South East Farmer August 2023

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

Kelsey Media 2023 © 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: NP Seymour demonstration day

©Martin Apps, Countrywide Photographic

FEATURES

16 FRUIT FOCUS

With a wide range of exhibitors, a packed programme of quality presentations and a selection of tours, the oft-quoted ‘something for everyone’ label would not have been out of place.

26 NEWS FROM THE VINEYARD

New Hall Wine Estate sits in the beautiful surroundings of the Crouch Valley in Essex.

34 FORMA

The scope and spread of work currently being carried out by steel framed building experts Forma highlights the company’s skillset, experience and comprehensive range of services.

37 NP SEYMOUR DEMONSTRATION DAYS

More than 100 enthusiastic visitors attended the two events, held by kind permission of grower Clive Baxter, who allowed the demonstration team to put the machines through their paces on his trees and vines.

A Kent farmer believes he “might not have been here much longer” without a potentially life-saving free health check he was offered at Ashford Market.

Ed Lovejoy, who farms at Hope Farm, Wittersham, was persuaded to have the NHS check by Hugh Richards, a volunteer with the Farming Community Network (FCN).

“I thought I was fit and healthy,” Ed recalled, “but Hugh convinced me that I should sit down and have a chat with the health professional during one of her monthly visits. It turned out that my cholesterol level was sky high.”

Ed was given an immediate fast track referral to a doctor by Sarah Dimmock, a senior health check adviser working with the NHS’ outreach team, and was put straight on medication. He has since changed his diet, lost two stone in two months and is confident that his next check-up will reveal a much lower cholesterol level.

Unsurprisingly, Ed was full of praise for the monthly health check-ups coordinated, promoted and supported by the FCN and held on market days with the full blessing of auctioneers Hobbs Parker.

“This is clearly a really excellent initiative,” he said. “I thought I was fit and well, but I might not have been here much longer.

“I’m a typical farmer and would never have gone for a check-up as I didn’t have any symptoms. If a farmer ever rings the doctor and says: ‘I don’t feel well’, you know they really don’t feel well.”

Sarah said high cholesterol and high blood pressure were two of the most common issues she discovered while checking out famers who took advantage of her monthly

LIFE-SAVING FREE HEALTH CHECK

visits. “Farmers tend to be older, they don’t retire and they are inevitably busy,” she pointed out. “They just tend to carry on without complaining.”

The health checks are free to market visitors who are between 40 and 74 and who aren’t already on medication for high blood pressure, diabetes or high cholesterol. “I’ve had some really important conversations

about health issues with farmers who would probably never have got themselves checked out if they hadn’t come across me while in the market,” said Sarah.

The monthly Ashford Market events are the first to have been held in the South East and have been getting busier month by month, helped by FCN volunteers like Hugh and James Barber encouraging and cajoling visitors to sit down and chat to Sarah. There is a private office available for confidential chats.

“People were initially wary, but it’s been getting steadily busier,” said Sarah. “Several farmers have come back the following month to thank me for raising the alarm after being referred to their GP and being put on medication. Many don’t have a clue what their blood pressure is before talking to me.”

Hobbs Parker partner Peter Kingwill said hosting the sessions reflected the ‘family’ ethos of the cattle market and said the company was “only too pleased” to play its part. He said the benefit of using the venue for an outreach service was that farmers could take advantage of it while waiting for stock to be sold.

Hugh Richards, James Barber and Ed Lovejoy

Sarah Dimmock checks Sam Clarke's blood pressure

FASTRAC TO WEDDED BLISS

Bride Henrietta Mason went beyond “a bicycle built for two” on her journey to her wedding celebration at Broad Oak Farm, Goudhurst in Kent.

Henrietta and her bridesmaids travelled in comfort and style in a fleet of JCB Fastrac tractors provided by local farming friends to mark the special occasion.

The rural business accountant was driven to the countryside celebration in the passenger seat of farmer and contractor James Forknall’s Fastrac, driven by her bridesmaid Lucy West.

