy reform looming and a no-deal Brexit threatening output prices, can agricultural businesses afford to take that risk?

The answer is almost certainly no, but with so much uncertainty, what is the best way to assess the health of a farming business?

In other industries new businesses are established with the clear intention of eventually selling them as going concerns. From the outset these entrepreneurial investors attempt to identify the key factors to achieve success and then focus their efforts accordingly. The farming industry may not be suited to this ruthless in and out approach, but some aspects of their methods

are applicable. For example, a predominantly arable business should consider: 1. Are the core activities profitable? Should underperformers be dropped?

2. Where and who are the customers for the primary produce? Is the market reliable?

3. Is infrastructure fit for purpose, e.g. is grain storage adequate?

4. What is the turnover? Is enough cash being generated to fund growth?

5. Is the debt level sustainable? Can it be restructured to suit cash flow and new investment requirements?

6. Is land ownership structured to minimise capital gains tax at sale or inheritance tax if generation change is relevant?

7. Is rented land secure and the rent paid economically viable?

• Farm and Estate Management • Farm Business Consultancy • Viticulture • Countryside Stewardship • Ecological Surveys • Planning Applications

SEPTEMBER 2020 | WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET

8. Has the business diversified? Is the income vulnerable? Is more investment required to secure sustainable income?

9. Is the business structure appropriate and tax efficient?

Some questions will have unpalatable answers and be tempting to ignore. If this was an article giving medical advice the closing sentence would almost certainly say now wash your hands and stay healthy. It isn’t but the sentiment is the same.

MATTHEW BERRYMAN Director, CLM T: 07710 765323 E: matthew@c-l-m.co.uk www.c-l-m.co.uk

Call us on 01892 770339 or email info@c-l-m.co.uk www.c-l-m.co.uk

LAND AND FARMS

ATTRACTIVE WEALDEN FARMLAND 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 III 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 along with planning permission

SELLING | KENT

HIGH HURSTWOOD | EAST SUSSEX

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

GUIDE: £1,100,000

132 ACRES

the South East, said: “Reads 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 of £1,100,000.

GUIDE PRICE OF £785,000

NORTH KENT FRUIT BELT

BTF Partnership is offering for sale 55.1 acres of Grade I and II fruit and arable land in the North Kent fruit belt between Faversham and Selling, Kent, with a guide price of £785,000.

The land is one mile south of Faversham and a short distance from the M2 and it is planted with Cox, Spartan, Gala and Bramley apples, with the most recent, Gala, planted in 2010. In total 36.9 acres is planted with top fruit and the remaining 18.2 acres is arable land. The land is eligible for Basic Farm Payments and the appropriate number of entitlements will be included with the freehold sale price.

Richard Thomas at BTF Partnership commented: “This land is for sale due to the retirement from fruit farming of the current owner and is part of a wider land holding, some of which will be retained and let. This is historically the fruit belt of Kent, and hops have also been grown on the holding. This will be a useful parcel of land for farmers and fruit growers looking to expand in the area.”

Battle, East Sussex

Private sale

Chain Free 3/4 Bedroom Bungalow with 4.5 acres

‘The Highlands’ is a spacious, open planned, ranch style brick bungalow with a commercial yard and beautiful paddocks, chicken house and car port. Surrounded by beautiful woodland this bungalow sits in around 4.5 acres.

Agricultural Occupancy Condition applies.

£750,000 Freehold

To request more details or a viewing please get in touch: Tel: 01424 838434 Email: bradsx125@gmail.com TO ADVERTISE CALL 01303 233883

WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET | SEPTEMBER 2020

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Catsfield, near Battle, East Sussex The Normanhurst Estate is offered to the market for the first time in fifty years. The picturesque East Sussex Estate is set within the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty offering great potential to develop existing enterprises and for further diversification. Three bedroom converted barn. Two bedroom detached annexe. Pair of two bedroom semi-detached cottages. Extensive equestrian facilities. Agricultural barns and outbuildings. Productive farmland. Ancient and planted woodland incorporating lakes. EPC: E.

IN ALL ABOUT 442 ACRES

Guide ÂŁ4.5 million (freehold)

T 01435 810077 E info@samuelandson.co.uk

www.samuelandson.co.uk

LAND AND FARMS

FORMER FARMYARD A former farmyard comprising traditional and modern farm buildings with consent for four dwellings and further agricultural buildings with potential subject to further planning permissions being obtained is for sale as a whole or in two lots with Lambert & Foster.

Burford Farmyard is located in the sought after Parish of Linton with a guide price in the region of £850,000. The yard extends in all to some 0.34 acres and included in the sale is a further area of orchard land in total 0.28 acres.

