South East Farmer April 2024

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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

ADVERTISING & MARKETING

Jamie McGrorty 01303 233883 jamie.mcgrorty@kelsey.co.uk

GRAPHIC DESIGN

Jo Legg 07306 482166 jo.legg@flair-design.co.uk

MANAGEMENT

DIVISIONAL MANAGING DIRECTOR:

Steve Kendall

PUBLISHER: Jamie McGrorty

RETAIL DIRECTOR: Steve Brown

SUBSCRIPTION MARKETING MANAGER:

Claire Aspinall

PRINT PRODUCTION MANAGER:

Kelly Orriss

DISTRIBUTION

Distribution in Great Britain:

Seymour Distribution Limited

2 East Poultry Avenue, London EC1A 9PT

Tel: 020 7429 4000

www.seymour.co.uk

Distribution in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland:

Newspread

Tel: +353 23 886 3850

®

48 ADVICE FROM THE VET

Continuing success post-lambing.

54 LEGAL

57 LAND AND FARMS

FEATURES

Kelsey Media 2024 © 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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Cover picture: South of England Show

12 FARM EXPO 2024 REVIEW

In its fifth year, the 2024 show featured more than 100 exhibitors.

24 TORRAN CONSTRUCTION

Entrepreneurial spirit and the determination to succeed has marked the growth of Torran Construction, which has quickly established itself as a major player in the agricultural construction field.

35 M&A BROWN & SONS LTD

The company’s reputation has grown to the point where M&A Brown & Sons’ name is well known throughout Kent, Sussex and into South East London for the quality of its sales and repair service.

40 CLADCO PROFILES

Steel roofing sheets now available from Andover, Hampshire.

51 SHOW PREVIEWS

OPINION

Farmers don't have to play buzzword bingo

Some 20 years or so ago, my hitherto enjoyable career in local government PR became slightly bogged down as councils focused attention on such things as ‘change management’ courses.

In the case of local government, the expression was generally a euphemism for ‘making people redundant’ anyway, but the move towards studying our own navels rather than getting on with the job of improving life for the people of the borough I was employed to serve became rather frustrating. I imagine it’s much the same for those who are forced to sit through courses on today’s current socially aware trends (but I won’t give examples for fear of being cancelled).

Farmers, of course (no pun intended) don’t have to learn about subjects that aren’t directly relevant to their job, whether that’s feeding the nation or, more recently, saving the planet. They don’t have to play ‘buzzword bingo’ as the latest trendy words and phrases are quoted by those who would rather be in a meeting than at their desk.

And yet it seems to me that farmers would benefit from learning about change management, at least when used in its non-euphemistic sense. The agriculture industry is changing so fast that negotiating the twists and turns takes the reactions and awareness of an F1 driver.

The change from Basic Payments to the Sustainable Farming Incentive, the many ramifications of the disastrous Brexit deal, looking ahead to the possible outcome of the general election and reacting to our increasingly warm and wet climate are just a few of the uncertainties they face daily.

Add to that world commodity prices about as stable as a jar of nitroglycerine being driven over one of Kent’s famously potholed roads and the machinations of some equally unstable world leaders and you start to get the idea.

The spring budget helped in one sense, bringing more certainty on the tax treatment of land used for environmental schemes rather than being ‘farmed’, but it also brought worrying changes to the tax regime affecting those who let out furnished holiday properties.

There is doubt over whether it was in fact worldfamous theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking who said “intelligence is the ability to adapt to change”, but assuming it is nonetheless true, Britain’s farmers must be among the smartest people in the country.

BROGDALE FARM BOUGHT BY EAST MALLING TRUST

The home of one of the world’s largest collections of fruit trees has been bought by The East Malling Trust, the charity that champions the advancement of science in horticulture and agriculture.

The National Fruit Collection at Brogdale Farm is home to a rich variety of heritage fruit, curated by Reading University on behalf of DEFRA. Its orchards contain more than 4,000 different varieties of apples, pears, cherries, plums and other fruits and nuts, and the 150-acre farm has become a hub for fruit enthusiasts, researchers and visitors from around the world, with access managed by the registered charity Brogdale Collections.

“We are delighted to announce the acquisition of Brogdale Farm and we look forward to playing our part in maintaining the home of this nationally important collection, which fits perfectly with our charitable objectives,” said Dr Oliver Doubleday, chairman of the board of trustees of The East Malling Trust.

The trust, based at Bradbourne House, actively supports the horticulture industry through its close working relationship with NIAB East Malling, based at the charity’s 500-acre estate and science campus.

Dr Doubleday added: “The move is consistent with our mission to advance scientific knowledge and innovation in horticulture, fits with our property portfolio and utilises our existing estate management skills.

“We are committed to preserving and enhancing the unique heritage of Brogdale Farm and its collection, and improving the visitor experience. We also have an existing gene bank within the East Malling estate and there is the potential for collaboration to drive forward future research that will benefit the fruit industry and society as a whole.”

MALCOLM TRIGGS - EDITOR

EMAIL YOUR VIEWS, LETTERS OR OPINIONS TO: sef.ed@kelsey.co.uk

or write to the address on page 3

Brogdale Collections is a charity which aims to provide public access to the National Fruit Collection. It organises visits to Brogdale, including guided tours. It also delivers courses, organises events and arranges outreach activities.

Alan Roe, chairman of the charity, said: “We have been extremely fortunate to have had such good relations with the owners of Brogdale Farm, who have been totally supportive of the charity and its ambitions. We believe the new owners will continue such a close relationship and share our values, and we are pleased the ownership of Brogdale will be in such good hands.” The site is also home to 23 businesses, including a popular café and a brewery.

There was good news and bad when the Chancellor unveiled his spring budget, with welcome confirmation on the treatment of environmental schemes for tax purposes but disappointment for farmers offering furnished holiday lettings.

Jeremy Moody, secretary and adviser to the Central Association of Agricultural Valuers (CAAV) was quick to welcome the announcement that land in environmental schemes would benefit from agricultural property relief (APR) for inheritance tax (IHT) calculations.

In his final budget of this Parliament, Jeremy Hunt said APR would be extended from April 2025 to transfers, on death and lifetime, of farmland put into qualifying environmental agreements anywhere in the UK. The arrangements will also apply to let land and will not be restricted to tenancies of at least eight years, as had been considered.

“We worked hard to achieve this response to the consultation issued a whole year ago, to which we submitted a detailed, 71-page analysis, and look forward to working with the Government in taking these decisions forward,” said Jeremy.

“Almost cost-free, given farmland’s eligibility for APR, this will remove IHT as an issue for farmers and landowners looking at environmental commitments,” he said, adding: “These options can now be considered on business and personal reasons, not pre-empted by fear of IHT and its 40% rate.

“It also answers a landlord’s concern about tax status if a tenant enters such an agreement, and gives environmental bodies a positive interest in APR.”

The decision not to limit APR to lettings for eight years and more was also welcomed by the CAAV. “We found that it would have discouraged some landlords from letting at all, and others to reduce terms to just eight years, which would have been very damaging to the let sector,” said Jeremy. “That has been avoided and the let sector is now better placed for its important role in the coming changes.”

He welcomed the Government’s commitment to establishing a joint Treasury and HMRC working group to explore the taxation of ecosystem services such as the sale of carbon credits and biodiversity net gain agreements.

“There are currently all sorts of tax

GOOD NEWS AND BAD IN SPRING BUDGET

uncertainties and fears about environmental transactions,” he said. “We need to sit down and look at common situations and understand more clearly what’s going on in these emerging markets. If we then identify tax problems which need changes in the law, then we can answer them in a measured, satisfactory way.”

Martyn Dobinson, partner with Saffery and a member of the firm’s land and rural practice group, commented: “It’s great for our land-owning clients to finally have some clarification on the tax treatment of land used in environmental schemes and the extension of APR in that regard is very welcome.

“We shall digest and study the detail, but it’s evident that further clarity is still required across a number of aspects.”

Martyn was concerned, though, about the abolition from April 2025 of the furnished holiday let (FHL) regime, which he described as “certainly a blow”.

He explained: “The relief applies to qualifying furnished properties that are available for short term holiday letting and gives owners access to capital gains tax (CGT) reliefs such as rollover and gift relief, as well as capital allowances on qualifying furniture, equipment and fixtures and a full deduction against income for related financing costs.

“Profits from FHLs also count as earnings for pension saving purposes. The impact of this change for property owners who were relying on FHL properties and businesses being classed as trading for IHT planning purposes, remains to be seen. Draft legislation is promised in due course.”

NFU President Tom Bradshaw said of the budget: “Where some of the headline announcements, such as an extension to agricultural property relief and a reduction of National Insurance for the self-employed, could offer some benefits to agricultural businesses, the Chancellor has missed an opportunity to deliver resilience for food producers.”

He added: “The abolition of the furnished housing letting regime is a significant concern

as it’s an important source of diversification for farm businesses which underpins resilience. We will be looking to engage further with Treasury on this announcement.” In his budget speech, Jeremy Hunt said that FHLs restricted the availability of long-term lets for local people.

Country Land and Business Association President Victoria Vyvyan said the clarification on APR was “welcome news and will help farm businesses deliver environmental benefits as well as food production”, but added: “But it’s not all good news. Rather than helping the tourism sector by permanently reducing VAT to make rates internationally competitive, the Chancellor is squeezing holiday let owners and stifling businesses that create jobs and support the rural economy.

“By converting unused or underutilised properties that may not be suitable as homes in the private rented sector into high-quality holiday accommodation, property owners contribute to the local community's economic vitality. Targeting them will not help solve the housing crisis.

“The current tax rules for furnished holiday lets provide a crucial support mechanism, strengthening the resilience and viability of many farms and rural businesses that in turn enables them to invest in their work looking after the environment and feeding the nation. Abolishing the tax relief shows a disregard for small rural businesses that often have narrow margins and face a constant need to reinvest.”

The budget included proposals for grants to support agricultural productivity and innovation worth £427 million, together with £75 million to be used for water and flood management and the protection of agricultural land.

Martyn Dobinson of Saffery also welcomed a rapid U-turn by the Government on plans to change the tax treatment of double cab pick-ups which would have seen vehicles with a payload of one tonne or more almost always treated as cars for tax purposes.

The change of heart came just a week after the proposal was made.

PROTEST WELL RECEIVED

More protests have been held by Kent’s farmers in their ongoing bid to win public support for their campaign to raise awareness of cheap foreign imports and supply chain unfairness.

The Dover protest covered in last month’s South East Farmer was followed by a smaller rally in Ashford which saw around 25 tractors and ten other vehicles meet at the cattle market before driving to ASDA on the outskirts of town and engaging with shoppers.

Romney Marsh shepherd Dylan Vetera said the aim was to draw attention to a number of issues, including misleading labelling which wrongly implied that produce had been grown or reared in the UK.

He said the protest had been well received by the public and that people the farmers had spoken to had been sympathetic to the cause. “We understand the problems caused by the cost of living but we are trying to make people aware of why they are paying cheap prices,” said Dylan, in a reference to imports that don’t meet UK standards.

“Shoppers are happy to see lambs in the field and free range pigs living outside, but then buy cheaper, lower standard food from the supermarket,” he said.

The Ashford rally was followed by a much larger affair in Canterbury which Dylan described as “a huge success” and brought together 220 tractors and 60 trucks in a three hour go-slow around Canterbury.

Government proposals to introduce fairer food labelling to provide greater transparency around where food comes from and how it is produced have been welcomed.

Food labelling which misleads customers into thinking the food they are buying has been produced locally is one of the issues that has prompted the recent protests by farmers in Dover, Ashford and Canterbury.

DEFRA Secretary of State Steve Barclay has announced a consultation on proposals to introduce labelling that will enable consumers to make more informed choices and give British farmers the recognition they deserve.

It will look at how to make labelling on food products easier to understand, and ask for views on details such as a mandatory label that would differentiate between standards of animal welfare regulations, and was welcomed by the British Veterinary Association.

President Anna Judson said: “The British Veterinary Association has long supported the principle that consumers have the right to understand where their food comes from and how it is produced so they can make informed choices.

“Clearer and fairer labelling is key to this.

“Our aim was to get as many people from across Kent involved as possible, and we were delighted with the response,” he said. “It wasn’t that easy to co-ordinate but we proved that you can get British farmers to come together to fight for one cause.”

As with the previous rallies, Kent Police were consulted so that the farmers could raise awareness without causing too much grief to shoppers. In the event, the police praised the group, with liaison officer PC James Tong emailing to thank the organisers and comment: “The rally was extremely well organised and with your engagement it went off without a hitch. If you need anything in future or have anything else planned that you might need help with, just give me a bell.”

Dylan said the protests would continue, with the ultimate goal of a rally in London. He also said new NFU president Tom Bradshaw was keen to meet the group and added that there were signs that other counties including Lancashire and Cornwall were considering following suit.

“Whatever happens from now we’ve done our best to make a difference,” he added.

“We want to know that in ten years’ time we will still be able to earn a living doing what we do. We don’t want a superyacht, just to be able to get rained on and covered in mud and animal muck every day.”

FAIRER FOOD LABELLING

The proposals laid out by the Government seem like a positive step. We strongly support the proposal to instigate a label indicating tiers as the clearest and most meaningful way of communicating welfare standards with consumers and we look forward to engaging with the consultation on the detail.

“However, we are concerned by proposals to label products that fall below UK baseline animal welfare standards. All products in the UK are legally required to meet these standards, and we have been very clear that the UK Government must ensure trading partners meet these in all future trade deals.

“We urge the Government to take this into serious consideration when firming up the

detail and to ensure it engages with the animal welfare sector and veterinary profession to ensure the UK maintains the high standard of animal welfare it is renowned for.”

Martin Lines, chief executive at the Nature Friendly Farming Network, also welcomed the consultation “and the effort to make food labelling clearer and fairer for farmers and for consumers who want to know more about the food choices they are making”.

He added: "Having a clear, regulated food labelling system can support nature-friendly farmers by giving proper recognition to food production methods that are helping to rejuvenate our landscapes for nature and the climate."

Photo:

A major push to encourage more livestock entries at this year's South of England Show has been announced by the South of England Agricultural Society (SEAS).

The incentives include increased prize money for cattle champions, appearance money and free tickets to the traditional Stockman’s Dinner.

The changes were announced by SEAS as being “aimed at helping support our British livestock farmers and recognising the effort and expense of exhibiting, while also fostering public education about their essential work”.

Alongside the cash boost for livestock farmers, the show will feature a number of elements designed “to connect with and support farmers and exhibitors”. They include:

• A stand from The Rural Payments Agency to promote direct engagement and information exchange

• A Technical Forum focusing on how agriculture can better connect with the public

• A panel talk featuring the NFU and other industry leaders

• A ringside farmers’ marquee, hosted by Long Man Brewery

• Improvements to the stockman’s marquee at the showground.

The Supreme Beef Champion and Supreme Dairy Champion will now receive £500, with reserve prizes increasing to £350. Additionally, the Inter Breed Teams of Four Beef and the Dairy Breeders Group will benefit from

enhanced prize money pots of £2,100 and £525 respectively.

Appearance money of £30 per head of cattle (excluding calves) will now be paid, and free tickets to the traditional stockman’s dinner will be allocated based on the number of animals brought to the show.

Martyn Sands, chair of the cattle committee for SEAS said: “These enhancements signify our unwavering commitment to the livestock

exhibitors and farmers who make the South of England Show a showcase of excellence.

“By recognising their efforts with increased rewards and creating new opportunities for engagement, we aim to elevate the experience for exhibitors, and with other additional elements for the public, including bringing back the vintage dairy display and increased informational signage, to educate the public about their vital role in our society.”

RECORD 7,200GNS ACHIEVED MORE LIVESTOCK ENTRIES ENCOURAGED

Selling at 7,200 guineas, Offham Poll Crusader 9th, a two year old Sussex bull from J&S Harmer, Lewes, East Sussex, set a new record at the Sussex Cattle Society online auction on 16 March.

The successful sale also saw seven two year-old bulls sold at an average price of 5,043 guineas and four senior bulls sold at an average price of 2,250 guineas.

Sussex Cattle Society chairman Jane Howard commented: “With health scheme status being the main factor for reduced numbers at the annual live pedigree sale, the society decided to work with South East Marts in Hailsham and MartEye to arrange an online sale.