The other bridesmaids were chauffeured in the four-Fastrac cavalcade by Thomas Eckley, in his father Guy Eckley’s tractor, and Will Thomson’s pair of Fastracs driven by himself and Scott Matthews.

Bridegroom Stuart Mason, who provides livestock fencing and other contracting services to farmers in Kent, said: “The four Fastracs made a brilliant sight as they approached Broad Oak Farm.

“All the guests were outside cheering and waving to greet them – but we did allow Henri to dismount out of sight so she could get out of the cab and down the steps in her wedding dress as graciously as she could!”

The four Fastracs are maintained and supported with parts by JCB Southern England dealership Haynes Bros, where Stuart completed an agricultural engineering apprenticeship some years ago.

Stuart added: “I think Scott spent the best part of three days washing and cleaning the tractors, as well as a JCB telehandler, for our big day, so we must thank him and all the owners and drivers who helped make this such a special and memorable occasion for Henri and me.”

OPINION

Fingers on the buzzer

Few would dispute the suggestion that our much-loved NHS is under pressure. Long waiting lists, left hands not knowing where the right hand is, let alone what it’s doing, and strikes over pay have left it in a pretty parlous state.

It has to be said that some of the problems are inevitable and caused, perhaps ironically, by the wider medical profession’s skills. After all, if you invent brilliant new drugs and treatments that help people live longer, you need to recognise that a) people will live longer and b) those new treatments cost more than leaving people to their fate.

Perhaps the most frustrating indication that the profession is struggling is the subtle switch from being able to ring the receptionist at any time, have a friendly chat and book an appointment to see your GP in a few days’ time to the current ‘fingers on the buzzer’ 8am race to win the privilege of a call back from someone later that day. It's a process that can make getting tickets for Glastonbury seem like a walk in the park.

And if entering the 8am lottery is difficult for those of us who work regular hours from a comfortable office, imagine how much harder it is for farmers and others whose lives are ruled by the seasons rather than by a more regular routine.

Forgive the stereotyping, but most males, particularly out-in-all-weathers, hardy types who can wield a sledgehammer with impunity, are already reluctant to call a doctor unless they really are unwell.

So if the only way to make an appointment is to bash the phones continuously from 8am, it’s hardly surprising when farmers think booking a check-up is less important than drilling the next crop, getting in the last of the harvest ahead of the rain, tackling Sustainable Farming Initiative paperwork or milking the cows.

Against that backdrop, the Farming Community Network (FCN) initiative to offer health check-ups to farmers visiting Ashford Market has proved invaluable, and in one case at least, a potential life-saver.

Farmers waiting for their livestock to be sold can stop by, have a chat and then have their blood pressure and cholesterol levels checked there and then. No bashing the phones, no being quizzed by the receptionist and no need to wait in for a call back that could come at any point in the day. Simple – but so important.

Well done to the FCN and well done to Hobbs Parker for supporting the initiative. As Greek physician Hippocrates, the man who gave his name to the Hippocratic Oath, said some two thousand years before telephones (or Glastonbury) were invented: “Healing is a matter of time, but it is sometimes also a matter of opportunity.”

TRIGGS - EDITOR

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

®

Photos: Black Dog Wedding Photography

‘LOW METHANE’ SHEEP

A £2.9m grant aimed at helping to create a ‘low methane’ sheep has been awarded by DEFRA in a bid to help the agricultural industry reach ‘net zero’.

The cash from the department’s Farming Innovation Programme, which is delivered by Innovate UK, will be used to carry out an industrywide project designed to breed sheep with a naturally low carbon footprint.

Called Breed for CH4nge – Breeding Low Methane Sheep, the three-year initiative will be led by Innovis, a leading supplier of performance-recorded rams, and will measure methane emissions from a total of 13,500 sheep in 45 flocks.

The data will be collected and used to help develop the tools required to genetically reduce methane emissions and improve the efficiency of the national flock. The project will eventually demonstrate the impact of low-carbon sheep on whole-farm carbon footprints.

Innovis will partner with other performancerecording maternal sheep breeder groups including Sheep Improvement Group (SIG), breeding the Exlana, Performance Recorded

Lleyn Breeders (PRLB) and the Centurion Group of Dorset Sheep Breeders to deliver the research and host on-farm events.