Planning consent has been granted for the conversion of the threshing barn and granary to two residential dwellings. The granary (1,600ft²/148m²) adjoins

WOODLAND PARCELS BTF Partnership is offering for sale several parcels of woodland in Kent and Sussex with a number of opportunities specific to each block, including possible entry into Countryside Stewardship woodland grant schemes and the ecosystems services sector.

IN KENT

Post Wood, Shadoxhurst, Kent. A private parcel of conservation woodland measuring 46.67 acres with a guide price of £280,000.

Harris Copse, Wouldham, Kent. A parcel of 27.7 acres of deciduous woodland in the North Downs overlooking the Medway valley. Guide price £110,000.

IN SUSSEX

MAIDSTONE | KENT

GUIDE IN THE REGION OF £850,000

the threshing barn and the approved accommodation is in two parts with the granary on two storeys and the attached Wagon lodge a single storey extension.

The implements store (882ft²/82m²) is a four bay mono-pitched clad building with Class Q approval for conversion to a compact single storey two bedroom dwelling which has a small approved garden curtilage.

The former grain stores and farm buildings lie central to the yard and comprise a substantial twin span fully enclosed portal framed former grain store with adjacent silos, 6,964ft²/647m². Two applications have recently been made for under the Class Q process for residential conversion to Maidstone Borough Council and both have been refused.

The buildings might have potential for an alternative commercial use or a residential scheme (subject to planning permission).

The vendor will reserve an overage of 30% for 30 years in respect of any residential development of the grain stores.

The workshop (Lot 2) is a detached former farm building with Prior Approval for Change of Use to a detached one bedroom dwelling (471ft²/43m²). Included in the sale is land comprising the approved garden curtilage extended by a further area of agricultural land to the east. Guide price: £150,000

LAND WANTED FOR SOLAR PARKS

Slough Green Lane, Haywards Heath, East Sussex. A parcel of 45.42 acres and 28.78 acres of ancient and semi-natural woodland, recently planted woodland and permanent pasture situated in an AONB. Guide prices of £250,000 and £170,000 respectively.

Richard Thomas at BTF Partnership commented: “Investment into woodland has a number of interesting opportunities at the moment, especially with the new green agenda being pushed forward by the Environment Bill 2020. I would encourage anyone interested in this sector to get in touch to discuss the individual parcels of woodland we have for sale and future opportunities.”

 Guaranteed Income for 30 years  We Cover all Planning & Build Fees  Diversify Farm Income  Minimum Land Required 10 Acres Call now to discuss working with RURAL REGENERATION Planning & Innovation > Harris Copse TO ADVERTISE CALL 01303 233883

 07539 687790 WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET | SEPTEMBER 2020

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LAND AND FARMS

A GREENER FUTURE

62

Normally by this time of year the fun summer events in our farming calendar would be in full swing, with plenty to look forward to. The county shows, our GWCT charity clay shoot and, of course, in September, the ploughing matches. Farming can be a lonely business and we all look forward to these regular meet ups to chat about life in general, the weather, harvest results and of course to enjoy a pint or two.

So please take two minutes to read on and if you would like to chat to any of the team we are always on hand by phone or in person to discuss your farm business.

Despite all of the upheavals, the lockdown for our team was and continues to be an incredibly busy period. We have seen a significant level of interest in land purchase and farms to rent this year, from existing farmers looking to expand their farm operations as well as from younger people keen to get a foot on the farming ladder with a combination of farming and land support.

While the rental deals we have been working on have taken place largely behind closed doors, we can say we have been acting for both outgoing and incoming tenant farmers and landowners of significant sized holdings across Kent and Sussex.

We have seen a continual demand this year for arable land to rent, especially that with irrigation water and despite the prospect of BPS payments reducing in the future. The recent news that greening requirements will be abolished in the future will also be a great relief to many farmers and their agents.

It is hardly surprising that farmers are turning to farm business tenancies (FBT) when the supply of land for sale is still constrained. Publicly marketed farmland nationally still remains at an all-time low, with only 36,000 acres available on the market for the first six months of 2020.

A 10-year FBT gives you the time to invest in the land and look after it – a better deal for both the landowner and the tenant and something which I suspect we may see more of in the future. Why? Because with issues of succession and faced with the prospect of falling stock markets and the tax implications of selling land, many landowners are seeking the tax efficiencies and, if affordable, landowners favour the ability to retain control by letting land to receive a steady income. There might of course be a child in future generations who would like to take up the farming reins once again.

If you are taking on a new FBT, it is important to think about finances and funding for the extra costs to drill, maintain, harvest and store crops and this takes time to plan. We have seen positive attitudes from banks and specialist lenders such as AMC over the past few months, but it is understandably taking a little longer to process paperwork.