“Known for their excellent forage conversion rates and docile temperaments, increasingly important factors for the growing number of conservation grazing systems, demand for Sussex bulls has risen considerably in the past couple of years and the prices achieved at the sale reflect this growing interest.”

Farmers, landowners, advisors, researchers and farming industry professionals have until 17 April to submit nominations for the 2024 Royal Agricultural Society of England (RASE) Awards.

The six awards include the National Agricultural Award, the Excellence in Practical Farming Award and the prestigious Bledisloe Gold Medal for Landowners, first presented in 1958. All the awards welcome both selfnominations and recommendations.

RASE chief executive David Grint said the awards celebrated “the people and organisations who are pushing the boundaries of what is possible while responding to the challenges faced by all in the farming industry”.

He went on: “The agricultural industry is grappling with the challenge of producing sufficient quantities of nutritious food using practices that are sustainable, viable and profitable. Shining a light on those who are finding and implementing approaches that enable farming businesses to thrive enables others to hear about and consider options that could

OVERSEAS SHEARERS WELCOME

The National Association of Agricultural Contractors (NAAC) has announced that international sheep shearers from countries such as New Zealand and Australia will again to be able to enter the UK in 2024 to support shearing operations.

The NAAC has worked closely with the Home Office Since 2011 to manage a special concession that allows highly skilled, overseas shearers who don’t hold a visa to come to the UK for a short, limited period to assist in shearing the UK flock.

Jill Hewitt, NAAC chief executive said: “This is a well-managed scheme which gives our UK shearing team a boost at a critical time with international shearers coming in with experience and competence to take on a job that is highly skilled.

“Sheep shearing is a specialist and physical occupation that simply can’t just be picked up by anyone. It should only be carried out by professionals who have been trained to shear carefully and sympathetically to ensure that sheep are handled appropriately to avoid stress and injury during the shearing process.” Non-visa nationals will be able to travel to the UK between 1 April and 30 June 2024 and stay for a maximum of three months.

Adult sheep should be shorn at least once every year to help reduce the risk of external parasites and to avoid heat stress. In the main, shearing is carried out to improve animal welfare rather than for the value of the wool.

OPEN FOR NOMINATIONS

work for their farming businesses.”

In recent years, the suite of RASE Awards has expanded to reflect the diversity of skills, knowledge and expertise needed to tackle complex challenges within the industry.

“RASE was founded by a group of people who recognised the need for science to support the development of agriculture,” said David. “Today, it’s fair to say that the agricultural industry has never needed science and innovation more, as farming practices and land management shift to deliver food production, climate change mitigation and ecological benefits simultaneously.”

Full entry criteria and nomination forms are available at www.rase.org.uk/about-us/awards/

MAJOR SOLAR ARRAY COMPLETED AT THANET EARTH

BeBa Energy has completed one of Kent’s largest rooftop solar arrays for Britain’s leading glasshouse grower Thanet Earth.

The 1,054.9kW system on its packhouse and office buildings at Birchington will generate just under one thousand megawatt hours of clean electricity per year, enough energy to power 750 homes.

Thanet Earth is expected to use more than 80% of the energy produced by the 2,740 solvar PV panels, with the remainder being exported to the local grid, significantly reducing the amount of electricity used from the National Grid. Solar power now contributes around 32% of the total power used at the packhouse.

Shaun Beattie, director at BeBa Energy, said the installation was expected to reduce the business' carbon footprint by nearly 190,000kg each year. “We have now completed several

installations of a similar size or larger for major horticulture and agriculture businesses in the county and the sector is working hard to use more solar energy as part of its move towards net zero,” he added.

Shaun went on: “There is capacity for more roof space to be used for the generation of solar power in the agricultural sector and the wider business community, not just in Kent but across the UK.

“A report issued in August 2022 by The UK Warehouse Association said the UK had at that time roof space for 15GW of new solar power which would nearly double the UK’s solar PV capacity. This would meet National Grid’s minimum requirements for solar expansion by 2030.

“To date the UK has deployed around 17GW of solar, with a further 3GW forecast to be added this year.”

A large amount of fruit-growing equipment is set to go under the hammer following the demise of one of the South East’s largest producers.

A dispersal sale of the entire asset register of Bardsley England will take place on Friday 19 April at the former grower’s main site off Howfield Lane, Chartham, near Canterbury, starting at 11am.

The sale, which will be conducted by Hobbs Parker Auctioneers LLP, follows a decision to cease trading following a number of attempts to sell the business as a going concern with its assets included.

“The sale is expected to draw a large audience and significant interest from all over the UK and further afield, and will include live online bidding, which is essential in all

BARDSLEY ENGLAND DISPERSAL SALE

large auctions nowadays,” said John Rossiter, auctioneer and director at Hobbs Parker.

The sale will consist of between 600 and 800 lots of fruit farming equipment, all of which was in use until this season’s crop of apples, pears, cherries and other hard fruits was cleared. Machinery for sale includes 10 orchard and poly tunnel tractors, three telehandlers and almost 30 vehicles, including minibuses, lorries and pick-up trucks.

Also included in the sale will be a wide

range of staff accommodation, fruit storage crates and orchard fixtures along with a large amount of orchard spraying equipment by Munckhof, Tripop and Fede and orchard maintenance equipment by Orvin, Votex, BAB and others.

The live online bidding will be provided by MartEye.ie Bidders need to register via the MartEye website. Auction enquiries should be directed to John Rossiter on 01233 502222.

GRANTS FOR APPLE GROWERS

Apple growers looking to adopt tractor-mounted camera technology to bring a new level of precision to their orchard management could save 60% of the cost, thanks to a new Farming Equipment and Technology Fund (FETF) grant.

Following representations from Agrovista Precision and Aurea Imaging, the government is making FEFT funding available for any make of tractor-mounted, high-resolution sensor system plus an in-cab terminal that provides on-board, real-time processing of data that can be uploaded to a computer or the cloud.

Pricing based on Aurea Imaging’s TMS TreeScout suggests that growers could net £12,900 towards the cost of the equipment.

Agrovista Precision manager Graeme Barrett said: “This funding offers a great opportunity for orchard managers to take a big step forward in precision management.

“TreeScout, Aurea’s tractor-mounted sensor that was launched in the UK last summer, is owned and operated by growers and replaces drones as the primary source of information gathering.

“It provides a quick, reliable and economical method of collecting and analysing data, such as blossom density and tree vigour, to help growers pinpoint inputs to maximise production of first-class fruit.

“We are delighted that our efforts to obtain a grant have paid off, particularly at a time when interest in precision orchard management is growing quickly.”

Agrovista Fruit agronomist Tom Johnson said the funding would help open the door to significant economic gains.

“Managing each tree as an individual helps to create a more homogenous orchard. In collaboration with their agronomists, growers can more accurately match inputs to need using GPS-guided variable rates, producing a more uniform fruit set and improving quality and yield consistency.”

Work on precision thinning by Aurea Imaging in the Netherlands showed a typical yield uplift of 6t/ha, worth over £2,600/ha.

The first application window runs until 11 April, with two more windows expected in the current year.

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MORE THAN 100 EXHIBITORS

Exhibition visitors who dread the thought of being ‘pounced on’ while walking, eyes averted, past the stands at such events had little to fear at this year’s Farm Expo, held at the Kent Event Centre at Detling, Kent.

For the most part, the sales teams at the increasingly popular show were so busy chatting animatedly to visitors that there was little time to pounce on the unwary. The busy and bustling atmosphere paid tribute to a well-timed, well organised show with a range of exhibitors showing off everything from gardening gloves to high-end tractors.

With the weather always a challenge in early March, this year’s show was cool but at least dry, and while many exhibitors took the opportunity of an indoor pitch, there was still plenty to see on the outside areas, including a popular Demo Zone offering live demonstrations of some of the impressive kit on offer.

In its fifth year, the 2024 show featured

more than 100 exhibitors showcasing farm machinery, goods and services from both the biggest national and international suppliers and smaller, specialist outfits.

The atmosphere was positive, the chatter friendly and the feedback from both those manning the stands and those who were out to see what was new in the farming world highlighted the need for an early season farming show.

“We had an amazing day at Farm Expo. With so much going on in British farming it was a much appreciated opportunity to discuss current issues with so many clients and contacts,” said Leo Hickish, chairman of rural consultancy Batcheller Monkhouse, one of a number of professional service providers at the show.

They were joined by banks, insurers, solicitors and representatives from organisations such as the Rural Payments Agency, UK Power Networks, the British

Association for Shooting and Conservation, Kent Young Farmers and Mid Kent College, as well as charities such as the Farming Community Network and the Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution.

It was inevitably, though, the impressive machinery on display that attracted the most attention, with the Claas Axion 960 Terra Trac on the Claas Manns stand just one of the agricultural behemoths catching the eye of passers-by.

Most of the big names were there, with displays from, amongst others, Bell Agricultural, Lister Wilder, FGS Agri, Crawfords, Ernest Doe & Sons, Haynes Agricultural, Tuckwells, Krone and Rhino Plant Hire.

Rhino boss Neil Morgan was one of many exhibitors to praise this year’s show, having attended for four of the past five years. “This year has been a good show,” he said, “with plenty of people showing lots of interest in what’s on offer. I think there are more people

here and we have also seen quite a few new faces.”

Neil said the timing of Farm Expo was good for his business as the team was usually too busy to attend any of the ploughing matches later in the year. “It’s great to be able to talk to customers and see what’s new,” he commented.

It was the first visit to Farm Expo for exhibitors Yeames Solar, and sales executive Duncan Randall was impressed with the number of visitors and the level of interest expressed.

“I think it’s been a fantastic show,” he commented. “We’ve seen a really good mix of people and they have been happy to chat about the potential of installing solar PV and about the new grant opportunities on offer. Yeames specialises in solar on farms and farmland and we’ve been very impressed with the level of interest.”

It was far from the first time for regular exhibitors N P Seymour, and as usual there was something special on offer from the hands-on tractor and machinery dealership.

The stand featured a bespoke tool carrier

built in N P Seymour’s own Cranbrook, Kent, workshop by engineer Mark Maynard from a design by Nick Seymour.

The front-mounted carrier frame, which avoids the need for the usual ‘ mast’ that can obscure the operator’s view, can be fitted with various mechanical weeding implements from manufacturers including Braun and Clemens and can be single- or double-sided and hydraulically or manually adjustable.

Visitors such as Simon King, taking a day away from working at Chapel Down Vineyard to “see what’s out there”, were impressed with the show. “It’s always good to see what new machinery and ideas are on offer,” he said, adding that he had been looking at smaller tractors and telehandlers. “It’s been a worthwhile day out,” he commented.

On the Invicta Insurance Services stand, Adrian Best, Tigi Singhateh and Angus Campbell agreed that the show had been a success, giving them the chance to catch up with existing clients and chat to potential new ones.

“There’s been a good mix of people here, it seems busier than ever, and it’s given us a

chance to catch up with what other businesses are offering as well as meeting people on our own stand,” said operations director Adrian.

As with all self-respecting exhibitions these days, Farm Expo featured two interesting and well-attended seminars. The first, hosted by headline sponsor Brachers, was on rural crime and featured Kent Police’s Rural Task Force, while the afternoon saw solar specialists BeBa Energy outline the company’s BeSmarter energy monitoring scheme.

Kent Police’s Rural Task Force

N P Seymour's bespoke tool carrier

Simon King

Adrian Best, Tigi Singhateh and Angus Campbell of Invicta Insurance Services

SPRING BRINGS OPPORTUNITIES

Our students are now counting the days to the start of spring activities on the farm. There has been a high increase in calving, and lambing is just around the corner.

Fieldwork will also start soon. Whether managing a farm, carrying out research and development, operating and maintaining hi-tech machinery or working in an allied industry such as livestock nutrition or crop agronomy, our agricultural courses steer our students towards a rewarding career. Our students get jobs as soon as they qualify, or progress to higher-level courses.

We have run agricultural courses successfully for many years, and we're right up to date with the technological advances within the industry.

Apart from hands-on learning on our modern farm, students benefit from visiting a range of agribusinesses and from visiting speakers who enthuse them through their

Curriculum Manager Alan Johnson reports.

experience and knowledge of the career on which they are about to embark.

Below is a summary of student activities over the past few weeks:

ALICE HUDSON

This term we have started getting livestock ready for upcoming shows. This includes selecting a couple of our Sussex cattle which would be the best for showing. We are also selecting a few South Down ewes for showing.

To help us decide which cattle would be best, we look at their body condition and consider what characteristics that specific breed should have to do well in shows and stand out to the judges.

Once we have decided on the right ones, we start to halter train them, which can be

a long process as they have never been on a halter before, but consistent regular training will ensure they are ready and safe to be shown. We follow the same process with the South Down ewes.

I have also been busy completing my routines, which we all have to do as part of our course; this time, I have been allocated sheep routines, which I enjoyed. On the first day, I started by completing stock tasks. Our South Downs had begun lambing, so I docked and ear-tagged a couple of lambs, ready to move them into the bigger pens, and flipped the Ewes over to trim their feet.

I also helped herd 200 ewes to move to a different pasture to graze as they had eaten all the grass in the field and it needed time to regrow. I helped carry the lambs and ewes to the new barn, where they continued growing, ready to go outside. I enjoy these routines as I work with the livestock, and we work with all the different departments, like dairy and pigs.

OLLIE MATTOCKS

Last week I was fortunate to be allocated pig routines. It has been very hands-on and fun learning about managing a productive pig enterprise. We learnt what to look for in the daily checks and how to ensure weaners are growing well, displaying normal behaviour, and are healthy.

We also learnt what to look for in young piglets. We were lucky enough to serve some of the sows using AI; this was really interesting because we learnt how to ensure the task was done correctly and appropriately. I will be keen to see how the pregnancy with the sows progresses.

We were also lucky enough to walk around the unit daily, learning about the feed system we use here at Plumpton. In the photo, I am in the farrowing shed with one of our gilts and her piglets.

UNNECESSARY ATTACK ON BADGERS

Dear Sir,

The badger control consultation recently announced by DEFRA reveals yet another appalling attack on a protected native species. Rather than focusing on the most effective ‘tools in the toolbox’ that DEFRA repeatedly states it deploys in the fight against bovine TB, the Government seems intent on using one of the least effective.

In one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world, the removal of untested, disease-free badgers is one of the biggest threats to local ecosystems.

In response to this consultation, Badger Trust is urging a focus on cattle health and an end to this unnecessary attack on badgers. The UK Government needs to protect our native wildlife while focusing on dealing with the scourge of bTB where it matters – within the cattle herd. This approach is best for cattle, farmers, taxpayers, wildlife and the wider community.

We urge individuals, communities and stakeholders to work together to tackle this disease, which can only be done by accurate herd management, more rigorous, reliable testing and cattle vaccination. The UK government appears fixated on a badger-focused policy that affects all of us and our right to nature.

An intensive, badger-killing programme is based on the presence of bovine TB in cattle, not in badgers. This approach will lead to local extinction events of one of our most-loved native species, the badger. As we have shown extensively in our report Tackling Bovine TB Together: Towards Sustainable, Scientific and Effective bTB Solutions, the farming industry needs to focus on better cattle welfare and biosecurity measures and demand the Government implements the more stringent and accurate testing methods that are already available.

The government has quoted the recent Birch report to justify its attacks, but

the main limitation of the Birch et al. study is that badger culling cannot be isolated from the many other variables and factors involved in bTB rates in cattle, many of which were introduced during the same period as the badger cull.

In addition, the figures and code used are not publicly available for repeat analyses. This feels like part of a bTB policy in search of evidence rather than an evidence-based policy. We all should have the same goal –

reducing bTB as quickly as possible. I wish the Government would focus on this and not get distracted by badgers.

Peter Hambly Executive Director, Badger Trust

IMPRESSED BY MISSION TO PROMOTE FARMING

Being a Kaleb Cooper groupie was a fun experience. I must admit to having felt a certain amount of scepticism when we were presented with the tickets. The theatre was packed, the audience consisting of a few farmers but predominantly town folk. Kaleb wasted no time in explaining the realities of farming to the audience in an enthusiastic and entertaining way.

He tackled issues like milk prices being below production cost, TB and the devastating affects it has on farms when cattle test positive, and how no control of badger numbers results in a decline in hedgehogs and ground-nesting birds. Kaleb is obsessed about his tractors, his love of cows and his dislike of sheep.

He showcased his rap song I can’t stand sheep, but as he ties it in with the RABI helpline number (0800 188 4444) I suppose I’ll have to forgive him. Although Kaleb had some derogatory comments to make about Jeremy, he did say he was good with pigs.