Scientific input, technology and additional genetics expertise will be provided by Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC) and Harper Adams University, while Signet Breeding Services, part of AHDB, will provide performance-recording services.

Industry and supply chain partners Centre for Innovation Excellence in Livestock (CIEL), Pilgrims Pride and Waitrose will help steer farm system modelling, including the use of carbon calculators, and will drive an integrated knowledge exchange (KE) programme. The National Sheep Association (NSA) will provide a direct and important link with the wider industry and a ‘guiding hand’ on policy issues.

Innovis chief executive Dewi Jones said: “We are an alliance of forward-thinking sheep farmers and commercially driven breeders applying genetic science and using performance recording to deliver profitable maternal genetics at significant scale, all of which are designed to make the most efficient use of grass and forage to produce sustainable and healthy lamb of high

nutritive value. Making use of grasslands by way of sheep grazing also helps sequester carbon into the soil.

“This partnership unifies us with academics, a key lamb supply chain and industry bodies whose networks extend to thousands of English and other UK-based sheep farmers. We’ve all delivered many successful projects, applied research results on-farm and communicated with a wide audience but never before combined forces; Breed for CH4nge will consequently build on and strengthen existing relationships.”

To widen the Breed for CH4nge project’s impact beyond the 45 flocks involved, there are plans to roll out a wide-reaching communication programme with other sheep breeders and farmers throughout England, in collaboration with supply chain partners and wider industry bodies, including NSA.

The NSA’s Phil Stocker said the association saw Breed for CH4nge as “a highly significant R&D project to move Britain’s sheep industry forward in terms of productivity gains, alongside reducing methane emissions and improving carbon footprints."

RECORD CROWDS RAISE £4,500 FOR CHARITY

This year’s Alresford Watercress Festival attracted record crowds of 20,000 people and allowed a record donation to be made to Abby’s Heroes, the festival’s chosen charity.

Sally Randall, who founded Abby’s Heroes following the death of her daughter Abby, was presented with a cheque for nearly £4,500 by the chair of the Watercress Festival Committee, John Cattle, and fellow committee member Simon Evans, together with Simon Lawes from Sun Salads Ltd and Tom Amery from The Watercress Company.

Abby’s Heroes is a charity that supports children, teenagers, young adults and their families following a cancer diagnosis and throughout their treatment. It provides financial help for families in difficult times, when jobs may have to be put on hold so that parents can care for a sick child, and grants to help families enjoy days out to help create memories they will treasure.

Volunteers from Abby’s Heroes attended the Festival, milling with the crowds and collecting donations in exchange for fresh watercress, while celebrity chef Mark Hix auctioned off portions of the watercress dishes he prepared on stage to raise further funds for the charity.

Claire May, Event and Market Manager for the festival, said: “The primary aim of the Alresford Watercress Festival committee is to support local charities through donations or

charity trading pitches.

“We selected Abby's Heroes as our key charity due to the significant impact of its work and its location. The army of purple-clad volunteers cheerfully collecting donations in exchange for watercress is a wonderful sight on festival day.”

Sally Randall, CEO of Abby’s Heroes, said she was “over the moon to receive this fantastic donation” and added: “It is such an amazing day and our purple army of volunteers absolutely loved being there. We are delighted that this money will be used to support some very special children and their families across Hampshire and the South Coast.”

PLOUGHING MATCHES

A full fixture list will be published in our September edition.

2nd September 2023

Guildford & District Ploughing Association

MAP-MARKER Loseley Park, Guildford, Surrey, GU3 1HS. 3rd September 2023

Romney Marsh Ploughing Match Ploughing starts at 10am.

MAP-MARKER Old Ashford Road, Brenzett Green, Romney Marsh TN29 0BE

Send us your fixtures for the next issue: rebecca.farmer@kelsey.co.uk

Simon Lawes, John Cattle, Tom Amery, Sally Randall and Simon Evans

REUNION SUPPER

Dear Sir,

I am organising a reunion supper for the class of 1973/74 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of our graduation from Sparsholt College in Hampshire and I hope that your letters page will help me to spread the word.