For those looking to buy land we have a number of parcels of land and woodland for sale. For sale at Selling are 55.1 acres of Grade I and II fruit and arable land with a guide price of offers over £785,000. Spring Field, for sale in Hunton nr Maidstone, is 43.07 acres of Grade II and III arable land fronting the River Beult with a guide price of £350,000. Harty Fields at Oare nr Faversham is also

for sale, offering 10.6 acres of pastureland with a building and ecological, environmental and sporting opportunities adjoining the north Kent marshes with offers in the region of £100,000 invited.

Turning to the rural property market, we have seen a significant level of interest in country properties this year, including letting opportunities for equestrian businesses. New Barn Farm at Ospringe near Faversham is for sale, a residential smallholding with 17 acres and a range of general purpose agricultural and equestrian buildings with a guide price of £850,000.

Looking ahead to the future, there is going to be a much greater emphasis on the green agenda, and the value of land with natural assets will become more important. We have a range of woodland for sale across Kent and Sussex including Harris Copse near Wouldham, consisting of 27.7 acres of woodland in the North Downs overlooking the Medway Valley with offers in excess of £110,000. Post Wood at Shadoxhurst is for sale and comprises 46.67 acres of conservation woodland with rides and Wealden Ponds throughout with a guide price of £280,000.

Finally, for farms with diversified interests it hasn’t been the easiest of times since March and some might be wondering if it is worth carrying on with specific projects. We have certainly seen some inventive and creative thinking to keep rural business interests ticking over and I hope we will all be inclined to buy British and to support local businesses in the future. Before taking any decisions about your land or property interests, why not get in touch to discuss various options?

> Post Wood, Shadoxhurst

RICHARD THOMAS

Director, BTF Partnership T: 01233 740077 E: richard.thomas@btfpartnership.co.uk www.btfpartnership.co.uk

SEPTEMBER 2020 | WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET

LAND AND FARMS

P O T

> Woodsell Farm

RUSHLAKE GREEN | EAST SUSSEX

GUIDE PRICE: ÂŁ1,750,000

FARMLAND MARKET

107 ACRES

STALISFIELD | KENT

K C PI 167 ACRES

CONTINUES APACE

The farmland market in the South East continues at full pace throughout the holiday season and harvest. Strutt & Parker has been instructed in the sale of two farms, one at Little Bucksteep near Rushlake Green in East Sussex and the other at Woodsell Farm, Stalisfield, Kent.

Little Bucksteep consists of a recently converted granary, finished to a particularly high standard, situated in an enviable position overlooking its 107 acres of land. The four-bedroom barn conversion and land is situated along a no through way track and hidden in a tranquil rural position just south west of the historic and unspoilt village of Dallington.

The land is a combination of fenced paddocks which are sheltered by belts of trees, and well managed mixed mature woodland. It is served by a network of tracks winding among openings and glades which have been planted up with wild flowers, creating remarkable biodiversity and providing a haven for an abundance of wildlife.

Woodsell Farm is located on the North Downs in the popular village of Stalisfield, seven miles from Faversham.

The farm has been in the current ownership since 1983 and has been admirably farmed in-hand during this time. The four-bedroom farmhouse and traditional buildings are positioned at the end of a long, winding drive set well back from the lane and surrounded by its farmland.

The house and buildings require investment to modernise and/or redevelop to capitalise on the potential in this fabulous location. To the east of the farmstead lie 167 acres of Grade 3 arable land and mature woodland that forms the basis of a good pheasant shoot. The farm is available through Strutt & Parker as a whole or in up to three lots.

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

WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET | SEPTEMBER 2020

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LAND AND FARMS

CATSFIELD | EAST SUSSEX

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Samuel and Son are delighted to offer to the market The Normanhurst Estate at Catsfield.

The picturesque 442 acre estate stands in 1066 countryside in the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, three miles from the town of Battle and easily commutable to London.

Accommodation on the estate comprises an attractive 19th century three bedroom converted barn, a two bedroom detached annexe and a pair of two bedroom semi-detached cottages which are set in a lovely tucked away location away from the main residential and buildings complex.

There is a comprehensive range of equestrian facilities with extensive stabling, a large 11-bay portal frame barn 93’6 x 40’6, and adjoining tack room, two-bay portal frame barn with a purpose built wash down area, outdoor manége, grazing enclosures and excellent riding out over private trails.

Adjoining the equestrian yard, a further yard area with a range of modern agricultural buildings and storage facilities serves the estate, notably twin span five-bay portal frame barns of 98’11 x 48’5 and 98’11 x 49’7 and a smaller storage barn of 71’1 x 22’9.