At the interval he invited the audience to submit questions, which he answered in a Q&A session. He doesn’t mince his words and provided down to earth replies. He managed to get everyone singing the Wurzels song The Combine Harvester. After funding a bursary for two agricultural students last year, Kaleb hopes to sponsor 10 students this year. I was impressed by his mission to promote farming and I hope he achieves his dream of owning a farm.

Today I woke to hear the wind gusting intermittently and the constant sound of rain pelting against the window. I kept my eyes closed and snuggled down under the covers. I wondered why human beings aren’t designed to hibernate, as right at that moment it seemed like an attractive idea.

Then reality struck and I realised the stock work needed doing. The sheepdogs would be keen to get going whatever the weather. The spaniels, who have impressive bladder control, are less keen to venture out in such conditions. I banished all thoughts of hibernation and opened the curtains to reveal floods in the valley, complete with a pair of swans swimming on our underwater marsh field. I consoled myself that spring would soon be here, and so will lambing.

Our winters are undeniably wetter and warmer these days. Flowers such as snowdrops, primroses, daffodils and bluebells start appearing at least a month earlier than they used to.

The climate is changing. While historically this has always been the case, human behaviour is no doubt exacerbating the rate of change.

Taking action to mitigate global warming seems sensible. The subject is becoming something of a political football. It’s disappointing that cattle are disproportionately blamed for adverse effects and yet conveniently little is said about damage caused by wars and air travel etc.

The recent budget did little for farmers. The Government claims it wants to grow the economy, but in reality businesses are being tied up in knots trying to cope with onerous rules, regulations and unnecessary

Hedgerow maintenance is time consuming

Mud and bramble, time for a clean up for Tilley

paperwork. Brexit, we were promised, would cut red tape, whereas the opposite has happened which adds to running costs.

So much time and effort that could be better used taking a business forward is wasted. Bureaucracy is strangling the economy. We need government leaders who are strong, decisive, trustworthy and who put the needs of the country before their own. Where are these people?

I was not impressed the other day when I tried to phone the bank with a query about online banking. I got through to a machine, which informed me that it needed to identify me before I could progress my call.

It asked for my account number, sort code and my date of birth. When it misinterpreted a number, it told me I’d have to phone again and cut me off. It took me nine calls to speak to a person. I tried a Sussex accent, the King’s English, speaking fast and slow and keying the numbers in; eight times, it got one figure wrong. I’m not convinced AI is the way forward, either. At the time, the idea of stacking dosh under the mattress became strangely attractive.

I take some comfort from knowing that whatever chaos is going on around us, at least as farmers we can produce food to eat so we won’t starve. In an increasingly unstable world, the Government would be wise to maintain or increase food production in this country, and caring for nature should go hand in hand with this. There are always exceptions to the rule, but most farmers I know aspire to leave their land in better condition for the next generation to farm.

Del Boy and Rodney, our two Gloucester Old Spot X Saddleback pigs, took their final journey to the abattoir. They were reluctant to descend the trailer ramp, and as you can imagine if a pig weighing over a 100kg doesn’t want to go anywhere, they’re not easily persuaded.

They took no notice of cajoling, pushing and heaving was futile. My pig dialect (grunting) was no more successful than my conversation with AI. Suddenly, for no particular reason, Del Boy and Rodney calmly walked out of the trailer and into the pig pen. I think that’s why I like pigs; they’re contrary.

The piggies have been turned into the most delicious chops, joints, sausage meat, Lincoln, Cumberland, Old English and plain sausages, plus some bacon. Our family is now feasting on homegrown beef, lamb and pork. Farming is hard work, but it does have its benefits. It all tastes so much better than anything bought in the shops.

I remain deeply concerned about the precarious position of small abattoirs, businesses that are becoming untenable due to a lack of common sense from authorities that are using overzealous implementation of regulations. Instead of taking small abattoirs to court, government agencies should put in resources to resolve problems, helping to improve the industry.

Small abattoirs are vital links in the food chain. If they close, local food production will be lost, financially impacting family livestock farms and smallholdings that rely on their services to make a living.

After a trim up and shower

The ride home

Not sure about this travelling malarkey

Driving ewes towards the pen

Collecting expectant ewes from the marshes

Our bacon tastes sooo good

Finding the hedge in amongst bracken and brambles

FROM THE

The late Harvard Professor of biology, E O Wilson, suggested that the three greatest works of nature were the heart of the blue whale, the voice of the nightingale and the hand of man.

This is a line of thought that stretches the imagination. I am always surprised that he didn’t include the ant, a creature he studied around the globe. Ants, though, unless you understand their life systems, simply do not have the pizzazz to challenge the voice of the nightingale.

The professor knew how to sell an idea, that particular one coming from his musings on “biophilia”. Another concept he sold with great fierceness was that we could only halt the current mass extinction by conserving “half earth”. I am relieved, but sad too, that he did not work for the Welsh Assembly nor the French Department of Agriculture. He might have caused a revolution.

I often formulate my own list, though it alters continuously. Maybe the dung beetle appears, a little ahead of the earthworm, for its extraordinary symbiosis with fly-eating mites, which it carries much like an aircraft carrier, from pat to pat.

Or the swift, sleeping on the wing but living to hoover vast numbers of flying insects. As clouds of midges mass on our borders threatening the dispersal of Bluetongue disease, this extraordinary bird is definitely a contender.

Obviously, and no giggling at the back, the mammary gland is definitely one of nature’s

WORKS OF NATURE AND MINETTE’S GOODBYE

By Martin Hole, who farms organic livestock with his family at Montague Farm, on the western edge of the Pevensey Levels Wetland of International Importance.

miracles. Seeing a calf born into the vast, wide world, then rise unsteadily to seek the teat and sup the milk of life does ‘it’ for me every time. Nature holds so many wonders, and so many answers.

It was to nature that Aled Jones, President of the Cymru NFU, turned at the recent NFU Conference in Birmingham. As departing NFU President Minette Batters took the chair for the last time, clearly tapping her watch, he gave a eulogy on behalf of us all.

I suspect she had (wisely) allowed him just one minute. It was not wasted. In his soft, melodic Welsh tones, he alluded to “our very own lioness”, before adding: “She purrs and she growls.” Minette has been the Queen of Beasts for the past six years, and in that role has been inspirational. Conference gave a standing ovation, several wiping tears from their eyes. Gosh, we farmers have been lucky.

Farmers now stand second in the popularity list of professions. Only just behind nurses, our industry has shown its strengths

of hard work and determination in the face of all weather and economic challenges.

Minette (and her team) has championed this, twisting the public around her little finger as she has so many of the policy makers and industrialists with whom she has done business. Her masterclass gives the incoming President, Tom Bradshaw, a head start as he takes the baton from her.

I hope the arguments about Red Tractor and febrile farming demonstrations around Europe do not detract from either his importance as a leader nor the hard-won popularity of our industry. In 2020, a million members of the public signed a petition asking the government to respect British farming’s high standards when it comes to trade deals, and in 2023 nearly 50,000 signatures led to the Prime Minister hosting a food security summit.

The Government listened, but for how long? I hope we don’t squander our hardearned ability to sell an idea.

Martin Hole

SARAH CALCUTT

Honorary Chair, National Fruit Show

GOOD FOOD NEEDS A GREAT FOOD SYSTEM

The City Food and Drink Lecture this year saw a capacity audience with a healthy number of online attendees, too. The event continues to grow year on year, its importance as a meeting place of food and retail leaders and policy influencers having never been more evident.

Simon Roberts, the CEO of Sainsburys, gave the key note lecture, while the panel consisted of Dan Aherne of New England Seafood, Anna Taylor from the Food Foundation and Tom Bradshaw, the new NFU President, all of whom I feel could easily fill the lecture spot in the future.

Simon’s opening statement expressed his concerns with the British food system before he went on to highlight what he saw as a need to produce a food policy that supports the production of as much food as possible.

Sadly, this follows the loss of 25% of the British pig herd and comes at a time when UK farmers have enormous issues with being able to bring in labour, manage seasonal crops in a changing climate and deal with new environmental schemes and the impacts of a green policy that seems set on taking too much land out of production.

“We cannot have a reduction in our capacity to produce food. It’s not sustainable and importation is not the answer,” he said. “Paying farmers a sustainable price and delivering affordable healthy food is a priority.”

Simon went on to state that sustained action and the need to move at a greater pace to support British farmers had to be at the top of policy making of whichever government came next.

It is well known that any manifesto needs to embrace the food system and the need to support farmers; the big challenge coming from any crossover of departments causes issues in integration and stifles any joined up policy decision making.

In a short clip from Clive Black of Shore Capital we were told that short-term negotiation doesn’t work and that long-term partnerships with investment over time are needed if we are to improve availability of food based on a pricing structure that offers a viable, sustainable return to producers and ensures better long-term food security.

Simon highlighted Bord Bia as a case study for how collaboration across an industry is desirable in a competitive marketplace.

Tom Bradshaw gave an articulate response, especially on the government policy element, pointing out that it was all very well stating that food production was a priority but that the vision needed clarity, reality and policy.

He said policy was currently a barrier and called for trade policies that stopped members being undermined by imported products.

Anna Taylor opened with a claim that the country was a long way from a great food system and needed a policy framework and a minister of food who would deliver a primary legislation framework, to get back the 10 years of healthy life being lost to poor diets.

She said it was the role of the food industry to share in boosting the nation’s health, pointing out that the Office of Budget Responsibility had had to adjust the figures for those who were economically inactive due to health upwards to 2.25m people, 130,000 more than 12 months ago. Poor food, she said, damaged long term health.

Dan Aherne added that sustainability was as much about the people as about economic sustainability, while Tom Bradshaw observed that while retailers can import food made with cheaper systems and inputs, they will always have a reason to undermine home production.

There is no level playing field currently, despite the UK having a climate that is great for food production and a professional industry focussed on high quality food. Trade policy cannot continue to undermine production.

Dan Aherne Simon Roberts

Tom Bradshaw

HRH Princess Anne

TENANT FARMERS FOR FOUR GENERATIONS

This month Nigel Akehurst visits Andrew Lingham at Court Farm in Upper Halling, near Rochester in Kent, to find out more about his natural systems-based approach to mixed farming and creating a regenerative food hub on the farm.

Arriving at Court Farm, situated at the foot of the North Downs in Upper Halling, I notice the black sign advertising the farm as a “regenerative food hub” in a modern typeface with little icons.

I follow the drive and park up in a large, newly created parking area below the main yard. It’s Monday, so the farm shop and bakery are shut, but it’s still a hive of activity, with staff busy inside. There’s a lawn mowing business with ride on mowers lined up outside, and a brewery and tap room housed inside a large barn.

Behind the yard I spot the old brick farmhouse, flanked by a traditional oast house. The door is open, and I can hear Andrew chatting away on the phone. He finishes his call

and invites me in for a cuppa and a chat.

Sat in his round office, I can’t help but marvel at the collection of farming books piled up on the shelf behind his desk.

“I’ve read most of them,” he said. A selfconfessed regenerative farming nerd, Andrew is passionate about natural farming systems and improving soil health.

Sipping my tea, I ask him if he has a favourite book in his collection? He replies with: “For the Love of Soil by Nicole Masters”, a book he says is down to earth and has lots of relatable farmer case studies.

Another book he recommends is The Living Soil written in 1943 by Lady Eve Balfour, a British farmer, educator and founding figure in the organic movement.

HISTORY

The Linghams have been tenant farmers at Court Farm for four generations, tracing their history there back to 1871, said Andrew. After studying at Seale Hayne and stints in the USA, Australia and New Zealand, Andrew returned to the family farm in 1990.

In his early twenties he experienced a few health issues and at one point weighed around 10 stones, he said. This prompted him to start reading up on gut health and alternative medicines. Thankfully a combination of improved diet, acupuncture and homeopathic remedies helped him to recover.

It was this experience that led him to start questioning some of the received wisdom and conventional tools promoted by ‘Big Ag’. He

began reading up on soil health and trialling more natural processes on the farm, including homeopathic remedies on his livestock.

Adding value was another priority for Andrew, who realised that generating an income for two families on around 600 acres of mainly grade 3 chalky soils would be a tall order.

VENISON BUSINESS AND SELLING MEAT DIRECT

During the early to mid-nineties, Andrew tried rearing red deer on the farm. He ran an operation that finished up to 100 deer annually and marketed the meat at various country shows, spending quite a bit of time “on the road”.

He also began selling their beef and lamb to a local butcher. Realising he could make a premium by selling the meat himself, he began marketing beef, lamb and venison boxes to the local community.

From the mid-nineties onwards he started selling direct from the farm gate, opening twice weekly for three hours on Wednesdays and Saturdays.

Word of mouth recommendations helped the business grow and Andrew decided that opening a farm shop and butchery would

be a good idea. He took up the offer of 25% grant funding from the South East Economic Development Agency (SEEDA) to convert a redundant farm building, and opened to the public in 2002.

FARM SHOP AND FARMERS MARKETS

Over the past 20-plus years, the farm shop has gone from strength to strength, winning the Best Butcher of the Year and Food and Farming Landscape Taste of Kent awards in 2014. Andrew said that apart from a website (www.courtfarmbutchers.com) they do little advertising, attributing the growth to word of mouth. The business now employs a team of seven part time and full-time staff, including four butchers.

As well as selling their own Pasture for Life (PfL)-certified beef, lamb and free-range eggs, they sell locally sourced free-range chicken and pork and make their own pies, pasties, sausage rolls and ready meals. They also sell a wide range of local preserves, sauces, speciality cheeses, flour, apple juice, beer, ice cream and local fruit and veg from David Catt & Sons.

FARM FACTS

• Mixed Farm

• Farming 800 acres

• 500 acres of arable cropping

• Rolling five-year average wheat yield is 8.2 tonnes per hectare

• 300 acres of grass, including Countryside Stewardship land

• Diversified farm buildings - regenerative food hub as well as industrial lets

• Started direct drilling in 2008

• Started cover cropping in 2012

• Part of Kent Downs AONB Cluster Group

he was able to convert some of the other redundant farm buildings in the yard to create a regenerative food hub.

The meat is also sold at two London farmers’ markets, a weekly market held in Blackheath and a fortnightly market held in Woolwich. They previously attended several monthly markets but found more frequent markets to be a “better bet” as “you get into people’s buying patterns”, he commented.

To this end, Andrew has recently obtained planning permission to run a fortnightly farmers’ market at Court Farm on the first and third Thursday of each month (10am to 2pm), which he hopes to launch in the late spring or early summer.

The market will be run as a joint venture with Medway Street Angels, a charity that Andrew already supports with weekly donations of meat and unsold bread.

Sales rocketed during the pandemic, said Andrew, and after gaining planning permission >>

Andrew Lingham

REGENERATIVE FOOD HUB

In addition to the shop and butchery, the farm yard now includes an artisan bakery, brewery and tap room that moved into an old workshop building last spring.

Neither are his own businesses, he explained, but they both pay rent and help create a more local food system, something Andrew believes is the key to sorting out climate change.

Adding to the food hub will be an on-site mill, producing artisan flour from his own heritage wheat. Andrew has already purchased an £8,000 stone mill from Austria, which he showed me in an old farm building, currently being made food safe. Once ready, later this year, he plans to make and sell his flour to the on-site bakery and other local artisan bakers.

In addition to the cluster of food businesses, Andrew has several other small lets, including a lawn mowing business, and admitted the rental income is vital to keeping the farm going.

REGENERATIVE FARMING AND SFI

Andrew stopped ploughing his soil in the late nineties, moving to min tilling before buying his first direct drill in 2008, a second-hand Amazone Airstar Primera which he still uses today. In 2012 he started growing cover crops in the autumn to keep a living root in the ground, a key principle of regenerative agriculture and improving soil biology. Shortly after that he began integrating livestock into the arable rotation, another vital contribution to building up soil organic matter, he explained.

He said his soils now have an organic matter ratio of between 4% and 8%, adding that he regretted not having taken a baseline. He estimates

that they have at least doubled since he switched to regen ag.

Over the years, as soil health has improved, Andrew has managed to reduce his artificial nitrogen use by 60% and his glyphosate use by 40%. For last harvest he managed to grow his wheat and bean crops without using a fungicide. This has all come from increasing soil health and nutrient cycling to produce healthier plants that are much less reliant on conventional inputs.