The reunion supper is to be held on the evening of Saturday 30 September at The Mill Arms, Dunbridge, where we hope to share stories and memories of our time together.

If any fellow class members or staff from the time would like to join us I can be contacted on 01983 531234 or at mikedm.whitelane@ gmail.com

Michael Morris, Calbourne, Isle of White

CROSSWORD A COMFORT

Dear Sir,

The strawberry variety solution to the July crossword is Royal Sovereign. Thank you for the crossword. My mother, who sadly passed away unexpectedly in July 2022, was an avid completer of your crossword, so I am now carrying on where she left off. She would have got this one without the letters!

Sarah Powell, near Hastingleigh, Kent

SUCCESS AT LAST!

Dear Sir, I've actually done it after years of trying; I've finished the crossword AND solved the anagram. The answer is “royal sovereign”.

Best wishes and thanks for a great magazine.

Judie Everett, West Peckham, Kent

COMPLEX PICTURE

Dear Sir, I write in reply to the Complex Picture article (July issue) about the South of England Show.

The numbers of beef cattle entries have remained fairly consistent since 2015, with the number of Charolais this year higher than in 2022. Last year we hosted the prestigious Burke Trophy, which saw our cattle numbers increase marginally. This year the trophy was hosted at the Royal Cornwall Show which runs the same week, so several regular exhibitors went there instead.

Our dairy section has sadly declined over the past few years (in tandem with the decline in dairy farming in the region). We still have some top breeders, but they are milking hundreds of cows, don’t have the time or manpower necessary or are on health schemes that make it hard for them to leave the farm to show cattle.

We offer our stockmen the opportunity to stay on-site in our bunk house, which is basic and old-fashioned but clean, safe and secure. It offers bed and bathroom facilities, is priced accordingly and is something not all shows are able to offer.

All stakeholders were surveyed before the decision was made to change the show to Friday to Sunday and many were spoken to directly. The response from the livestock exhibitors was largely indifferent to the changes. At least two other successful agricultural shows in the South East now run on a Sunday or a bank holiday.

August Bank Holiday

Sun 27th & Mon 28th August 2023

Entry fees for our cattle classes have changed little over several years and are lower than similar shows. Our prize money is on a par or higher. We have, for a number of years, provided all our cattle exhibitors with appearance money to help with the cost of attending.

We appreciate the effort and costs our livestock exhibitors go to in order to attend the show. The society is a charity still recovering from the pandemic, which greatly affected us as it did many others. Unfortunately, we are not currently able to support our cattle exhibitors to the degree that other larger shows may be able to or that we aspire to in future.

Things do go wrong, the catering for stockmen last year being one example, but we pride ourselves on rectifying issues; as the article pointed out, the catering was widely praised and appreciated this year, as was the subsidised stockman’s dinner we have hosted for many years.

There have been many changes to the agricultural show and farming industries over past years. We try our best to stay true to our agricultural heart while organising a show people love and helping them learn about our amazing region and its agricultural heritage and future.

Charlie Burgoyne South of England Agricultural Society Chairman

Lingfield, Surrey RH7 6LL (nr J6, M25)

Afabulous family dayout!

100% RIGHT

Dear Sir,

Steve Skinner is 100% right (“Vermin is killing our wildlife”, South East Farmer, July). When are people in DEFRA, the Environment Agency and Natural England going to wake up and come and ask us farmers our opinion? We are on the spot.

All we get are directives and we have to obey decisions all coming from focus groups. Please stop. Just because you know the Latin name of everything and have some sort of degree does not make you right.

When is all this nonsense going to stop?

Lance Gearing, farmer, near Pevensey, East Sussex

RE-THINK NEEDED ON FERTILISER ROLE

Dear sir,

I write with disappointment on discovering that within 150 pages of advice and guidance in DEFRA’s Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) 2023 handbook on all areas of sustainable practices, from soil health to pest management, there is no mention of how lower carbon fertilisers could reduce the environmental impact.