GUIDE: £4.5 MILLION (FREEHOLD)

442 ACRES

PICTURESQUE ESTATE The farm land extends to about 235 acres of productive grazing and cropping land. About 138 acres of the farm land is let out on a Farm Business Tenancy Agreement with the residual element retained and used for horse grazing and forage production.

The estate encompasses several distinct areas of woodland covering about 191 acres, predominantly a mix of chestnut coppice, birch and conifer plantations with some magnificent specimen trees including some majestic pines and mature oak standards and incorporating about four acres of beautiful lakes, the largest well stocked. Compartments are well laid out with an excellent network of tracks and rides with the woodland harbouring an abundance of wildlife making it ideal for walking, riding and sporting activities.

Historically, the wider estate has had a succession of notable owners including Thomas Alfraye, the 16th century Lord Mayor of Catsfield, and John Fuller – the

uncle of Mad Jack Fuller of Brightling. In 1865 the Estate came into the hands of Thomas Brassey, one of the pioneers of Victorian railway engineering, who by the time of his death had built one in every 20 miles of railways in the world. Between 1875 and 1912 the Brassey family carried out a careful programme of landscaping, lake creation and emparkment at Normanhurst with numerous tree and plant specimens collected on their global voyages, many of which survive today.

The modern-day estate is a wonderful legacy of Brassey’s vision and Victorian landscape architecture and the current owners have focused on the preservation and enhancement of the beautiful woodland landscape as well as establishing income streams that have the potential to be enhanced further.

The Estate is being marketed by Samuel & Son, Horam at a guide price £4.5m.

P O T SEPTEMBER 2020 | WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET

K C PI

86 years unexpired leasehold interest over circa 280 acres of reservoir and 23 acres of land Existing sub-leases providing strong covenant and a healthy annual income in the region of ÂŁ80,000. Considerable potential to grow the income from leisure, tourism and environmental en enterprises. An exceptionally rare opportunity that will appeal to a wide range of buyers.

Available as a whole | Guide ÂŁ1.2 million Availa Savills Maidstone

07812 965379 savills.co.uk

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Land & Property Experts

Ospringe, Kent

£850,000 Access to mainline stations and motorways

A significant range of general purpose outbuildings

Located within the Kent Downs AONB

A detached single bedroom annex

No onward chain

South facing land considered suitable for vines

Extending in total to 17.01 acres

Shadoxhurst, Kent

£280,000

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A detached 5 bedroom chalet bungalow

Faversham, Kent

OIEO £785,000

Private parcel of traditional deciduous woodland

Grade I & II fruit and arable land

Possible candidate for Countryside Stewardship

Main varieties include Gala, Spartan & Cox

Potential opportunities in Ecosystems Services Sector

Two enclosures of arable land

Extending in total to 46.67 acres

Extending in total to 55.10 acres

www.btfpartnership.co.uk E challock@btfpartnership.co.uk T 01233 740077

LAND AND FARMS

DAWN ADAMS Could your land have development potential?

Find out more about land promotion

Among the Covid-19 crisis, it’s easy to forget another crisis felt by millions of younger people.

The housing crisis has, if anything, become starker over this period of lockdown with families crammed into unsuitable housing.

One solution is the ‘Garden Community’. There are around 49 Garden Communities currently being proposed around the country. They are seen as a way to persuade the not-in-my-backyarders to tolerate urgently needed new housing estates. But are garden cities the solution to Britain’s housing crisis?

WHAT IS A GARDEN COMMUNITY?

A Garden Community is not a new idea but the latest iterations of a century old concept developed

by Ebenezer Howard; namely, Letchworth Garden City, Welwyn Garden City and Hampstead Garden Suburb. They are standalone settlements which are intended to be self-contained places in which to live and work. Following the initial examples in the 1920s, the legislating of land through a planning system in 1947 saw new towns in the 1960s and 1970s, with Stevenage, Milton Keynes, Basingstoke, Crawley and Basildon as examples.

The latest iterations – Garden Communities – launched in 2014, now include 49 projects extending across all regions of England. These encompass both entirely standalone new settlements (35%) but also a significant number of urban extensions (65%) to deliver 403,000 homes, up to 182 new primary schools and 56 secondary schools, and 600 or more hectares of employment land which in turn would support 1.3m additional jobs over its construction period to 2050 (source: How does your garden grow by Lichfields, 2019).