He sees the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) and cover crop options as a big opportunity to improve soil health, adding that he understood from the Rural Payments Agency that fewer than one in eight farmers had so far signed up. “Unless we take up all that’s been allocated to SFI, they’re going to take it away and redirect it,” he warned, calling on more farmers to sign up.

Explaining his enthusiasm for SFI on his own farm, he said SFI took out a lot of the risk of farming on grade three soils. “On our farm we now grow winter wheat and winter beans and the rest of it is SFI,” he said.

“We’ve taken out a lot of the high-risk spring break crops. The only break crops he grows now are for cover crop seed as he can see that becoming valuable. “So we’re growing millet and beans for cover crop seed for SFI,” he added.

To maximise the benefits, he thinks SFI should come with an educational package, including knowledge exchange with farmers working together in a local cluster group.

“A lot of what I’ve learned about regen ag in the past 20 years has come from farmer knowledge exchange; groups of us getting together and re-learning natural processes,” he said.

Andrew Lingham in a field of winter wheat

Currently Andrew is part of the PfL mentoring programme which is spreading knowledge and understanding of regen ag across the south eastern counties.

PASTURE FOR LIFE LIVESTOCK

By 2013 Andrew had started to integrate livestock around the arable rotation. “I’m one of the founding members of Pasture for Life, having joined in 2015,” he said.

He sold his beef suckler herd in 2017, explaining that it was too much work and he had lost some summer grazing for his cows. He switched to buying in PfL beef stores and finishes them to go through the butcher’s shop.

Over the past two or three years, Andrew has started building a customer base of other butchers and farm shops that want PfL stock. He said he’s trying to make a premium on what they are doing and said they had recently started supplying the Priory Farm shop at Red Hill.

He currently supplies around 30 to 35 bullocks to the farm shop annually and is now looking to build up his stock numbers, with the aim of finishing between 80 and 100 bullocks a year.

Typically, he buys his store animals in at between 18 and 30 months. One of his PfL suppliers is John Cherry, of Groundswell fame, who sells Andrew his shorthorn and Hereford crosses. Often, they are over 30 months old and Andrew is able to put the last six to eight weeks of finish on them.

He also buys store lambs from Camilla Ashby on the Romney Marshes. Again, she is PfL registered, and they are Romney, which finish incredibly well, he said.

He runs the beef and sheep together as a flerd (flock and herd) and moves the two strands of electric fence every two to three days if it’s wet and every three to four days if it’s dry. “I’m very keen on looking at what the soil conditions are and at the overhead conditions,” he said, adding that the aim was not to poach the ground.

Heading out to see the cows and sheep grazing a winter cover crop, we visited a 100-acre field a short drive down the road. Despite being one of the wettest Februarys on record, there is plenty of green material and the ground looks in good shape. I point out to Andrew that the skylarks seem to approve of the habitat, too.

He admits they are lucky to be on chalk and explained that he plans to follow the winter cover crop with a Southern Water-funded spring/ summer cover crop. This will be followed by winter wheat, he added.

As we leave the field, Andrew stops to show me his composting windrows. He says they take in wood chip and mix it with farm yard manure to produce a fine compost. In the future he plans to start producing bokashi, using a plastic sheet to seal the material and create anaerobic compost.

ALTERNATIVE SUPPLEMENTS AND FARM MACHINERY

Back in the farm yard, we visit a group of finishers housed in a shed. Andrew is feeding them a 4kg per head ration of Lucerne nuts, in addition to ad lib silage. He generally houses his fat cattle to put the last bit of finish on them, before taking them to slaughter at Beredens Farm Meats in Romford.

To aid rumen health, Andrew provides access to a liquid fulvic and humic acid product for his cattle and pointed to the licks. He also recommends diatomaceous earth, seaweed and Himalayan rock salt, which he puts in a heavy metal wheel with a wooden base for the cattle to access as required.

He also shows me his collection of IBCs, all containing various organic and mineral supplements including fish hydrolase, which he adds when direct drilling.

Next, we head into the grain store to check out Andrew’s main tractor and two direct drills, both of which he managed to buy second hand and has customised over the years. He admitted his tractor, a Fendt 828 with 280 horse power, is perhaps a bit of overkill, but added that it can come in handy on some of their banky fields.

SUCCESSION

Andrew is optimistic about the future of his farming business. His two sons, Harry and Alex, have both gone into farming. They have both indicated that they want to come home, and so the challenge now is to make the business large enough to support everyone that depends on it. Andrew has an Agricultural Holdings Act (AHA) tenancy on Court Farm, which is owned by Tarmac, with two generations remaining.

Leaving the farm, I felt inspired and full of ideas to try out at home. I am also determined to add to my own collection of regenerative farming books and finally read For the Love of Soil.

MAJOR PLAYER IN AGRICULTURAL CONSTRUCTION

While most men will occasionally buy their wives flowers, Torran Construction managing director John Rodgers went a stage further when finding a new headquarters for his growing groundworks and civil engineering business.

In 2014, John and his fellow directors moved to Preston Garden Centre in north east Kent because the site had development potential and the space to site a new office building from which to run the company.

When his wife Sarah, a keen landscape gardener, saw the garden centre she persuaded husband John not to lease it to another operator but to let her run it instead. “So instead of buying her a bunch of flowers I bought her the whole garden centre,” he commented.

The decision highlighted the entrepreneurial spirit and the determination to succeed that has marked the growth of Torran Construction, which has quickly established itself as a major player in the agricultural construction field.

It was an equally bold, yet carefully considered, decision that saw Torran Construction set up 20 years ago. John was working as contracts manager with Gallagher Construction when he was offered the chance to tender for the cold store groundworks for one of Kent’s top fruit growers.

“I won that job and so I had to make a decision about my future,” he recalled. In the event John parted company with the Gallagher Group to pursue his dream of running his own business, to be joined a year later by Jason Glanville, a former colleague at Gallagher.

“I had been there seven years and it felt like time to move on,” John said. Looking back now as his own company celebrates its 20th year in business, he added: “Decisions like that change your life. It was risky, of course it was, but it worked out.”

John left the Kent-based aggregates, groundworks, civil engineering and property development giant on good terms – “Pat invited me back to their 50th anniversary celebrations last year,” he pointed out – and John is now a customer of his former employer.

Torran may be 30 years behind in terms of anniversaries, but John, Jason and fellow director Malcolm Cook have built up a successful, multidisciplined construction firm that has built a solid reputation in this part of the world.

Alongside groundworks and civil engineering contracts, Torran Construction has taken on a number of projects as the main contractor, a role that the team enjoys.

“We are very happy to be brought in to do the groundworks side of

things, and it’s what we originally made our name doing, but we now have the contacts, the expertise and the experience to take on the whole project,” said John.

As Jason explained: “We are good at organising the various trades that have to combine to create a modern agricultural building and get it finished on budget and on time. In many ways it’s easier to organise all the bits than to be one of the bits someone else is trying to organise.”

>>

That first cold store contract included providing all the drainage and a power-floated concrete floor, which highlighted the high standards that Torran Construction has continued to build on. “It’s about providing the right quality at the right price and working closely with the client,” John explained.

John Rodgers

Specialists in controlled atmosphere stores

Rapid chilling systems for soft fruit and fresh produce

Secondary cooling systems with energy efficient defrosting using air source heat pump technology

Retrofitting of existing high cost electrical defrost heaters with air source heat pumps

Electrical engineers and contracting

Refrigeration and Electrical service, maintenance, and breakdown cover

Testing and certification to NICEIC

Mains power solutions for distribution and installations

Temperature controlled wine storage solutions using DX or Secondary refrigeration with heating options

Qualified to install EV chargers

Refrigeration gas leak detection systems

F-gas compliance and record keeping

Refrigeration system controls with remote monitoring

Dave Reynolds Director 07418

Sean Macoy

Rob Burbridge

Paul

Heather

Flexibility is another one of the company’s watchwords, with the company always doing its best to work with the client if schedules slip or issues arise.

“Some of the bigger and shinier companies are a bit quick to point to the contract terms if there is a delay and can even see it as an opportunity to increase the bill,” said John. “In our case, if someone else causes a bit of slippage we do our best to take the guys off site and use them on another contract. We want to work with the client, not just for them.”

It's an approach that has won Torran Construction plenty of repeat business, sometimes after a slight gap. “In one or two cases a client has gone elsewhere, either because we were already fully committed or because they were persuaded to try a different

contractor, but then came back to us for subsequent jobs,” Jason said.

In the early days, and given John and Jason’s background, a lot of Torran Construction’s contracts were in the commercial or light industrial sectors, including completing a £3m groundworks contract for a new high school in Maidstone.

Following the economic slump of 2009, though, with funding drying up for major school and hospital projects, the company in effect went ‘back to its roots’ and focused more on agricultural work, either completing groundworks for steel frame contractors or, increasingly, project managing new buildings from grain stores to cold stores.

Initially based at St Nicholas Court Farms at St Nicholas at Wade, the business moved

to the Preston Garden Centre site in 2014 and built its new headquarters there, as well as building an extension to the garden centre and adding a smart, modern bistro.

The office and bistro at Preston highlight the attention to detail and quality of workmanship that has established Torran Construction’s reputation over the past 20 years and seems set to propel them on to more and bigger anniversaries.

John explained that he liked working with farming businesses because farmers had “a good, hard-work mentality”, an ethos that he believes the team at Torran Construction shares. That core workforce can be quickly increased from the company’s pool of carefully selected and well-trained casual employees.

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While John and Malcolm look after the admin and costing side of the business, Jason’s main responsibility is for the workforce and for the plant. “He’s the one who knows where everything and everyone is all the time,” John said. The line-up includes six excavators ranging from two-and-a-half tonnes through to 13 tonnes, four dumpers, ride-on rollers, fuel bowsers and a wide range of ancillary equipment.

The team can tackle projects ranging from silage clamps through cattle sheds and milking parlours, grain stores and cold stores to slurry storage, yards and anything else a farm might need.

For recycling experts Ling Demolition Services at Hersden, near Canterbury, Torran Construction erected a number of large

buildings complete with a complex antipollution drainage system and a weighbridge.

Other recent projects have included building battery storage compounds for Tesla in Essex and at Burgess Hill, West Sussex. “Those were complex jobs featuring lots of ducting for the electrical cables and deep foundations to take the weight of the batteries,” Jason pointed out.

Other challenging projects have included a storage facility in Bromley which involved putting in concrete piling and then digging out a basement area, while the company has also built a number of anaerobic digestion plants in Kent.

Torran Construction has also worked for a number of vineyards in the South East and John said he was keen to do more in

the sector. The company attended last year’s Vineyard and Winery Show at Detling and found the atmosphere “exciting and purposeful,” he said.

Meanwhile current activity includes working on new glasshouse buildings for Thanet Earth, building light industrial units for Rastrum in Rye and carrying out the groundworks for a packhouse extension for top fruit growers A C Goatham & Son on the Isle of Grain.

“Whatever the job, we aim to deliver a quality finish, on time and on budget,” John said. “It’s a philosophy that’s brought us this far over the past 20 years and we look forward to working with farmers across the South East as we move forward into the next 20 and beyond.”

The prolonged wet winter is likely to have compromised root development and increased crop stress, which needs to be addressed before applying postemergence chemistry.

Even if autumn weed control was compromised and you’re keen to apply a spring herbicide once conditions allow, don’t do anything if crops are showing stress or yellowing; it’ll just make a bad situation worse.

In such situations, it may be better to delay herbicide application, especially of stronger contact grassweed chemistry, and wait until early nutrition has stimulated growth and improved the resilience of crops to any potential herbicide effects.

Accurate spray timing is paramount this spring and key to not doing any more damage than has already been done by the weather.

TARGETED APPROACH

With hugely variable crops across the UK, and even within some fields, decisions must be made on a field-by-field basis. Assess crop condition and weed pressure first, then consider the most suitable strategy.

Ideally, spring weed control will include contact herbicides to treat weeds already present, plus residual chemistry to catch later emerging weeds and avoid the need to return with more expensive contact chemistry later. But that strategy may need modifying this season.

If, for example, conditions have not allowed travel until March to apply residual chemistry, there could be more sizeable weeds by then, so the focus may be better spent on contact chemistry rather than residuals. Crops drilled last autumn that did not receive any pre-em may also face greater immediate weed pressure, requiring stronger contact chemistry, especially where blackgrass emerged late.

Iodosulfuron-methyl-sodium + mesosulfuron-methyl mixes are good for a plethora of grass and broadleaf weeds, but

BE CAREFUL WITH SPRING HERBICIDES

Great care is needed when planning spring herbicide applications to crops that experienced prolonged periods of waterlogging and anaerobic conditions, explains Hutchinsons agronomist James Boswell.

should ideally be accompanied by a residual partner to control later emerging weeds.

Remember, too, that for blackgrass and ryegrass in particular, much depends on the weed’s growth stage. Be realistic about the control you expect to achieve from post-ems, especially given the levels of ALS resistance generally. There’s no silver bullet.

Even where crops received a pre-em last autumn, heavy rainfall has reduced the persistence of residual chemistry, so a spring top-up may be required to control any flush of problematic grass weeds like blackgrass, ryegrass and brome.

JAMES BOWSWELL

T: 07721 888382

E: james.boswell@hlhltd.co.uk

Canterbury: 01227 830064

www.hlhltd.co.uk

The main residual options for blackgrass control are flufenacet-based chemistry, with diflufenican, picolinafen or pendimethalin. But with evidence showing wider resistance to flufenacet in ryegrass species, care is required as to its use, and testing is paramount to understand the issues faced.

Research into three-way mixes of chlorotoluron, diflufenican and

pendimethalin at the peri-emergence stage shows promising results, with improved control of ryegrass and bromes in particular. If you can get on at that stage, then use contact chemistry later, you can probably get decent control, although it’s all down to timing and the weather.

GLYPHOSATE CAUTION

With little or no opportunity for stale seedbeds ahead of planned or unplanned spring cropping, pre-drilling glyphosate on stubbles is key to avoiding an excessive weed burden in spring crops.

Anyone using glyphosate first needs to check their water quality and pH, as hard water, or water with a high mineral content, contains more cations that can ‘lock-up’ glyphosate and dramatically reduce its effectiveness in the field. This may be a particular risk for those extracting water from a borehole in a hard water area and not using a water conditioner.

Farmers:

The real pain of hitting an overhead power line is felt by your family.

IF YOUR VEHICLE TOUCHES A POWER LINE:

Before you head out on the farm, check for overhead power lines. LOOK

RECENT FIELD ACTIVITY

A monthly column contributed by Chichester Crop Consultancy (CCC). This month written by Peter

Cowlrick.

April brings some key fungicide input decision making that will underpin the performance of winter rape, barley and wheat this harvest.

With regards to rape, there are likely to be two main scenarios; crops that received stem extension growth regulation and fungicides in March and those more backward/pigeon grazed crops that have yet to be sprayed. The key disease risks to oilseed rape at the early flowering stages are light leaf spot and Sclerotinia, and both require a protectant-based approach with fungicide inputs.

Light leaf spot is a polycyclic pathogen that moves up the canopy during wet weather and is particularly damaging if it becomes established on the pods. Sclerotinia requires soils that are moist and

warm (over 10°C) for fruiting bodies (apothecia) to appear and release airborne spores which then infect flower petals. When infected flower petals drop, they lodge on branches of the flowering canopy and can infect the stems/branches, causing premature senescence and significant yield losses if not treated. Prothioconazole-based treatments will cover both diseases at the early flowering stage, with Tebuconazole, Azoxystrobin and various SDHI additions offering broader spectrum disease control and canopy greening effects.

For winter barley, the T1 fungicide timing (GS30-31) is key to building yield potential, as being “sink-limited”, final yield in winter barley is determined by high numbers of viable tillers, rather than the number of grain sites. Tiller retention is critical, and significant early disease pressure can cause the plant to abort tillers. Currently there is plenty of brown rust present, and net blotch can be found on susceptible cultivars, with Rhynchosporium largely absent.

Net blotch control is a growing concern as there are increasing levels of insensitivity to both azole and SDHI chemistry, which makes timely intervention important. T1 fungicide inputs should be based around Prothioconazole or Mefentrifluconazole in combination with SDHIs, with a strobilurin (e.g. Pyraclostrobin or Trifloxystrobin) added where there is significant net blotch infection.