The only mention of fertiliser in the handbook is in relation to completely stopping the use of artificial fertilisers on farm.

With an ever increasing global population and threats to food security, it’s naive to believe that we can cut off fertiliser use across UK farms and yet continue to increase production levels for the world's growing population. It's no secret that traditional fertilisers have a high carbon footprint, but it is vital that the government looks to support farmers in bringing emissions down gradually.

Instead of simply asking farmers to reduce their fertiliser usage, low carbon alternatives should be actively promoted to support the transition to a more sustainable future. Lower carbon products are estimated to have a reduced production carbon footprint potential of up to 50% compared to conventionally produced fertilisers. This can reduce the carbon footprint of crop production throughout the entire agricultural supply chain while supporting optimal crop growth. These products use biomethane as an alternative to fossil natural gas. By investing in biomethane derived from biogenic waste and residue streams, OCI supports the replacement of fossil resources on a mass balance principle. The SFI scheme needs to reward farmers who are introducing lower carbon alternatives.

Sam

Leadbeater,

UK sales manager, OCI Global

RECORD NUMBERS EXPECTED

Livestock entries have surpassed expectations for the Edenbridge & Oxted Agricultural Show planned for 27 and 28 August.

With entries now closed, equestrian and cattle numbers are up, with 120 dairy stalls and 232 beef stalls booked – higher than pre-Covid. Almost 500 pens are booked for the sheep, with record numbers again expected and 41 different breeds set to be exhibited.

New Show President Jan Boomaars is an eighth generation farmer whose passion for agriculture and food production goes hand-in-hand with the show’s focus on the area’s farming heritage.

He said: “I’ve been attending and exhibiting cattle at Edenbridge & Oxted for many years now, and it’s an event that’s close to my heart.

“The quality of the show and its competitions rivals any ‘Royal’ or ‘County’ show and it’s a superb example of what a traditional agricultural event should be. Being the best example of its kind in the South East and being so close to London, I’m keen to see how we can help attract more visitors who haven’t connected with food and farming before.”

As well as almost 2,000 farm animals, visitors will be entertained by The Mole Man, The Sheep Show and birds of prey, along with a Ferret Roadshow and a range of equestrian events. Vintage farm machinery displays and a busy country sports area will add to the attractions.

Photos: Shona Galloway Photography

TIME AND TIDE WAIT FOR NO MAN

A West Sussex farmer is rewilding part of his land after accepting he can no longer hold back the tide.

With farmers already wrestling with the loss of EU-support and the growing power of supermarkets, James Baird has also been doing battle with the power of the sea – but now he’s taking a more pragmatic approach.

The impact on his business of coming to terms with the fact that he can’t hold back the tide has been a significant, challenge, but he sees his decision to let nature take its course as an opportunity to put his commitment to rewilding into practice while maintaining public safety and access to the beach at Climping, near Littlehampton.

James, of Home Farm, Climping, said: “We’ve known for more than a decade that the day would come when we would lose the battle to keep areas of our land from the sea. The Coastal Defence Strategy adopted by Arun District Council and the Environment Agency (EA) in 2015, made it abundantly clear there was no justification for their spending the millions of pounds that would be required to prevent all erosion and flooding.

“We needed to prepare ourselves and the community for the future.”

Climping beach, popular with residents and visitors, has long suffered from seasonal storm patterns, and more so in recent years. In February and March of this year a series of high tides and small storm events impacted the frontage, undermined the defences and broke

through to inundate the Bairds’ land. This prompted the EA to reprofile the beach shingle to maximise its flood risk benefit as part of its ‘patch/repair’ policy of maintenance while it is economically viable.

With the EA’s annual maintenance budget for the Climping frontage exceeded in recent years, the organisation took the decision to let the area find its natural position, meaning it could no longer rely on expensive hard sea defences, transitioning instead to soft materials such as shingle bays.

The storms resulted in the Bairds losing nine acres of shingle beach to the Crown Estate, and three acres of car park disappeared. A further 20 acres is now unfarmable after 250 acres was inundated by saltwater in 2020, with only 75% of its cropping capacity recovered.