Creating new roads, schools and shops around a self-sufficient development can be appealing to local authorities and residents alike, meaning the associated services and infrastructure is built to modern requirements. But with Prime Minister Boris Johnson promising to build, build, build, do

TO ADVERTISE CALL 01303 233883

Planning Manager, Catesby Estates plc T: 01926 836910 E: dawna@catesbyestates.co.uk W: www.catesbyestates.co.uk

ARE GARDEN COMMUNITIES

THE SOLUTION TO THE

HOUSING CRISIS? garden cities pose the “easy” solution they promise?

There have been issues for the Government in implementing the new programme. Only a third of the 49 communities have any planning status and most require allocation through a Local Plan followed by planning permission. This is not always straightforward, as we have seen in the north of Essex in the past few months, where two new Garden Communities which were to deliver 34,000 homes failed to be shown as viable or deliverable when scrutinised by an independent inspector.

For people thinking these Garden Communities are sustainable, green solutions, it is worth noting that only 8% are within walking distance of a train station (800m – 10 minutes walk) and a third are within 2km (25 minutes walk).

Finally, for those currently seeking a new home, they would have a long wait to be on site. Based on an indicative trajectory using industry benchmarks, the programme is unlikely to be delivering homes at scale until the 2030s, but at that point could be delivering up to 16,000 dwellings per annum based on typical build rates.

The Government has ambitious housing targets to resolve the housing crisis and is seeking to deliver 300,000 homes a year (around 240,000 homes were delivered in 2018-2019 – a 30 year high). The alternative to achieving these targets is placing 300,000 homes a year within and around existing towns and villages. There are certainly benefits to extending our towns and cities as part

of their ongoing evolution and it is recognised by the Country Landowners Association that villages are stagnating, frozen in time due to a lack of new residents contributing to existing services.

While there are a number of reasons why people leave their rural community, the provision of housing is an important one, as homes to support the next generation are not being built. In addition, there are other benefits brought by development in terms of job creation, local authority revenue benefits and support to the local economy as well as the quick delivery of housing. Nonetheless, there are also challenges, for instance increasing pressure on historical roads and demands placed on infrastructure such as doctors and schools.

THE ANSWER?

A bit of both; to ensure housing is delivered quickly (the housing crisis is affecting people today) and to deliver the benefits of new housing to existing towns and villages, there is a need for those sites on the edge of existing towns and villages.

However, the challenge to the industry to deliver 300,000 homes a year does also require some big solutions, and that is where new settlements can play a role. These do not need to be one of the Government’s Garden Communities but instead sustainable new settlements. The mistake would be to think this alone can resolve the housing crisis and a variety of housing sites of different sizes and locations is required.

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LAND AND FARMS

ASHDOWN FOREST | SUSSEX

GUIDE: £1.2 MILLION

280 ACRES

CONSIDERABLE POTENTIAL 68

A 280-acre reservoir in the Ashdown Forest has come to the market through Savills.

Weir Wood Reservoir, near the village of Forest Row, has a water surface area of about 280 acres, with an additional 23 acres of open grassland and woodland, and both sailing and fishing club houses.

“This is an exceptionally rare opportunity with considerable potential to grow the income from leisure, tourism and environmental enterprises,”

said Chris Spofforth, Savills head of farm agency in the South East.

The reservoir is a Site of Special Scientific Interest, with part of it designated as a local nature reserve, and it attracts a large number of birds and wildlife.

The construction of the reservoir was completed in 1954, and recreational use of the facilities has been operated since then on a tenanted basis.

The 86-year unexpired lease is available via the sale of the holding company, Weald Water

Enterprises Limited, at a price of £1,200,000, with under leases providing an annual income in the region of £80,000.

“Beyond the income from the existing tenants, there are significant opportunities for environmentalists, offset investors and leisure and tourism entrepreneurs, which for example could include, subject to planning, moving or rebuilding the existing facilities and adding a visitor centre or accommodation at the reservoir,” added Chris.

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East Sussex | Rushlake Green Guide price: ÂŁ1,750,000 A recently converted Granary set in 107 acres of enchanting woodland, pasture and ponds within the High Weald AONB Rushlake Green: 2.4 miles, Stonegate station: 8.9 miles (London Charing Cross 1 hr 11 mins), Mayfield: 9.7 miles, South Coast: About 9 miles Open plan kitchen/living room | Orangery | 4 Ensuite bedrooms | 2-Bay garage with room above | Well fenced grass fields, ponds and beautifully managed woodland About 107 acres (43ha) Available as a whole

National and South East Estates & Farm Agency 07884 866275 will.whittaker@struttandparker.com 07469 154771 liza.howden@struttandparker.com /struttandparker