St George’s Day provides a useful reminder of the T1 fungicide timing in winter wheat when final leaf 3 is at least 75% emerged on main shoots, but depending on sowing date and variety this can be anything from 10 days before to 10 days later. This timing is very important to provide around three weeks fungicide protection until the key flag leaf emergence stage in May.

The key disease targets at this timing are Septoria, brown and yellow rust, eyespot and mildew; there is currently plenty of Septoria infection, and brown rust is easy to find in susceptible varieties, along with low levels of yellow rust.

Achieving high levels of Septoria control at this timing under high pressure is increasingly problematic due to the recent loss of some key actives (notably Chlorothalonil) and selecting varieties with sound genetic resistance is important.

Independent trials have shown that yield responses are typically only around 10% from T1 fungicides (range 5-20%). Spend should reflect the level of disease risk determined by sowing date, variety and recent weather. Fungicides should be based around either Prothioconazole or Mefentrifluconazole in combination with an SDHI for well-established crops sown from September to mid-October or potentially a lower-cost triazolebased combination for crops with lower yield potential and/or later sown.

Peter Cowlrick

DRAMATIC REVERSAL

As the Government’s forecast for farm business income for the year to February 2024 confirms, the decline in arable farmers’ economic fortunes over the past year must be one of the most dramatic reversals any of us can remember. The figures show a 77% average decline in income per farm from £150,000 to £34,000.

Almost exactly two years ago feed wheat prices peaked at £340 per tonne and oilseed rape at £930 per tonne. These two crops form the core profitability on most arable farms, so the financial impact of their decline in value, to £150 per tonne for wheat and £330 per tonne for rape, cannot be overstated.

A collapse in arable commodity prices is one thing, but when that is combined with the surge in the cost of production seen in the past two years, it magnifies the problem hugely. Farm business data company Yargo has found that variable costs of producing wheat in 2023 increased significantly, with the costs of fertiliser and fungicides in particular rising steeply.

Predictably, then, the forecasts from business consultants Andersons for their ‘typical’ model 600-hectare, 40% owned, ‘Loam Farm’ are extremely gloomy. They show a margin from production of £153 per hectare in 2023 (down 59% on 2022), with that due to drop to £18 per hectare in 2024 (down a further 88% on 2023).

Many hope that the Sustainable Farming Initiative (SFI) will come to their rescue. But, as a friend who grows 400 hectares of cereals and has just signed up said recently: “It will pay us £16,000 a year, which is not much compensation for the withdrawal of the Basic Payment Scheme.”

And that, of course, is the third element of this perfect storm that is decimating arable incomes: the phasing out by 2027 of the old EU BPS subsidy. Even before the recent decline in arable commodity prices and the rise in our production costs, only one in ten UK arable farms was profitable without BPS, so just where we are headed if current trends continue doesn’t bear thinking about.

One course of action is that we all get fed up with our losses and pile into some of the more attractive options under the recently revamped Environmental Land Management scheme (ELMS). Fifty new ELMS actions were announced this year and perhaps many farmers will be tempted, for example, to plant a nectar flower mix paying £739 per hectare. Similarly, if wheat prices don’t improve, the option to raise water levels in arable peat soils to near the land surface for £1,381 per hectare might be hard to resist.

Even if farms do see ELMS as a financial saviour, the Government has made it clear that, should UK grain production levels come under threat due to large-scale uptake, they will withdraw or ration ELMS participation.

Like it or not, it seems that most of us will have to continue with our arable crop production. Which reminds me of a 20-hectare block I’ve still got to sow to spring beans. Thanks to all the rain, the field looks like I’ve taken an ELMS payment to raise water levels to near (or even above) the land surface. Unfortunately, I’m not being paid £1,381 per hectare, but perhaps by next year I’ll have signed up.

STEPHEN CARR

Stephen farms near Eastbourne in East Sussex in partnership with his wife and four of his daughters. The farm has a pub, the Sussex Ox at Milton Street, which serves the farm's pedigree Sussex beef, Southdown-cross lamb and fruit and vegetables from the farmhouse kitchen-garden.

QUALITY SALES AND REPAIR SERVICE

When Mark Brown decided it was time to set up his own business, he had in mind “a one man in a van, going around fixing people’s machinery” kind of future.

Twenty or so years later, at the helm of ground care machinery specialists M&A Brown & Sons Ltd and responsible for five vehicles, 11 people and a permanent base at Iden Green Farm, just outside Goudhurst, he joked: “I grew a monster.”

It may have grown beyond his expectations, but the company’s reputation has grown with it, to the point where M&A Brown & Sons’ name is well known throughout Kent, Sussex and into South East London for the quality of its sales and repair service.

The business has both commercial and domestic customers and prides itself on the level of service it delivers in both categories.

Mark’s wife Amanda, who has played an integral part in the growth of the business, explained: “Everybody counts. It doesn’t matter if it’s a commercial operator looking for half a dozen ride-on mowers or a home-owner asking about an entry level strimmer, they both get all the help they need.”

M&A Brown & Sons stocks a comprehensive, carefully selected range of ground care machinery, from leaf blowers, strimmers and pedestrian mowers through to ride-ons, impressive zero-turn mowers and compact tractors, complete with the implements that make them useful.

“We only sell quality brands like Ariens, AS Motor, Wiebang, Echo and Hayter because we know they are the best and will give great results over an impressively long period,” explained Amanda. “It would be easy to over-

stock, but we would just be adding quantity over quality, and we are happy that we already sell the right brands for our customer base.”

That customer base includes farmers, smallholders, estates, councils and individuals who value good service, advice and the knowledge that M&A Brown & Sons will be able to look after the machine long after the paintwork has dulled and the first scuffs have appeared.

As a sub-contractor, M&A Brown & Sons also supplies, maintains and repairs ground care machinery used on rail routes and at major airports. Meanwhile companies such as Forst, which supplies chippers, and Ariens are now using Mark and his team as a service centre, which means they can look after equipment that is still under warranty but was bought elsewhere.

Mark

The team at what is very much a family firm takes a flexible approach to the workload, but in general Mark handles the commercial enquiries while Bob Shelley looks after domestic customers.

Mark trained as an agricultural engineer, working for a number of big name machinery dealers in the South East before moving into ground care because he felt it was “a niche that suited his skills and experience”.

He joined Glendale Managed Services in Lewisham, South East London, as a workshop manager in around 2000, just a year or so after he and Amanda were married. Glendale provides ground care services for operations such as councils and hospitals, and while Mark enjoyed the work and being part of the team at Glendale, he found the daily journey from High Halden in the Weald of Kent a challenge.

“He decided he wanted to be one man in a van,” Amanda revealed, “but it snowballed a bit. One van became two and then three. We then took on a workshop so that we could do more repairs and then expanded into selling new machinery. It’s been a steady growth supported by a great team.”

APEX

Fortunately for Mark, while he now spends much of his time running the business alongside Amanda, he still gets the chance to get his hands dirty, particularly when engineers are sick. “Some of the guys were off with ‘flu’ last week and so Mark was back on the tools and loved every minute of it,” Amanda revealed.

After moving from a van-based operation to a permanent base in 2004, M&A Brown & Sons moved to their current location on the Cranbrook Road at Goudhurst two years later, initially in half of one building but now in three buildings on the site.

Alongside a spacious workshop, they have an office, a parts store and a well laid-out showroom and forecourt which has displays of Echo, Toro, Al-Ko and Branson/TYM equipment alongside the brands mentioned earlier.

“Ideally we would like to buy premises rather than rent, but whenever we come across some potential farm buildings locally we find that they are on sale with planning permission to be turned into homes,” Mark

Mark

commented. “You can see why, but it makes it difficult for this kind of business to find a suitable rural location to operate from.”

Another recent purchase which sets M&A Brown & Sons apart is a cylinder sharpening bench that means the company can put a new edge on commercial cylinder mower cutting units. “It’s not a cheap bit of kit so few people offer the service these days. We invested in the bench because our customers appreciate the fact that we can keep their mowers in top condition,” Amanda explained.

Although he has built up his own impressive customer base over the years, Mark is still making the journey to Lewisham, as M&A Brown & Sons now acts as a sub-contractor to Glendale Managed Services, supplying and maintaining the company’s equipment.

The business became a limited company in 2012, although the decision had to be put on hold for a few months while the couple awaited the arrival of their second child. They had one boy, Theo, but needed to make sure Zach was, as expected, a boy, before adding the “& Sons” to the company name.

Theo, who now works for a local farmer after completing an agricultural course at Hadlow College, was 15 during the coronavirus lockdown. “He finished all the work set online by his school in the morning and then spent the afternoons working alongside his dad in the workshop,” Amanda recalled.

Younger brother Zach, now 12, spends all his free time at Iden Green Farm cleaning machinery and doing all sorts of other jobs around the site to earn extra pocket money. There’s no pressure on either of the boys to join the family business, but both have inherited their father’s love of machinery and it looks like a distinct possibility.

If they also inherit mum’s focus on customer service, the business will be in safe hands long into the future. “We know most of our customers by name, many of them often pop in just for a chat and the kettle is always on. I also have a reputation for insisting that everyone who answers the phone talks with a smile on their face,” she said.

Customer service is backed up by well-honed skills, lots of training and a wealth of experience throughout the team, plus a realistic approach to the cost of repairing equipment.

“If we think the likely repair costs on a comparatively inexpensive piece of machinery will turn it into an expensive piece of machinery, we tell the customer it’s not worth repairing,” said Mark, who is also well known in farming circles as a Weald of Kent Young Farmers’ Club leader.

It’s an honest approach from a family business that began with a search for independence and has grown into a well-respected local employer with a reputation for service that is second to none.

The range offered in the UK by the US based outdoor power equipment manufacturer Ariens focuses on ride-on zero turn mowers.

The zero turn mowers have a commercial focus throughout the range, from the entry level Ariens Edge through the Zenith range of commercial petrol powered zero turn models, including the recently introduced battery powered Zenith E and Arrow E ranges.

In 2020 Ariens acquired specialist German mower brand AS Motor, which manufactures and supplies professional mowers for mulching, high grass and slope mowing. Models can tackle slopes up to 55

Andrew Martin

degrees or grass up to 100cm tall and the range includes remote controlled models.

Hayter has been designing and producing premium quality lawn mowers at its headquarters in Hertfordshire since 1946. The Hayter brand is synonymous with quality, which is why Mark and Amanda felt they were the best option for their showroom.

Winton Machinery offers a robust and reliable range of tractormounted, PTO-driven implements suitable for sub-compact through to small tractors. Winton mowers and groundcare machines now feature several upgraded key components such as bearings, gearboxes and blades.

The Branson and TYM range of tractors runs from 19hp to 75hp and offers affordable quality for smallholders, equestrian facilities, sports grounds and similar facilities. The Branson brand, which has been made in South Korea since 1968, is now part of the TYM group, the largest tractor company in South Korea.

AL-Ko and Weibang are the newest additions to the product line-up at M&A Brown & Sons. AL-KO offers a broad range of gardening tools which includes log splitters as well as an extensive range of lawnmowers.

Weibang is becoming well known as a top-performing commercial mower, offering maximum reliability and built specifically for the UK. Weibang machines are built to last, with heavy duty, professional quality components and the highest quality materials.

As the UK’s leading supplier of highquality steel roofing sheets, Cladco Profiles offers a wide range of colours, coatings and profiles for agricultural, commercial and domestic projects.

With over 50 years of experience in manufacturing and supplying roofing sheets, this family run business, originating in Devon, is now also located in the convenient town of Andover, Hampshire. Excellent links to the A303 mean Cladco roofing sheets are available for both collection and nationwide delivery.

In 2022, Cladco Profiles opened its Andover branch to bring its range of products closer to customers in the South East. This new branch, situated in Portway West Industrial Estate, provides a more convenient and accessible location for the collection and delivery of products, including steel roofing sheets, fibre cement roofing and more. This additional location in Hampshire allows for increased stock availability and the continuation of the company’s expanding product ranges.

Providing the best customer experience possible, Cladco’s team of dedicated sales staff is on hand to offer expert advice and product support where needed. Whether you are at the beginning of your next big project

HIGH-QUALITY STEEL ROOFING SHEETS

Steel roofing sheets now available from Andover, Hampshire.

or you require materials for upgrading a building, the Andover team will be happy to guide and support you in choosing the most suitable materials.

Ordering roofing sheets from Andover has never been easier and includes the option to collect within as little as two hours. Collections are available Monday to Friday (8am-5pm) and Saturday (8am-12.30pm) from the Andover branch.

Along with roofing sheets and accessories, Cladco Profiles stocks an exciting range of decking, cladding and fencing products. Included within the range are composite decking, cladding and fencing, internal slatted wall panels and fibre cement wall cladding, all in a variety of colours to suit any project.

COLLECTION FROM ANDOVER

Cladco Profiles now manufactures selected roofing sheets at its branch in Andover, Hampshire. A variety of roofing sheets is available for collection and delivery, which can be cut to custom lengths on site for the customer’s ease and convenience.

Located on Reith Way, just off the A303, Cladco’s Andover branch is easily accessible from the main road. Customers can speak to Cladco’s expert sales team regarding roofing, decking, cladding and fencing products, as well as project calculation, installation and help and advice on accessories.

The showroom has a wide range of products on display including composite decking and wall cladding as well as steel roofing sheets in each of the company’s four

Cladco corrugated roofing sheets in black provide protection for barns

Cladco 32/1000 box profile roofing sheets in juniper green

Cladco composite decking boards in charcoal

profiles – tile form, 32/1000 box profile, 34/1000 box profile and 13/3 corrugated. Here customers can take inspiration and plan for their next project with the assistance of the expert sales team at Andover.

Visitors to the Andover branch enjoy dedicated customer parking, refreshments and more while browsing the range of products and accessories and picking up their goods.

With over five decades of experience in manufacturing steel roofing sheets to order, Cladco prides itself on providing quality products and excellent customer satisfaction. Call the friendly sales team on 01264 598231 for advice and guidance on the most suitable products for any project.

HIGH-QUALITY STEEL ROOFING SHEETS

Made from high-quality galvanised steel, Cladco roofing sheets are durable, versatile and resistant to corrosion. A wide range of coatings, colours and profiles is available to browse on the company’s website, with plenty of help and advice along the way. Collection or delivery from both Andover and Okehampton branches is available, too.

32/1000 box profile roofing sheets feature six profiles across an individual sheet, allowing space for water and debris to flow in between. 34/1000 box profile roofing sheets have seven profiles and a smaller gap between each one for a more modern aesthetic. Both box profile roofing sheets can be used in a variety of roofing and cladding applications.

13/3 corrugated roofing sheets are often used for more traditional builds, featuring 13 round corrugations across the width of a sheet. Due to their durable yet lightweight structure, Cladco corrugated roofing sheets are commonly installed on agricultural buildings.

41/1000 tile form roofing sheets are a hard-wearing alternative to traditional clay tile roofing and are perfect for areas where it is important to maintain a certain aesthetic while

still bringing new life to the building.

Cladco’s range of roofing sheets is rolled and formed with bespoke machinery at the Andover, Hampshire branch as well as in Okehampton, Devon. Customers can order custom-length sheets that will be cut on site before collection or delivery.

Enjoy a variety of coatings to choose from, including:

• PVC Plastisol coating – available in 11 colours, this choice of coating give sheets high scratch and damage resistance, leading to a life in excess of 40 years.

• Polyester paint – this coating comes in five traditional colours and will last in excess of 20 years.

• Prelaq Mica – providing a high-quality finish, this coating is resistant to rusting, scratching and UV radiation for reduced maintenance, with three colours available.

• Galvanised – Cladco’s roofing sheets are manufactured with high-quality galvanised steel which can be left uncoated for a conventional finish.

DECKING MATERIALS

In addition to roofing sheets, Cladco Profiles stocks a range of decking boards, including composite, PVC, timber and aluminium. These are also available to collect from the Andover, Hampshire branch.

Composite decking boards are made from a wood-plastic mix consisting of 60% recycled hardwood fibres and 40% recycled plastics. With a choice of eight contemporary colours, they are a low-maintenance decking alternative to timber and come with a ten-year guarantee.

PVC Capstock Decking is a premium product that replicates an authentic woodgrain surface while benefitting from fade, stain and scratch resistance, with superior resilience to damage and a 20-year structural guarantee.

Free sample packs are available to order, or collect, from the Andover branch for Cladco’s composite and PVC decking to help customers

decide which colour or material is best suited to each project.

INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL CLADDING

Cladco Profiles stocks multiple types of cladding materials for outdoor and indoor uses in both branches, including composite, fibre cement and internal slatted panelling.

Composite cladding comes in a variety of forms, including original, woodgrain and slatted, to suit the project requirements and style preferences. Made from the same 60% recycled hardwood fibres and 40% recycled plastics as composite decking, these cladding boards give the appearance of timber without the need for constant maintenance.

Fibre cement cladding is a popular material used to replicate the authentic look of timber. These cladding boards are low maintenance and resistant to weather, rot and pest damage. There is a selection of nine colours, as well as unpainted, to pick from.

An increasingly popular product is internal slatted wall panels, which can add depth and texture to interior walls. These panels simulate the look of wooden slats, are easy to install and need little upkeep.

COMPOSITE FENCING RANGE

Cladco composite fencing is a long-lasting alternative to timber that features a six-hole honeycomb structure for superior strength and resilience to weathering. Alongside Cladco’s range of fence panels, available from both Hampshire and Devon branches, customers will find fence posts and post caps that are required to create a seamless design for any outdoor space.

The expert sales team at Cladco Andover, Hampshire, is ready to assist

Cladco fibre cement wall cladding in cream

LEAP INTO SPRING WITH LAMBING WEEKEND

The countdown is well and truly on for one of the South East’s most popular spring events, Hadlow College’s Lambing Weekend.

The two-day event takes place this year on Saturday 20 April and Sunday 21 April. It is hugely popular and regularly attracts in excess of 10,000 people, so if you don’t want to miss out, visit the Hadlow College website to book your tickets now.

Visitors can expect to see an abundance of newborn lambs gambolling around the college’s beautiful fields, signalling the arrival of spring, with the highlight being the chance to visit the lambing sheds and possibly see a newborn enter the world.

The event brings together a range of landbased activities and also offers the opportunity to learn more about Hadlow College and what it has to offer.

As well as exploring the stunning

surroundings of Kent’s only rural and landbased college, the day has much more to offer, including:

• Tractor trailer rides (weather permitting)

• Talks and demonstrations by the National Centre for Reptile Welfare

• A birds of prey display

• Archery

• The chance to meet some of the college’s animals

• The opportunity to speak with the advice and guidance team and curriculum staff

• Food and drink stalls

• Arts and crafts events

• Fun fair rides and stalls.

Chris Lydon, vice-principal of Hadlow College, said: “We are extremely proud to be

Kent’s only rural and land-based college, and our lambing weekend is a great opportunity to showcase not just some adorable lambs but also our first-class facilities and the opportunities we offer to anyone looking to move into a land-based career.”

A family ticket, which permits entry for two adults and up to three children, costs £30, an adult ticket costs £12 and child and concessionary tickets (for anyone over the age of 65, carers and students with a valid ID) cost £8. Children under the age of two are free.

Once on site, visitors can stay for as long as they like, enjoy the rides and stalls and even meet some lovely new-born lambs.

For more information and to book, visit www.hadlow.ac.uk/events

SPRING GRAZING RISKS 2024

Turnout is eagerly anticipated by cattle and sheep farmers every spring, and even the cattle themselves seem to sense the impending release from their winter quarters with excitement, but this year it could be different…

We are familiar with many of the risks associated with turnout. Grass staggers (hypomagnesemia), blackleg, gut worms and lung worms, leptospirosis, scours caused by a low fibre, rich in young grass diet, and maybe also TB in cattle from ingesting badger urine and faeces-contaminated grazings. Preventative measures are taken each year to mitigate these risks and include the use of supplements, vaccines, wormers and equipment that prevents badgers sharing water or feed troughs at grass.

However, this spring we have the real extra risk of Bluetongue (BTV3) to add to the above list. When the temperature is consistently above 12°C the number of midges increases. This temperature increase is also required for the virus to multiply in a midge so that an infected midge becomes more infectious.

BTV is a midge-borne disease and is not transmitted from animal to animal, but midge populations are impossible to control, as recognised in countries with endemic malaria, a mosquito borne disease.

BTV 3 was circulating in mainland Europe

last year and The Netherlands experienced a particularly severe outbreak, with up to 20% mortality in some sheep flocks. One current theory is that infected European midges surfed across the Channel on strong easterly winds last autumn and transmitted disease to coastal livestock in Kent, Suffolk and Norfolk.

If the climatic conditions are repeated this year, then we are likely to see a more severe outbreak of this new “beast from the East” disease in the South East and this will inevitably lead to movement controls and restrictions and a requirement for pre-movement testing.

Synthetic pyrethroid (eg deltamethrin)based pour on insecticidal products are approved for use in cattle and sheep against some biting flies and lice. They may at least reduce the biting pressure on an animal, but it only requires one infected midge bite to transmit BTV to a sheep and unfortunately pyrethroids will not kill a midge instantly. Deltamethrin-based products can also be used for spraying housing or trailers used for animal movement.

I well remember the only other incursion of BTV into England in 2008, when the only really effective prevention was a dead vaccine. Unfortunately, that vaccine is not effective against the current strain and the chances of a vaccine becoming available in

the UK this year are slim.

It is imperative, therefore, that all cattle, sheep, camelid and goat owners are vigilant this year for the symptoms of BTV 3 in their animals and report any suspect cases to the Animal and Plant Health Agency or talk to their private veterinary surgeon.

The clinical signs are most obvious in sheep and include crusty erosions around the nostrils and on the muzzle, discharge and drooling from mouth and nose, reddening of skin above the hoof, lethargy and reluctance to move and often a significant mortality rate. Cattle can show similar symptoms but often have no symptoms at all apart from lower productivity, including milk yield and growth rate.

The BTV situation is rapidly changing and for the most up to date information please visit the Ruminant Health & Welfare website at www.ruminanthw.org.uk

ALAN WEST Sheep farmer

So here we are at the end of the first week in March, a little bit of drier (it’s all relative) weather at last and just a couple of days to go before lambing is due to kick off; although I am not much given to worrying about things that are beyond my control, that inevitable apprehension has begun to creep in, a feeling only settled once the first few litters of strong, healthy lambs hit the ground with contented and milky mums.

I have spent 50-odd years working with or in association with sheep in a wide range of conditions, from 1,600 ewes in the Middle East via hill sheep in North Wales to my own, now small, pedigree flock in Kent, They have been years that, although very different, I have enjoyed for a variety of reasons. On reflection, none has either been easier or more difficult than any other; difficulties have arisen, often with differing root causes, as with the high points.

The delight of being on the top of the Carneddau at sunrise ready to start the summer gather, or of winning a championship in the show ring, are both different but extremely special moments that bring joy; but one factor that will still always generate a degree of trepidation is in those last few days before lambing is due to commence. No matter how many lambings I have seen, it is a feeling that is almost impossible to avoid. My view has always been that if I cease to be concerned, if I stop feeling that lambing is a very special time, then that is the time for me to give up; if I get to

THE TREPIDATION AND JOYS OF LAMBING

the point where I really don’t care, I shouldn’t be keeping sheep. They deserve more.

To a certain extent it is a reassuring feeling, in as much as it is a strong indicator that I still care about what I am doing probably more now than ever. Many of the advantages in now having only a relatively small flock in my retirement lie in the greater opportunities that I have to get to observe and begin to understand and know my sheep as individuals.

OK, in a large flock there will be those sheep that stand out, generally either the best or those that are an absolute pain. That feeling of understanding is very much a part of a two-way process; without wishing to be anthropomorphic, I know the sheep have also got to know me much better. Being closer to what would be a natural flock size, they are

much more relaxed and able to establish their own position within the flock hierarchy. There will always be the odd spats between ewes, that’s sheep. I have the luxury of more time, not just to carry out routine tasks, but simply to spend time ‘sheep watching’, a process through which I have learnt so much more about sheep behavior and the interactions between individuals. I find animal behaviour a fascinating subject and my sheep have been very good teachers.

Just as an aside, merely ‘sheep watching’ is, in my opinion, a very useful skill for any fledgling shepherd, one that many, in their desire to ‘get on with the job’ will sadly overlook, but it is only by knowing and understanding normal behaviour that the good shepherd or stockperson is able to

ANITA HICKSON Farmer

I wonder if the general public is aware that a farmer spends countless hours getting the land ready, from ploughing to drilling, followed by harvesting then probably even more time tending to his livestock.

We spend thousands on fuel, feeds, fertiliser, equipment, vets, repair bills, etc. We spend many hours praying for rain or sun instead of sleeping.

A farmer sweats more than he (or she) would in any other occupation, he works like most people wouldn’t, he gets yelled and sworn at by other road users who get caught behind a tractor travelling down the road and he spends many hours wondering if it is all worth it.

The paperwork, foxes, rabbits, deer, badgers, slugs, wireworm, etc are just a few pests to content with. Why do we do it? Ask yourself – Why?

The answers are all around you. The plate of food in front of you, the clothes on your back, the shoes on your feet and most importantly, the love of the land, the love of all things agricultural, the soil, the dust, the muck and the satisfaction of knowing that at the end of the day you have “done your bit”.

It’s a way of life, but on too many occasions of late the Government has interfered and ensured farmers are unable to compete on a

spot unusual or abnormal behaviours and identify potential problems. I know that time is a precious and, for some, scarce resource, but this is an area in which a little time spent simply sheep watching can generate significant returns further down the line. I consider myself to be fortunate in having sufficient time to determine my own timetable.

Contrary to what many people, including a few shepherds, think, sheep are not stupid animals. in reality they are quite complex characters with a high level of cognitive ability; something that has been the undoing of many novice sheep keepers who suddenly discover that they are being out thought by their ovine charges.

One thing that has arisen with a growing understanding of my sheep is the realisation

FARMERS UNABLE TO COMPETE ON A LEVEL PLAYING FIELD

level playing field.

Over the past couple of months farmers have been holding rallies (AKA protesting) in and around the local area to raise awareness of three key points:

1. Substandard food imports

2. Honest food labelling

3. Greater food security.

Eggs can be purchased in a well-known supermarket for 60p a half dozen; eggs that have been battery reared in Italy. How can any farmer make a profit when these substandard products are being imported and have been produced using a practice that is illegal in the UK. A fair and level playing field throughout the UK on imported food is the requirement.

The Red Tractor logo is prominent on food produced in the UK but equally it appears on all food packaged in the UK. Duck sourced from Thailand but packaged in the UK can also have a Red Tractor logo stamped on the product.

While the NFU supports farmers and, in many areas, excels, its involvement in the Red Tractor logo is vast (70% ownership, I

that there is so much more to learn. I have certainly not learnt it all and appreciate that I never will. I will leave that to the experts (and there are plenty of them out there, as any visit to a sheep-related area on Facebook will testify. Based upon many of the comments posted I’m not surprised that the average mortality in the UK has remained stubbornly at around 15% for decades).

This morning had the unmistakable feeling of spring, a nice sunny start with a bit of warmth to the sun much appreciated by the ewes and myself. Having moved them into their lambing paddock a couple of days ago, they have an abundance of grass, a molasses block and a bit of concentrate provided at each end of the day, the latter to boost colostrum and milk production by the time

believe) and should not be allowed to pass by unnoticed. The union must accept some liability for substandard products being packaged in the UK and gaining eligibility to carry the logo. The NFU seriously needs to review this situation and address it with immediate effect.

On 25 March farmers from all over the country are planning to drive tractors etc to Westminster to protest about the three key areas of importance. Fairness For Farmers is a group set up by East Kent farmers, along with other groups, to lobby the Government into taking some immediate action to prevent future food shortages or the country being held to ransom by foreign imports/producers.

The post-Brexit trade deals when they come into force will destroy our beef industry. At the moment 100,000 tons of Australian beef is in the pipeline, with the added threat of Canadian beef being planned by the Government. We need to act now to preserve the future of our farms.

Stay safe.

that they lamb.

What more could a sheep want or need? Very little, it would seem. They have settled into that contented mode just before lambing, this morning more so than normal, I suspect simply enjoying a bit of sun on their backs.

Full of grass, there was absolutely none of the normal rush for their morning feed. As I strolled into the field I was closely followed by the usual suspects, but no pushing or calling. When I stopped and lowered the bag they just milled around, waiting patiently, very unlike sheep, with a few coming to say “good morning” with a gentle nudge, and when I eventually put their food out in little drops there was very little of the normal rushing and pushing and shoving. Mutual trust and understanding; it was an absolute pleasure.

RARE, OR GONE FOREVER?

There seems little point in having so much emphasis on protecting endangered birds if we in the countryside continue to face increasing legislation on controlling vermin. As long as limp environmentalists are given a free voice while the countrymen with the experience are prevented by new laws from doing what’s needed to control our worst avian predators quickly, the situation will soon deteriorate to a point of no return.

Talking about my own part of the country, it is quite obvious we are already close to that stage. For example, the peewit; although a few are still here, they are now a rarity, whereas 30-plus years ago they were almost as common as rooks or jackdaws.

But it isn’t just the peewit. If one glances through the Book of British Birds it becomes frighteningly easy to recognise the scale of the damage done, to nests and young birds, by the likes of the magpie, jay, sparrowhawk, crow, herring gull and even perhaps the buzzard, which I am certainly not suggesting needs controlling at this time. Some, perhaps, may.

This is just a few of the species we have lost around here over the past years, perhaps leaving you to make an assessment in your own locality. And I can assure you the damage isn’t being done directly by humans or ‘agri sprays’. I also know I should include cats and, more recently, bird flu. Cats, of course, are a huge menace; they would have been shot 50 years ago if caught in the open countryside. But I am talking first about birds.

So, here’s my list of endangered species prone to excessive predation of nests and young: little grebe (dabchick), grey partridge, turtle dove, skylark, mistle thrush, song thrush, reed warbler, bullfinch, chaffinch, greenfinch, goldfinch, linnet, coal tit, yellowhammer, reed bunting, hedge sparrow, pied wagtail, wheatear. All now rare, or gone forever?

NICK ADAMES

Former dairy farmer

farm buildings housed them.

They almost on their own took care of rats in farmyards or open fields and were to be seen most evenings quartering the meadows for rats and mice. How privileged one was to have a pair resident in one’s farmstead. Of course, farming changes have played a part. The loss of so much livestock, beef and dairy herds. Cowpats, dung beetles, flies, etc, all contribute.

Now to other pests. I see beavers are the next creature to be ‘welcomed’ by some environmentalists. I suppose if they could be trained to dredge our waterways and trim trees alongside them, there might be some merit.

And then, we might have wolves! Happily, they are presently confined to mainland Europe, held back by the English Channel, although there are signs that a number of countries are facing reality and considering removing wolves’ protection.

Estimates suggest there are 20,000 of the creatures roaming wild, so that’s probably about the same number of lambs, kids and calves taken each week taken from farmers’ herds, killed ‘for fun and food’. I’m sure there would be many farmers prepared to take their chances, whatever the law, and shoot the animals, but what an absurd situation where protection has been given in the first place. Zoos are the only safe place for them. Don’t legislators ever ask the farmers about their environment?

Were wolves ever reintroduced to the

Then, if I go back to my youth, I remember corncrakes which, while never common, were regularly to be seen in their favourite areas. Now not seen at all. Even swallow numbers are dwindling, swifts a rarity, little and tawny owls, once so common, quite rare. Barn owls too; before barns were turned into houses, almost every set of old Where

UK, to suit those same limp dreamers who push for these things, whether or not we still farmed cattle or sheep I would have no hesitation whatsoever in shooting one if I came across it, whether I had lost stock or not. With pests like them around, the odds would be pretty short on a wolf attack. They might even get a taste for young children.

I don’t, at the best of times, have much respect for modern urban politicians’ judgement in making good decisions relating to the countryside, but it really is time Parliament started listening to the countrymen’s views and were guided, in some small respect, by the people who know their true situation.

One example; any real country person knows that magpies are pests that need shooting at every opportunity, yet we were told recently that one now needs permission to shoot them? Madness. They are colourful but absolutely murderous.

Now something quite different. Tim, our local ornithologist, emailed me to say he had first heard, then spotted, a male trumpeter finch. I thought he was pulling my leg. Was it a politician? Nigel Farage, perhaps? No, Tim said he had seen them in arid North Africa and was quite certain what it was. It was not to be seen or heard the next day and he hoped it had been blown, with a northerly wind, back home to Africa.

We are sad to say that this is Nick’s last article. South East Farmer would like to thank him for his thoughts and contributions since he started writing for us over 20 years ago.