The family has come to accept the loss of their land and the impact of saltwater inundation on their crops and is proposing to take positive action by rewilding the lost land to improve biodiversity. This will contribute to the national agenda to increase biodiversity at scale across the landscape.

The change is in fact a reversal that will restore long lost salt marsh, now a priority habitat along this densely developed and populated stretch of West Sussex coastline. Maps of the farm from 1606 show the extent of those lost salt marshes.

James added: “While we have no formal responsibility nor obligations for coastal protection, it’s clear that as stewards of the

land we can’t sit by and do nothing. Having helped found the Weald to Waves initiative which connects Sussex’s fragmented landscape with the sea to boost biodiversity, capture carbon and enhance nature friendly food production, I can now put my advocacy into practice on our own land.”

Sparing land for nature will involve significant management input over the coming decades. Farm workers will switch from managing crops to landscape stewardship. With the loss of productive land already gnawing away at profit margins, the aim is that the proposed natural capital offer will bring new investment. A business model centred around catering for visitors who will want to come and observe the nature is being formulated. It is a seismic shift in economy, but the Bairds are confident they are taking full advantage of what can only be viewed as the best of a bad situation.

James Baird

Loss of the beach

Coastal erosion at Climping beach

ON YOUR BIKE

A farmer who once received support from The Farming Community Network (FCN) got on his bike in a big way to raise funds for the charity.

Arable farmer Julian Cooke spent four days cycling 278-miles from the Greenwich Observatory to Paris in mid July, smashing his fund-raising target in the process.

A week before he was due to start the London to Paris Cycle Ride he had already attracted pledges of more than £4,000, having set out to raise half that sum for the FCN.

Julian’s route took him through the Kent countryside and the Somme and Oise regions of Northern France en route to his destination,

Two years ago, Julian began to find the pressure of running his Wiltshire farm and the loneliness that can go hand-in-hand with the profession difficult to cope with, and his mental health began to suffer.

Talking to friends and family rather than

bottling up his concerns helped him see a way forward, and he credits them with his recovery to a huge extent.

He also received a great deal of support from FCN and has since become an FCN volunteer. He explained: "Farming is an isolating occupation and I think a lot of farmers feel quite unsupported, especially in recent years. In speaking up, I have learnt that anyone can suffer with their mental health at any time and for any reason.”

Another way Julian improved his wellbeing was by making the time to fit in some physical exercise away from the farm. Getting back on his bike led to a renewed enthusiasm for cycling and his decision to take part in the London to Paris sponsored event, which sees rider cover 60 to 80 miles a day.

Alex Phillimore, head of communications and development at the FCN, said: “We are grateful to Julian for supporting the work of FCN and for his commitment to the charity

PLANTING&GROWING

as a volunteer. In both endeavours, he is highlighting the work that our charity does to support the farming community and is giving something back to the industry.”

SHOW RESULTS

MAKING FARMING RELEVANT TO YOUNG PEOPLE

The centenary of the Kent County Agricultural Society (KCAS) was celebrated in fine style at the 92nd annual Kent County Show, held at the showground at Detling, Kent.

Society chairman Julian Barnes highlighted the success of the show, which has only been cancelled on eight occasions because of war or pandemic, when welcoming guests to the President’s Luncheon on the opening day of the three-day event.

The chairman stressed the importance of making farming relevant to young people and highlighted the success of the society’s annual Living Land event, with its emphasis on education, agriculture and the countryside.

The theme was continued when Harriet Booth, Chairman of the Kent County Federation of Young Farmers' Clubs (YFC), told guests about the importance of the young farmers’ movement in inspiring young people to get involved in agriculture. She pointed out that with farming often a lonely occupation, being

able to get together with like-minded people was vital, and said the show was the highlight of the year for YFC members.

Society President The Hon William Boscawen said the county show was the largest annual event in the county and said that this year’s event featured a “phenomenal display of cattle and sheep”. He also said he was “incredibly proud of the young farmers area” and urged guests to visit it.