@struttandparker

struttandparker.com

60 Offices across England and Scotland, including prime Central London.

S E P T TEOMA BD VEERR T I2S 0E 2C A0L L

01303 233883

WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET | SEPTEMBER 2020

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Gary White 07812 599679 Jason White 07941 274751

CONSTRUCTION

CS982 SE Farmer Advert 60mm x 93.qxd:Layout 1

12/12/12

rn & s he s nt ut er AK ou So rm S isc Fa AM r d R e b em M

A one-stop-shop for all Profiled Roofing Products: BIGG ES T RA NGE IN THE SOUTH EAS T PROMPT AND RELIABLE SERVICE HUGE STOCKS

Call: 01342 337159 www.southernsheeting.co.uk

Hill Place Farm, Turners Hill Road, East Grinstead, West Sussex RH19 4LX

CLASSIFIEDS

14:1

CONSTRUCTION STEEL HOUSING Email for prices

TEL: 07813 910975 01233 750123

Ideal for offices, holiday lets, and dwellings. Quick to erect.

IDEAS IN ACTION

E: camilesconstruction@hotmail.co.uk

Bespoke options include:

Side extensions • Steel housing Office blocks • Asbestos removal All groundworks undertaken All frames are

marked

ENWARD Grain stores • Cattle buildings • Dairy units Change of use and refurbishment of existing buildings

FARM BUILDING REPAIRS We will continue to work through coronavirus, and we will be available to attend site and estimate customers projects and/or insurance repair/works.

We have now insisted that our employees wear suitable personal protection equipment on any such works until further notice.

LET’S KEEP WORKING!

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

REFURBS, BIG 6 ROOF SHEETS, ROOF LIGHTS, RIDGES, VERGES, VALLEY GUTTERS, BOX GUTTERS, BOUNDARY GUTTERS, ASBESTOS, SHEETING Single Sheet To Whole Roof Roller Shutters Accidental or Storm Damage Works Demolition Refurbishments Waste Clearances

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

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

CALL TO DISCUSS YOUR PROJECT!

FREEPHONE: 01233 659129

from BT land-line

MOBILE: 07813 142 145 charlie.woodger@btinternet.com

CONSTRUCTION

Agriculture ~ Cold Storage ~ Equestrian ~ Industrial ~ Waste Recycling • Agricultural Buildings • Cold Store Buildings • Equestrian Buildings • Industrial Buildings • Waste Recycling Buildings TO ADVERTISE CALL 01303 233883

01323 890403 www.danddconstruction.co.uk info@danddconstruction.co.uk

• Structural Steel • Drawing Services • Design Services • Mezzanine Floors • Custom Steelwork

WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET | SEPTEMBER 2020

71

CLASSIFIEDS

CONSTRUCTION

JPR “ROOFING” & GUTTERING INSTALLATIONS LTD

Supply and erecting of

Steel framed buildingS

Fully insured and licensed. 23 years family run business.

Covering all KENT & SUSSEX

AND

We will continue to work through coronavirus, and we will be available to attend site and estimate customers projects and/or insurance repair/works.

We have now insisted that our employees wear suitable personal protection equipment on any such works until further notice.

Contact Arthur on 07860 193716 Mark on 07771 516716 Tel/Fax: 01227 831658 ardfs@vfast.co.uk

www.ardaviesfarmservices-canterbury.co.uk

GRAINSTORE INSTALLATIONS

A.R. DAVIES FARM SERVICES Est 1986

Family run business with over 45+ years of experience, from concept to completion.

Family business Family runrun business

LET’S KEEP WORKING!

with over 45+45+ years of of with over years

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

CONSTRUCTION

Steel frame buildings, Steel frame buildings, cladding andand associated cladding associated

Specialists in: works. works.

• Agricultural, Specialists in: in: equestrian & light Specialists • Agricultural, industrial buildings • Agricultural, light equestrian & light •equestrian In house&fabrication industrial buildings industrial buildings •• In Planning services house fabrication • In house fabrication available • Planning services

ALL WORK ALL WORK

APPROVED APPROVED

lanesconstruction.co.uk

experience, concept experience, from concept Steel framefrom buildings, to completion. to completion. cladding and associated works.