Livestock prices have been good for the past 12 months and unexpectedly have got dearer and dearer, proceeding to break records! The livestock industry is currently in one of the best places it has been for quite some time, if not ever, with hoggets exceeding £4/kg and cattle exceeding £3/kg liveweight.

The current cull ewe trade is holding plenty of confidence going forward, with numbers looking to tighten nationally and demands increasing as a result. The top ewes are exceeding £200 per head, with the best prices seen so far this year reaching £212 per head for some superb Texel ewes.

The majority of the strongest are over £120 per head, with overall averages increasing every week. This time of year generally sees a rise in the cull ewe trade because numbers are short nationally. Another factor is the month of Ramadan, which started on Sunday 10 March and finishes with a large feast and celebration.

We are currently seeing a good number of hoggets in the market every week, with a large number of customers now having to get the sheep off keep or having simply fed all the keep that they had available. Those that have kept hoggets until now certainly look better off, but who could have predicted the current level of trade that we are seeing?

Everyone thought the hoggets were a good trade early in February, only for them to become dearer every week since, topping so far at £242 per head. Again I think numbers are short, which is pushing the prices to these all-time high levels. Easter and Muslim festivals are earlier this year, which has accelerated demand.

As most people are aware, Bluetongue cases were found towards the end of 2023, which resulted in a temporary control zone (TCZ) in the East Kent area. The 10km TCZ was put in place on 11 November. The particular strain was called BTV-3, a new strain with no available vaccine. It was starting to become a struggle for those within the TCZ, with livestock running out of food and licences being granted in order to move livestock on welfare terms. Eventually, however, it turned a corner and on 5 February restrictions were lifted and the TCZ in East Kent was

LIVESTOCK PRICES BREAK RECORDS

removed. It was a long and daunting three months for everyone within the TCZ, and it was a weight off their shoulders. This, however, only applied to animals already tested and negative within the zone.

We are unaware of the status surrounding the Bluetongue virus for the future but all we can do is hope we see no more of it so that everything can continue as normal.

Store cattle have been a marvellous trade from what we have seen so far this year, with demand outweighing supply thanks to an ongoing strong beef trade. A good number of the store cattle already sold are hardier, outwintered types with a bit of age; these are ticking all the boxes for current buyer demands.

Smaller long-term store cattle still have plenty of time to come forward with the buyers for these keen to see drier weather. However, the small cattle we have sold so far look very well sold, with plenty of confidence behind the job going forward.

Fat cattle have gone from strength to strength over the past two years, which has strengthened the whole industry and put a backbone into all grades of cattle. To have cattle sold every week over £3/kg and to highs of £3.35/kg this year is great to see.

As it stands, all sectors of the livestock industry look promising for the future, which is going to be key for the success of agriculture as a whole.

Hopefully lambing 2024 has been and continues to be successful, but what next? Now is a key time to start thinking about an effective, economic, rearing and growing plan to ensure the best return following the extensive hours spent getting lambs on the ground.

TARGETS TO AIM FOR

Weaning: aim for between eight and 12 weeks; this may depend on how well ewes are coping and thinner ewes will greatly benefit from early weaning.

Growth rates: aim for at least 200g a day. Suboptimal performance could indicate a parasite burden and these lambs could benefit from early weaning.

Ewe Body Condition Score: aim for BCS 2.5 (no lower than 2) at weaning. 90% of ewes should be meeting this target at weaning.

POTENTIAL PITFALLS

NEGLECTING EWES

Focus is often put on a ewe’s body condition score (BCS) at the time of breeding, but it is often too late by this point to change anything.

Quarterly condition scoring is an appropriate tool to be able to monitor the condition of the flock effectively and to allow for the appropriate management changes to be made to hit target condition at tupping.

Post-lambing is a period of risk for ewes to drop condition due to lambing stress and the energy requirements of lactation. Minimising condition loss in this period is key to ensure all ewes are back to target BCS as soon as possible. Throughout lactation ewes should be hitting a BCS of 2.5 (no lower than BCS 2) to ensure they are able to hit a BCS of 2.5 to 3 in time for the breeding season.

Supplementary feeding can be used to reduce the impact of lambing stress and helps with the energy requirements of lactation. Focus should be put on at-risk animals such as tegs and poorly conditioned animals.

Supplementary feeding also has its benefits for newborn lambs, as a ewe lacking in protein or energy will have reduced milk production, in turn reducing the lambs’ intakes and hence growth rates. There is even a risk of increased mortality rates due to inadequate milk supply from the dam.

PARASITE BURDENS

Each year parasite burdens pose a

WHAT NEXT? – CONTINUING SUCCESS POST-LAMBING

significant risk for livestock, causing reduction in growth rates and increasing the risk of fly strike (through increased faecal staining of wool). Some parasites may even cause severe anaemia and death.

Worm burdens can be hard to predict, and implementing methods to monitor them can be invaluable to identify issues early and prevent clinically significant worm burdens. Methods include regular growth rate monitoring, faecal egg counts, the SCOPS forecast and FAMCHA scoring.

Carrying out regular worm egg counts is the best way to ensure prompt and appropriate treatment, reducing the risk of resistance development and of spending money on unnecessary wormer.

It’s recommended to start worm egg counts three to four weeks after turnout and continue regularly every four to six weeks thereafter, although there are no hard and fast rules; the more frequent the better. It’s also a great opportunity to discuss with your vet the most appropriate wormer to use for the type of worm present to ensure effective treatment and appropriate management post-drench.

The annual Animal Health and Welfare Review is still available, offering £436 towards a flock preventative health care veterinary visit that includes a faecal egg count reduction test. These funds are worth making the most of and can otherwise be used to target specific farm issues, so speak to your vet about how to best make use of this funding.

UNDERUSE OF VACCINATIONS

Clostridial disease and pasteurellosis pose a significant risk to growing lambs and are the most common causes of sudden death. Historically ewes and future breeding stock have been prioritised for clostridial vaccinations and late-kept fattening or store lambs are overlooked, but we are seeing more and more losses due to clostridia in this age group. Vaccination of ewes pre-lambing will provide some protection of lambs with adequate colostrum intake, but these lambs will need additional cover from vaccination by 10 weeks of age.

LAMENESS

Lameness has been linked to significant reductions in lamb growth rates, therefore increasing the time taken to finish lambs. Following the lameness five-point plan in its aims to increase resilience, reduce disease challenge and improve immunity applies as much to lambs as it does to ewes. To limit the impacts on growth rates, lame lambs should be dealt with promptly, with early and accurate identification of the cause to allow appropriate intervention.

TRACE ELEMENT DEFICIENCIES

If all other aspects of health are in order and lamb growth is still slower than predicted, trace element or mineral deficiencies may be playing their part. Deficiencies may be heightened by high worm burdens due to the damage caused to the gut lining, reducing its ability to absorb trace elements.

Although trace, they contribute to many aspects of livestock’s health and performance, and lambs are no exception. Deficiencies in lambs cause a variety of performance issues, most commonly reducing appetites leading to reduced feed intakes and growth rates, as well as weakened immune function which will reduce response to vaccination and increase vulnerability to infectious disease.

Trace element levels can be investigated through appropriate blood sampling. Discuss your own farm’s needs with your veterinary surgeon. Toxicity can have detrimental effects too, and so monitoring response in the flock is important when supplementing.

If

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As this report was being written in midMarch, exceptional prices were being seen for finished sheep in all markets, with trade beyond everybody’s expectations and at levels never seen before.

With the weather affecting supplies as well as large numbers of sheep being slaughtered early, numbers were insufficient for the demand throughout the country.

It is quite extraordinary to see old season lambs trading at £200 and above and over £4 per kilo liveweight, with exceptional prices even above £5 per kilo liveweight in the markets. It is uncertain how long this trade can

RECORD SHEEP PRICES LEAD THE MEAT TRADE

continue and what the driving force is, but it is certainly a year that few will forget.

With the weather and other restrictions such as Bluetongue causing supply difficulties, there are many uncertainties, but this is certainly a time that sheep producers will remember.

As stated above, numbers have been insufficient every week, with wholesalers competing strongly for all stock available, particularly with the Ramadan festival in March, helping to drive forward the trade.

Store sheep have also been at record levels, particularly for the strong lambs that can be quickly turned round into the finished market.

The cull ewe trade is also benefitting from the increase in the prime lamb trade, as would be expected.

It is quite remarkable to see the trade for prime sheep being well over 100p/kg liveweight dearer than 12 months ago, equating to between £40 and £50 per head minimum. Let us hope the new season lambs start at the same level as costs have certainly risen.

In the prime cattle pens trade has also been strong, with £3 per kilo plus regularly seen for quality butcher’s stock, with numbers in markets insufficient for demand. It appears that trade is very much buoyed by the sheep trade with the demand for red meat. With the trade unlikely to drop, with numbers being short in yards, it looks to be a promising future for the cattle producer.

The cull cow trade is also exceptionally strong, with numbers again insufficient. More could be sold to advantage.

The store cattle trade is exceptionally high, again as would be expected with the finished returns, with most producers well short of stock and more wanted. Let us hope it is not a false dawn and we can maintain these levels, as it is certainly required.

Another positive result of the sheep and cattle trade is that the pig trade also remains strong, with the anticipated fall in price not being seen and numbers easily absorbed. Again, this is positive.

With the benefit of lower feed prices across the board, livestock producers are having one of their better years, but it is needed.

The removal of the main Bluetongue restrictions benefited stock movement, although there was still a concern as this report was being written that restrictions would be reimposed as the weather warmed up and the midge season arrived.

With the wettest February on record having passed, arable crops are suffering from the wet, with many acres of root crops still in the ground in early March and likely to suffer severely before they are lifted. This is a serious time for arable farmers, and with cheap imports of wheat and barley also reported, difficult times. At least we look for better weather through March and April with, hopefully, a settled dry spell and rising temperatures, although the issue this year has not been the cold but the seemingly never-ending rain.

BETTER QUALITY NATURAL HABITATS

Biodiversity net gain (BNG) is the Government’s recent objective to ensure new residential and commercial developments result in more and/or better quality natural habitats than existed before the development was undertaken.

Since 12 February 2024, developers of major sites have been required to ensure at least a 10% BNG uplift. This obligation is set to roll out to developers of small sites from 2 April 2024, subject to certain small scale and homeowner exclusions.

Developers are able to achieve the required 10% increase in BNG by:

• Creating biodiversity on site

• Creating biodiversity on site and off site

• Purchasing statutory BNG credits from the Government.

On-site and off-site works will typically be secured by either a planning condition in the planning permission, a separate planning obligation with the local planning authority or a conservation covenant with a

‘responsible body’, such as the local planning authority or a conservation charity. Statutory BNG credits are seen as a last resort and will be priced accordingly.

Once works have completed and the new habitat has been created, it must be maintained for a minimum of 30 years.

We expect to see landowners/farmers with potentially underperforming and/or unused land benefitting from the new BNG requirements. Even if your land is not the subject of development, you may be approached by developers looking for land on which to carry out BNG works that they cannot complete on site.

Landowners can therefore diversify their income stream and improve revenues depending on the size, quality, location and type of land available.

We are able to provide guidance to landowners and developers looking to enter into agreements with developers, planning obligations and/or conservation covenants through which BNG will be secured.

BOOMING LIVESTOCK ENTRIES

Last year’s Edenbridge & Oxted Agricultural Show set the bar high for expectations in 2024.

Bucking the trend, this show’s livestock entries are nothing short of booming, with cattle stalls, sheep and pig pens all at maximum capacity last year.

New breed sections have been introduced for 2024 for Kerry Hills, Coloured Ryelands and Zwartbles in response to demand and entry levels from sheep exhibitors.

The show’s dairy cattle section saw one of its biggest entries ever last year, with a huge showing that has attracted more sponsorship and trade exhibitors in support for 2024. Support in the beef cattle section remains strong, with the pedigree calf classes and the Tuckwells Super Bull section providing additional interest and value for competitors. A record 21 Horse of the Year Show qualifiers have been awarded to

Edenbridge & Oxted’s equestrian section for this year, along with other prestigious qualifiers, while all the usual favourite sections such as coaching and shire horses will of course return to the main ring.

Attracting the crowds for 2024 will be the adrenaline-filled Bolddog Lings motocross team, flying high twice each day.

This show has kept farming support as its priority, with preferential rates and prime locations given to agricultural trade stands. With an increasingly diverse and locally sourced selection of food traders and a buzzing stockman’s marquee, it’s the destination of choice for the August bank holiday weekend for traders, exhibitors and visitors alike.

The show takes place on 25 and 26 August, with discounted early-bird tickets available online at www.edenbridge-show.co.uk Trade stand applications, membership applications and competition entries should be made via the same website from May.

CELEBRATING THE BEST OF KENT

The Kent County Agricultural Society will be hosting a celebration of the best of Kent at the county’s showcase of farming, food production and rural life in the Garden of England as the Kent County Show returns on 5, 6 and 7 July 2024.

Over three days, livestock, horses, vintage vehicles, retail stands and much more will converge at the showground for a festival of the best of Kent. Discover fascinating aspects of rural life as you make your way around each of the show’s educational and interactive sections.

Livestock remains a core part of the show and a favourite amongst visitors. Hundreds of cows, sheep and goats of all sizes, shapes, and colours converge on the showground from across the South East and beyond with their handlers, competing to take home the prize for ‘Best in Show’.

Opposite the cattle rings will be the Living Land Village, an opportunity for people of all ages to learn more about food, farming and the environment. Discover how food is

produced in the Garden of England and catch the famous dancing sheep in The Sheep Show, returning to the Kent County Show in 2024 by popular demand.

In the Kent YFC section, a major feature of the Kent County Show since at least 1955, visitors can discover the incredible work of hundreds of young people aged 10 to 28 as they go head to head in livestock classes to show off their knowledge, handling skills and passion for what they do.

The brand new Countryside Village will feature long-standing favourites such as the dog agility demonstrations. The Countryside Village will also play host to an array of displays and businesses to give visitors a taste of the rural pursuits on their doorstep.

The Woodland Area showcases the skills and crafts of the woodland and forestry industry and is the perfect place to discover more on the county’s woodlands and the work needed to maintain and conserve them.

While rural life is at the very heart of the

Kent County Show, no trip would be complete without a little retail therapy, and a stroll around our main shopping avenues offers visitors the opportunity to discover local businesses of every variety. Be sure to stop by the fabulous Produced In Kent section, sample Kent’s finest produce and show your support for local makers and growers.

The Astor Ring is the place to be for the pinnacle of the Kent County Show’s schedule. Catch the Grand Parade of Livestock on Saturday afternoon as all the winners from the intense schedule of breed classes are led out to the main ring, adorned with their rosettes and, for the lucky few, champion’s sashes. Twice a day throughout the show, catch the incredible display from Ben Atkinson and his team at Atkinson Action Horses. A highlight on any show’s schedule, this amazing equine team put on a show like no other and is not to be missed. Book tickets online to take advantage of the pre-booking discount. Adults: £22 Children (5 to 13): £2.50 Children Under 5: FREE

www.kcas.org.uk/kent-county-show

BELOVED ANNUAL EVENT

The South of England Show returns for its 56th year from Friday 7 to Sunday 9 June 2024. Organised by the South of England Agricultural Society, the beloved annual event invites visitors to immerse themselves in the charm and excitement of countryside rural industries and pursuits. It offers a delightful day out for families and individuals alike at the South of England Showground in Ardingly, West Sussex, between 9am and 6.30pm each day.

The show promises a diverse array of attractions, including agricultural and

equestrian displays, live entertainment, rural crafts, horticulture and an abundance of food, drink, and shopping experiences for all ages.

This year's show features an exciting lineup of attractions, including the much-loved Atkinson Action Horses, renowned for their high-energy and breathtaking stunt shows led by the skilled Ben Atkinson. Attendees can also look forward to international show jumping, heavy horse displays, cookery workshops for kids, scurry-driving competitions, equine showing classes and livestock competitions.

A new Countryside Ring will showcase

falconry, axe skills, ferret displays and searchand-rescue dog demonstrations. The everpopular Casablanca Steps will provide musical entertainment, while a vintage agricultural machinery ring, a medieval re-enactment zone, a British Army village and more will add to the excitement.

Tickets for the South of England Show can be purchased at www.seas.org.uk and cost £23.40 for adults and £21.60 for senior citizens/ students, inclusive of a 10% advance discount until 30 May 2024. Children under 16 can enter for free. Dogs are not recommended.