This year’s event, which continued to focus on agriculture, animals and education following the 2022 show, also featured a parade in the main ring that highlighted ‘100 years of farming’.

Visitors enjoyed an increased number of livestock entries, a greater number of equine competitors and more trade stands, heritage vehicles and floral displays.

As was fitting in the charity’s centenary year, the show enjoyed a visit by His Royal Highness

The Duke of Kent, a long-standing Patron of the Society who first visited the Kent County Show in 1968 and has made many visits over the years.

During his tour, the Duke was able to find out more about a number of Kentish businesses in the Produced In Kent marquee, greet some of the cattle exhibitors and their animals and enjoy the wide range of heritage machinery, vintage cars, agricultural engines and other exhibits.

As part of a commitment to supporting new businesses and start-ups, this year featured a dedicated area entitled the ‘New Kent Road’ which offered visitors a chance to browse and buy hand-made and bespoke products, crafts and gifts.

Founded in 1923, KCAS provides grants to Kent Young Farmers Clubs and offers university scholarships to students in related fields. The Society also provides free education on farming to young children through the ‘Farming in the Classroom’ initiative and the Living Land event.

Julian Barnes added: “It has been a great honour to lead the society into its 100th birthday, as we continue to showcase everything that the rural sector has to offer to the county’s economy.

“In planning the event, we were determined to keep to our rural heritage while providing an affordable family day out that was both fun and informative. On all of these points I feel we have succeeded.

“As always, the event would not happen without the support of our army of volunteers, all of whom give up their time so selflessly, the generosity of our sponsors and the dedication of our operational team.”

Next year’s Kent County Show will be held from Friday 5 to Sunday 7 July.

SHOW RESULTS

• SUPREME CHAMPION BEEF

Brockhurst Riddle, British Limousin –exhibited by Mary Cormack

• SUPREME CHAMPION SHEEP

WJ & MO Abram with a Black Faced Texel

• SHEEP YOUNG HANDLERS

Cameron Clark

• DAIRY YOUNG HANDLERS

Kayliegh Crampton

• BEEF YOUNG HANDLERS

Danielle Summer

CONTENTIOUS PROBATE?

Contentious probate refers to a dispute about an individual’s estate when they are no longer here. This process can be difficult for families and lead to many mixed feelings, but understanding when an estate can be contested can help answer many questions and make a troubling time less confusing for everyone.

This is a look at what contentious probate is and how a solicitor can help you do what is best for you and your loved ones.

WHAT IS CONTENTIOUS PROBATE, AND WHY DO I NEED A SOLICITOR?

Contentious probate in the UK refers to a legal dispute that arises when the validity of a will or the distribution of an estate is called into question. This can happen, for example, when a family member or other interested party feels they have not been fairly treated in the will, or they suspect that the will was made under duress or without proper legal formalities, both reasons that can invalidate the contents.

In such cases, a solicitor can play a crucial role in representing their client’s interests and helping to resolve the dispute. This may involve advising on the legal options available to the client, such as contesting the will, negotiating a settlement with other beneficiaries or seeking a court order to protect their client’s interests.

CONTENTIOUS PROBATE DISPUTES

Contentious probate disputes can happen for a variety of reasons, including but not limited to:

• ‘Further provisions’ – this is common among spouses and children who feel they should have received more from the deceased’s will, especially if they were financially dependent on them under legislation.

• Issues with executors of the will, such as a disagreement regarding the appointment or actions of one.

• Lifetime gifts and promises.

• Mistakes and disagreements, such as a dispute over the correct ownership of property or the value of an asset.

CONTENTIOUS PROBATE WHEN THERE IS NO WILL

In the UK, when someone dies without leaving a valid will it is known as intestacy. In such cases, the law sets out who should inherit the deceased person’s assets. However, this can still lead to disputes between family members or others close to the deceased, especially if significant assets are involved or there are questions about the deceased’s wishes. These disputes are still considered to be contentious probate, and you should always contact a solicitor if you feel the will or the estate is not being correctly handled.