• Planning services available

available01323 848684 lanesbuildings@btconnect.com

lanesconstruction.co.uk lanesconstruction.co.uk

lanesbuildings@btconnect.com lanesbuildings@btconnect.com

01323 848684 01323 848684

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

72

Contact: Chris, for a no obligation quotation: Tel: 07813 142145 or 01233 659129 (7 days)

To advertise in South East Farmer telephone 01303 233883

www.jprmaintenance-construction.co.uk

Penfold Profiles

Contact Maurice today 07468 429409

Asbestos removal Sheeting Guttering

O’REILLY

concrete

RAMSA K M

E

M

B

E

R

Specialists in agricultural and industrial buildings ASBESTOS Survey Removal Disposal

O’Reilly Oakstown Ltd Atlantic Way, Barry Port, Barry, Wales, CF63 3RA, UK info@oreillyoakstown.com

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

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

Penfold Profiles. Lees Paddock, High Halden, Ashford, Kent SEPTEMBER 2020 | WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET

www.oreillyoakstown.co.uk

®

CLASSIFIEDS

CONSTRUCTION SHORTLAND STRUCTURES LTD

CONTRACTORS Competitive Direct Drilling Service

Using our proven Simtech Aitchison direct drill we seed into all surfaces grasses, clovers, 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 18 rows.

• STEEL FRAMED BUILDINGS • CLADDING • ERECTING • • EXTENSIONS • ALTERATIONS • CONCRETE PANELS • ROLLER/SLIDING/PERSONNEL DOORS • Tel: 01732 460912 Mobile: 07976 287836 Email: sales@shortlandstructures.com

www.shortlandstructures.com

CONTRACTORS

G & S BROWN

Drainage Contractors

This method saves time and money compared with more traditional re-seeding methods, but is also capable of stitching and rejuvenating existing crops.

Town Place Farm, Haywards Heath Tel: 01825 790341 Mob: 07970 621832 Email: Charlie@townplacefarm.co.uk

Grubbing, timber & groundwork services

Working with farmers since 1947

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

OD & PARTNERS

• orchard grubbing

• land clearance

• windbreak removal

• excavations

• timber extraction

• cultivations

S W ATTWOOD & PARTNERS NAGE

E

• fallen tree removal

• pond dredging

• ground contouring

• reservoir construction

W.H.Skinner & Sons

LAND DRAINAGE

FOR ESTIMATES & ENQUIRIES

(01622) 890884

VEYING

   

INTRODUCING our new Simtech Aitchison 300 drill with front press!

info@brownsdrainage.co.uk FIELDEmail: MAPPING www.brownsdrainage.co.uk DRAINAGE SURVEYING DESIGN SWA DRAINAGE

01622 744640 - 07711 264775 www.whskinnerandsons.co.uk

73 LAND DRAINAGE, EARTHWORKS, GROUNDWORKS & CONSTRUCTION

SW ATTWOOD & PARTNERS

FULL LAND DRAINAGE SERVICE sportsfields, amenity and irrigation systems using Mastenbroek trenchers

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

ATTWOOD & PARTNERS

PONDS, LAKES & RESERVOIRS construction and maintenance GROUNDWORKS & CONSTRUCTION primary excavations, aggregate sub-base, agricultural construction and concreting

ND DRAINAGE

ENVIRONMENTAL HABITATS water course maintenance and improvement works

FIELD MAPPING DRAINAGE SURVEYING DESIGN DRAINAGE

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

R.POPOVIC & SON Agricultural Contractors

220 PER ACRE

Est 1966

ON SIT OUR

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION • FIELD MAPPING • DRAINAGE SURVEYING PLEASE CONTACT US OR VISIT OUR • DESIGN • DRAINAGE d.com WEBSITE: FOR FURTHER INFORMATION

• Round or Big Square baling and wrapping • Forage harvesting • Muck spreading • Cultivations, grass seeding etc • All grassland and forest ride maintenance • Complete or part operations • All other associated work undertaken

Call Nick Popovic on 01323 832002 or 07889 177434

oodfarms.com PHONE: 01795 880441

FENCING

PLEASE CONTACT JAMES OR VISIT OUR WEBSITE

TOM: 01795 880441 or 07884 664035 EMAIL: james@swattwood.com EMAIL: james@swattwood.com GRAIN STORAGE & TESTING

PHILIP JUNIPER

  LANDwww.swjfattwood.com DRAINAGE Fencing Services ER INFORMATION  PLANT HIRE OUR Specialists in Stock, Deer and Equestrian Fencing NTACT US OR VISIT To advertise in South East Farmer Covering the South East Tel: (01403) 700509 Mobile: 07836 219344  INERT TIPPING  GRAIN STORAGE & TESTING telephone 01303 233883 www.philipjuniper.co.uk 795 880441 CLAY SALES

www.attwoodfarms.com

TO ADVERTISE CALL 01303 es@swattwood.com

®

233883

 

LAND DRAINAGE PLANT HIRE

WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET | SEPTEMBER 2020

CLASSIFIEDS

INDUSTRIAL DOORS FENCING

Manufacturers of Chestnut Fencing Products Hardwood gates

SUPPLY INSTALLATION MAINTENANCE SERVICE

DOORS LTD

INDUSTRIAL DOOR SERVICES Sectional doors • Roller Shutter doors • High speed doors Loading bay equipment • Personnel and Fire doors