AWARD-WINNING SHOW RETURNS

The spring bank holiday is just around the corner, which means it’s almost time for the celebrated, award-winning, Heathfield Agricultural Show, now in its 77th year.

The show will host all the usual livestock and equine competitions for which it is so well known, together with some new classes, including rescue pony or horse classes and a two-fence challenge.

This year’s main ring attraction is the IMPS Motorcycle Display Team, a daredevil group of young people who demonstrate the incredible skill which has earned them a reputation as one of the premier motorcycle display teams in the world.

Other attractions in the main ring will be the Shetland Pony Grand National and a celebration of 60 years of the Massey Ferguson 100 series in a vintage tractor parade and private driving and concours d’elegance.

New for 2024 is the Flower Hub, a marquee dedicated to eco floristry techniques, huge floral displays and an education zone highlighting flower farming, seed gathering and seasonal floristry.

Heritage crafts will be demonstrated in the Country Ways area and the Farmers’ Market will have a delicious range of locally made produce to tempt any foodie.

With all the trade stands, food and beverage concessions, agricultural machinery displays, mini beer festival, side shows including falconry and dog agility and so much more, visitors will be spoilt for choice at this one-day family event.

Early bird reduced rate tickets are on sale now and children under 16 go free. www.heathfieldshow.org

Photo: Lillie Bell Photography

Legal services for farmers & rural businesses

Call us today or visit our website: 01227 763939 furleypage.co.uk

PROMOTING AND SELLING LAND FOR HOUSING DEVELOPMENT

By Simon Baillie-Hamilton, partner and head of the rural business and property team at Mayo Wynne Baxter.

The South East has a chronic shortage of housing, and local authorities are under pressure to meet central government targets.

Inflation, a reduction in government support and the cost-of-living crisis are squeezing margins, and any ways of generating new capital are welcome.

Landowners and farmers, however, should proceed with caution and seek expert professional advice when considering approaches from developers.

THE SEARCH BEGINS

Housebuilders, development promoters, planning consultants and other intermediaries are scouring the country, particularly the overpopulated South East of England, for potential new sites.

Many landowners will be approached by developers and their intermediaries, who find out who owns land through searches at the Land Registry.

Such an approach could be an opportunity for landowners to get land promoted for housing development at little or no initial cost or risk to them.

Prudent landowners must secure the most favourable deal available; developers and promoters are driven by profit, and any first offer is unlikely to set out the best deal they will be prepared to offer.

Intermediaries identify sites and can play a helpful role in bringing together developers and landowners. While they can be a useful catalyst, they are not independent, usually being engaged and paid by the developers, with a definite potential for a conflict of interest which they will often not recognise or acknowledge.

My strong advice to landowners is to consult a suitably qualified and experienced development surveyor at an early stage. They will advise on and negotiate commercial terms and will usually be able to ensure that their fees are settled by the developer.

STRUCTURE OF DEALS

The surveyor will be able to advise on the suitable deal structure for each area of land and landowner. The two main ones will be:

• An option agreement: the developer takes on the responsibility of promoting the land through the planning system. If they are successful, they will then have the option to buy the land, usually getting the costs of promotion reimbursed and often getting a discount on the open market value.

• A promotion agreement: the developer/ promoter will carry out the first task of promoting the land through the planning system. If this is successful, the land will be sold on the open market. The intermediary will again be reimbursed their planning promotion costs, but

instead of a discount on market value, they will generally be paid a fee, usually a percentage of the market price paid.

Under certain circumstances a conditional contract might be suggested, which might be appropriate for smaller developments.

Under both of the main structures, the developer/promoter will almost always take on all initial financial risk, paying professional fees for the landowner and all consultants’ fees and planning application costs. If successful, they will be well rewarded but will have unlocked significant uplifts in value at no risk to the landowner.

The initial pre-legal stage will involve the surveyor putting together detailed heads of terms, covering the rights and the duties of both parties. An overview from the landowner’s solicitor, if they have experience of such deals, can be useful at this stage.

Early involvement of suitably experienced professionals is essential. Tax advisers should be consulted to check on the VAT and capital gains tax/income tax implications.

There are certainly opportunities out there, as well as associated pitfalls.

Readers may be aware that the Government has long pledged to introduce key reforms to the residential lettings system, chiefly to enhance protections for tenants.

The Renters (Reform) Bill, currently passing through Parliament, encapsulates the Conservatives’ commitment to reform and, most notably, aims to honour the party’s previous manifesto pledge to ban ‘no-fault’ evictions.

The Bill’s voyage through Westminster has been somewhat glacial. First mentioned in the Queen’s Speech of December 2019, it took until May 2023 for the Bill to be introduced to Parliament. Its second reading in October 2023 came with additional promises of reforms to the court system to speed up the eviction process.

This is the biggest planned change to residential lettings in over 30 years, so there are complex issues to work through, but it leaves both landlords and tenants in a tight spot, unable to forecast the future, not knowing if the Bill will be enacted before the general election or not.

I know, from speaking to clients, that above all they wish for certainty so that they can make effective plans. Unfortunately, some landlords are already exiting the market. Others are hesitant to let properties; for example, not letting property within the farm estate in case they are not able to recover possession in the future. This dwindling supply of rental properties adds pressure to the lettings market.

So, with all this uncertainty, what changes might landlords and tenants expect, should the Renters (Reform) Bill become law?

RENTERS

ASSURED SHORTHOLD TENANCIES

The Bill would abolish all assured shorthold tenancies (ASTs). All tenancies would become assured tenancies, which provide greater tenant protection. No new ‘fixed term’ tenancies could be granted, with all tenancies becoming ‘periodic’ tenancies of no longer than one month.

This would be a significant change as typically an AST would have a standard minimum term of around six to 12 months (sometimes longer). Some tenants prefer the security provided by a fixed term, which would be lost by these reforms, leaving uncertainty over the tenancy’s duration.

A BAN ON NO-FAULT EVICTIONS

The Bill would also abolish Section 21 of the Housing Act 1988, the ‘no-fault’ ground for eviction which enables landlords to repossess their properties without having to show fault on the part of the tenant.

Instead, the government would introduce some new grounds for possession including, for landlords, the ability to recover possession of a property if they wanted to sell it or move a close family member to live in the property. These, though, are still grounds for possession

“Brachers has the personal touch, listening carefully to clients’ needs in a friendly, sensitive and helpful manner.”

where the tenant is not at fault.

In addition, there will be strengthened grounds if tenants breach their obligations or persistently don’t pay their rent on time.

RENT REVIEW

Under the new proposals, a landlord would only be able to increase the rent once a year, with provision for that rent to be reviewed independently to establish whether or not it is a reasonable increase.

OTHER CHANGES

Other measures include a tenant’s right to have a pet in their home, the introduction of a new ombudsman which will aim to resolve landlord and tenant disputes, a new landlord database and increased local authority enforcement powers.

ELECTION UNCERTAINTY

At the time of writing, the Bill remains parked in the House of Commons. The Government suggests it would not ban no-fault evictions until the court system has been reformed, which is likely to take time and may not be achieved before the election. However, as all the main political parties support repealing section 21 it seems likely that the days of no-fault evictions are numbered.

James Millis is a Partner in the Dispute Resolution Team at Brachers, which specialises in

CROWBOROUGH, EAST SUSSEX

AVAILABLE AS A WHOLE OR IN 4 LOTS

An opportunity to purchase 63.11 acres (28.68 hectares) of mixed deciduous and coniferous woodland, nearby to the town of Crowborough, East Sussex. Lot 1 - £110,000 | Lot 2 - £100,000 | Lot 3 - £ 90,000 | Lot 4 - £ 80,000

An attractive block of pasture with woodland shaws extending to 32.06 acres (12.97 hectares) in a prominent location, with extensive road frontage to Groombridge Hill and near the sought after town of Royal Tunbridge Wells. Offered to the market by joint instruction with Strutt & Parker.

HARTLIP,

SITTINGBOURNE, KENT

GUIDE PRICE £425,000

27.42 acres of Grade I farmland currently planted to approximately 4.7 acres of established Gala and 19.75 acres of established Smitten, all on trellis plant.

THE OLD VINEYARD,

AVAILABLE AS A WHOLE OR IN TWO LOTS

A rare and unique development opportunity comprising two plots with planning permission each for a 1,930 sq ft detached home, with an existing Colt bungalow also on site, all set within 0.69 acres. Situated in a favourable position on the westerly edge of Ticehurst High Street. Lot 1: £375,000 Lot 2: £375,000 Whole: £750,000

Your land, whether it is a field corner, scrub acre, unproductive arable or grassland, could create valuable BNG units.

LAND AND FARMS SPONSORED BY BATCHELLER MONKHOUSE

A well-established fishery business in Kent has come to the market through Savills.

Greenacres Farm Fishery is on the outskirts of the village of Biddenden and extends to more than 11 acres, including five acres of water stocked with a variety of fish. There are two specimen lakes, one coarse lake, one tench pond and one match lake with high value stock.

The fishery accommodates up to 30 fishermen and is well landscaped, with two bore holes and hard surfaced areas for parking. There is also a large barn and amenity building with clubhouse, kitchenette, showers and toilets.

There is potential for further expansion

into tourism, with the current owners having recently been granted planning consent for four self-contained holiday pods and a temporary bailiff’s cottage, as well as a retail space. The detached barn also has potential for change of use, subject to planning.

Hannah Riches of Savills rural agency team in the South East said: “Greenacres Farm Fishery provides an excellent opportunity

Greenacres Farm Fishery is being marketed by Savills for a guide price of £895,000.

Question: Why BNG should be Bloomfields led?...

Answer: Because it’s not just about

and offsite provision should be the last resort!

It’s time to decide what you would like to get out of your development project. Take the time to discuss your current and future plans with Bloomfields.

You are at the beginning of the largest section of the journey. For this part, it is imperative you have the right team of specialists on board.

Scan to view the Lambert & Foster BNG roadmap

Matters concerning Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) are wide ranging and inevitably require numerous specialists to be involved who are familiar with specific regulations and Local Authorities. Follow our BNG roadmap (full version available via the QR code) which has been designed to help you understand the process and the many hurdles and challenges you will face along the way.

To fulfil BNG requirements, a land manager must legally commit to creating, enhancing, and managing habitats for a minimum of 30 years. Bloomfields RTPI and RICS qualified planning consultants can lead you through this complex scheme.

If you are looking for help and guidance with your BNG proposal, talk to our experts today.

YOUR ROUTE INTO A CAREER IN LAND MANAGEMENT?

Until now the main route to becoming a rural Chartered Surveyor and land manager was through a full-time degree programme at one of the few universities running suitable courses. Although excellent degrees, this format did not suit everyone. What if you want a career change, perhaps after parental leave, or wish to get straight out into the work place and earn while you learn? An exciting new alternative now exists.

Plumpton College has launched a two-year condensed BSc degree in rural land and business management starting in 2024. This is a full degree but is substantially different to the old degree model, as students work in a suitable firm for three weeks in every four, spending the fourth week studying at Plumpton.

Batcheller Monkhouse has worked with the college to help design the degree. The advantages of this course are numerous, and the hope is that it will greatly appeal to those who want to work in land management.

Now could not be a more important time in this sector as Batcheller Monkhouse works with clients to ensure their businesses not only survive but thrive and that the industry maintains a balance between the key issues of environmental improvement and food security.

The firm is looking for two undergraduates to join the firm in September while studying for their degree at Plumpton. Batcheller Monkhouse will deliver the workplace training,

providing opportunities for students to work with a variety of clients on topics including estate management, rural consultancy, valuation, environmental consultancy and diversification.

This will help students achieve their BSc in two years, with the opportunity then to go on to qualify as a member of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors. It will be an opportunity to help farmers and

MORE INFORMATION

landowners strengthen their businesses, enter into new and improved environmental schemes or unlock potential in a range of natural capital schemes, along with a wide range of rural issues.

Batcheller Monkhouse is a long-established firm of chartered surveyors and land agents with a broad spread of rural professionals in offices at Tunbridge Wells, Haywards Heath and Pulborough.

Please apply to, or request more information: ✉ gradcareers@batchellermonkhouse.com

Mark the email for the attention of Leo Hickish, chairman and partner.

For more about the degree and the entry requirements visit www.plumpton.ac.uk

A job with a truly great outlook…

As part of the growth of our Haywards Heath Professional Department we are keen to recruit a Senior Chartered Surveyor. We offer great prospects for advancement for the right person. Contact Leo Hickish for a confidential discussion at l.hickish@batchellermonkhouse.com or on 07766 428965

Sophie Lawes and Luke Davis, two of the graduate trainees currently at Batcheller Monkhouse

currently have planning permission.

The

is on the edge of Stubbington,

Southampton and Portsmouth,

is available as a whole or in three lots.

Mainly arable with a small area of woodland, the land has been worked and managed under a contract farming agreement

Tom Eyston of Savills rural agency team said: “The land is conveniently located with good road and transport links and we are anticipating a great deal of interest from a range of buyers, due to the opportunity presented for potential strategic development,

being on the edge of an existing settlement, or for natural capital and biodiversity net gain uses.”

The land at Stubbington is being marketed by Savills with guide prices ranging from £850,000 for 31 acres to £3,100,000 for the whole 123 acres.

On the market with Lambert & Foster are productive, modern, trellised Smitten and Gala apple orchards on Grade 1 soils, with dual road frontage, on the outskirts of Hartlip, Kent.

The property comprises 27.42 acres (11.09 hectares) of productive orchards, including a mixture of established Smitten and Gala apple orchards on trellised wirework. The planted areas are:

• Gala – 4.7 acres (1.90 hectares)

• Smitten – 19.75 acres (7.99 hectares)

The land is classified as Grade I on the DEFRA Agricultural Land Classification Map, and Soilscape describes it as freely draining, lime-rich loamy soils.

Depending on the timetable for the sale, the vendors would consider, in addition to the agreed sale price, an ingoing valuation for the

work carried out for the benefit of the 2024 fruit crop. Alternatively, holdover would be

considered to reserve the right to continue to farm the orchards until post harvest 2024.

Lot 1 Lot 2

CWP fencing

Cleft post and rail

Standing Sweet Chestnut Wanted

Standing Sweet Chestnut Wanted

Standing Sweet Chestnut Wanted

Cleft post and rail

Cleft post and rail

Cleft field gates

Cleft field gates

Cleft field gates

Fencing stakes

Fencing stakes

Fencing stakes

Straining posts

Straining posts

Straining posts

Chestnut fencing

Chestnut fencing

Chestnut fencing

Tel: 07985 298221

Tel: 07985298221 colin@cwpfencing.co.uk

Tel: 07985298221 colin@cwpfencing.co.uk

CROSSWORD

COMPLETE OUR CROSSWORD TO WIN

Three bottles of Dry, three bottles of Medium and two bottles of Sweet Strong Kentish Cider

ACROSS

1 Stream in Hampshire (5,4)

5 Bogus, false (4)

7 North American bird of prey (4,5)

8 Happiness, amusement (5)

10 Extinct flightless bird (4)

11 Stir (7)

13 Hobby (5,9)

15 Loud cry (6)

17 Make wood suitable for use (6)

20 White and yellow flowers (7)

23 Sea bird (4)

24 Evaluate (9)

25 A substance that prevents diseases spreading (10)

26 Move an object forward with force (4)

DOWN

1 A dog with viral disease (5)

2 Acceptable (5)

3 Marsh plant (4)

4 Agreed to marriage (7)

5 Horse breed (5)

6 Something that provokes immune response (7)

9 Fee to ride (4)

12 Fictional place from Gone with the Wind (4)

13 Poison produced by fungus (9)

14 Talon (4)

16 Finish (3)

17 Utensil used for straining (5)

18 Material from which valuable metal can be extracted (3)

Crossword by Rebecca Farmer, Broadstairs, Kent

To enter, simply unscramble the anagram (6,4) using the green squares.

Email your replies with your name, address and phone number to sef.ed@kelsey.co.uk

Correct entries will be entered into a draw which will take place on 22 April. The winner will be announced in the May edition.

19 Grab aggressively (6)

21 Pseudonym (5)

22 Having a good cutting edge (5)

23 Spring bulb (5)

Correct answer: Combine side knives

LAST MONTH’S WINNER: Gillian Tucker from Yarmouth, Isle of Wight