Cleft post and rail Stakes and posts Chestnut fencing

CWP fenci f n ng

Tel: 07985298221 www.cwpfencing.co.uk

CROP DRYING

Culnells Farm, School Lane, Iwade, Sittingbourne, Kent ME9 8QJ Fax: 01634 360955 Mobile: 07973 299664 Email: sales@yiannisdoors.co.uk

Tel: 01634 378523

www.yiannisdoors.co.uk

LAND WANTED

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

PELLCROFT www.pellcroft.com | sales@pellcroft.com | 01526 342466

EVENTS

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HIRE SPECIALISTS ACROSS THE SOUTH EAST • Toilets & Showers for hire

AW Group are seeking to expand our portfolio by acquiring land in Kent.

The offer is open to private, off-market deals, with land valuations carried out by an independent, professional valuer and any acquisitions paid for at market value, with preference given to land with buildings already in situ.

Where land is deemed suitable, the capital for purchase is already in place, and any legal fees relating to the sale will be covered by us.

Farmers and landowners looking to release capital by selling small or larger acreages please get in touch with Sarah Browne - 01303 259266 - sb@awltd.co.uk

STORAGE TANKS KING

• Large range of Temporary canteens, stores & welfare units

STORAGE TANKS

• Effluent Tank Emptying

Horizontal Cylindrical Tanks

• Events also catered for with marquees & toilets

From 54,500 litres to 27,250 litres (12,000 - 6,000 gallon) Single and twin compartments, with cradles

Bunded Tanks

FOUR JAYS GROUP

From 27,000 litres to 10,000 litres (6,000 - 2,000 gallon) With cabinet, guage and alarm

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

HAULIERS 07860 728204 Hay & Straw Merchant | Machinery Haulage

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

Tel 01638 712328

www.thekinggroup.co.uk/tanks

SMITHS

of the Forest of Dean Ltd.

The Tank and Drum Experts

Buy from stock. Visit us to collect or same day dispatch with nationwide delivery.

New and recycled IBC Tanks. Plastic and Steel Drums. Water Tanks, IBCs & Fittings.

HAY & STRAW IN STOCK | ROUND & BIG SQUARE BALES

Find us on Facebook

SEPTEMBER 2020 | WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET

VisitVisit www.smdd.co.uk www.smdd.co.uk

Or telephone on 01594 833308 for more information.

Or telephone on 01594 833308 for more information.

CROSSWORD ®

VINEYARDS

COMPLETE OUR CROSSWORD TO WIN Four bottles of our favourite wine, Ortega

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ACROSS

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The likely course of a disease (9) Skilful (5) Accuracy (9) Highest ranked place (5) Italian volcano (4) Irregularity (7) Cake with jam and cream filling (8,6) Certain way of farming (7) Used to rid animals of parasites (6) Taken without permission (7) Wine term (4) Village near Slough, Berkshire mentioned in Doomsday Book (9) Hardy house plant (10) Wine term (4)

1 2 3 4 6 7 10 13 14 15 17 18 19 21 22 23 24

Capsicum (6) Body of salt water (5) Used to connect two bits of wood (4) Cricket term (7) Butter, cream, cheese etc (5) A severe beating (7) Fish (4) Daze; Knock out; Shock (4) Insatiable (9) Area of space generally in urban area (4) Venomous snake (3) Sea snail (5) Laid by a chicken (3) Stage of a lifecycle of a plant (2,3) Angry (5) Fruit of an oak tree (5) Fit to be eaten (6)

DOWN

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Crossword by Rebecca Farmer, Broadstairs, Kent

PRIZE ANAGRAM: Rare breed pig (6,5)

To enter, simply unscramble the

anagram (6,5) using the green squares.

LAST MONTH’S ANSWERS: 1

M

VINEYARDS

While many farmers come to an end

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full swing. Enter the crossword to be in with a chance of winning four

address and phone number to

bottles of our favourite wine, Ortega.

sef.ed@kelsey.co.uk

For more information about the

Correct entries will be entered into a

vineyards, please visit

draw which will take place on

www.biddendenvineyards.com or

9 September The winner will be

call 01580 291726.

announced in the October edition.

*Subject to availability

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of their harvest, ours will soon be in

Email your replies with your name,

TO ADVERTISE CALL 01303 233883

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Correct answer: Cabbage Stem Flea Beetle LAST MONTH’S WINNER: Carol Garner from Smallfield, Horley, Surrey

WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET | SEPTEMBER 2020

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