COWS DESERVE RESPECT

For good behaviour, the grandchildren get stickers to apply to charts on the fridge door, but my own rewards live inside the fridge. A cold bottle of beer takes a lot of beating, refreshing and restorative it somehow makes even the most testing of days feel not quite so bad.

Recovered from my injuries, I’m back doing stock work, while the men are working hard in their nice cool cabs, finishing off the haymaking and cutting rushes for winter bedding.

The suckler herd on the Pevensey levels has plenty of grass in front of it and the cattle are behaving relatively well. The store cattle around home are more mischievous. There are three different groups on one farm and their numbers are constantly fluctuating as some determined characters are choosing to swap groups. This isn’t such a problem, but when one heifer decides to go adventuring on her own it’s a different matter.

‘Miss Naughty’ crossed the stream, wandered through the brooks and then headed up through a wood and joined a flock of sheep. On the way she passed through three electric fences and was nonchalantly grazing on less (but presumably tastier) grass than ours. When I first spotted her she was a speck in the distance; our neighbours do have some black sheep and at first I thought one had grown well, until it dawned on me it was my missing heifer.

I tried enticing her back the way she’d come

with of a bucket of food. She followed me well until I got to the wood. No amount of cajoling persuaded her to retrace her steps. I then tried stern words, stick waving and Brie (sheep/ cattle dog) to no avail, so I had to wait for reinforcements.

So when we should have been eating our evening meal, other half and I were loading and unloading cattle hurdles, strategically parking the livestock trailer, building a pen and patiently waiting for ‘Miss Naughty’ to venture into our trap. Eventually she was outwitted and loaded relatively calmly, her colleagues greeting her noisily as she rejoined them. What a relief when next day all were present and correct.

While I was out of action my son-in-law kindly helped out with lookering, which includes feeding the fattening cattle. The troughs are out in the field and the cattle soon appear when they hear Shrek (ATV). When these animals crowd around you while you’re putting the food in, their sheer size can be intimidating.

I was impressed that son-in-law was unfazed by this. I was, however, horrified one day when he casually mentioned an extra animal had appeared, which he described as “a bit strange because it was sporting a ring in its nose” as if discussing the latest cattle accessory. He was oblivious of the implication. Other half decided this needed urgent investigation and sure enough we had gained a visiting bull. Luckily this was a placid explorer who was delighted to

tuck into a free meal. When we tracked down his owner he was soon retrieved.

This incident occurred not many days after the Sunday Times ran a feature entitled Natural Born Killers with a glossy picture on the front of the magazine of a group of five cattle looking curiously at the photographer. Incidentally I observed that not one of these cattle appeared to have one, let alone two, official tags in its ears.

Inside there was another picture of a cow with the markings of a skull and cross bones on her hide and a headline Get off my land. Ramblers beware: there’s a new killer in the countryside. This kind of media hype is not helpful, and it made me rather sad for the cattle as well as the people involved as I read the harrowing stories. Cows deserve respect; they’re large and curious and can display strong protective maternal instincts.

As with all species, some are more aggressive than others and a few are darn right malicious. We once bought an in-calf heifer who turned out to be over-zealous once calved; she was very soon converted into meat.

It’s never worth taking a risk. Farmers should act responsibly, and walkers need to understand the best course of action when they encounter cattle on footpaths. Better dialogue between farmers and walkers (who are potential customers), should be encouraged. Educating footpath users about the realities of livestock, food production and how the countryside works is important to

Suckler herd on the Pevensey levels

counteract misinformation.

The suggestion of fencing off footpaths is not practical. Maybe if it were easier to create temporary footpath diversions, some disasters could be avoided. Frequent TB testing doesn’t help to enhance the cattle/human relationship. From the cattle’s perspective, being herded up and pushed through a race and receiving two injections probably doesn’t endear humans to them. That said, most farmers have a good working relationship with their animals, which makes this negative media reporting all the more disappointing.

Our cattle came over to watch proceedings while the shearing gang was working. I’m not sure if the cattle were attracted by the music thumping out of the shearers’ boom box or whether they were just fascinated by the art of shearing. I was busy drafting off the lambs but when I glanced away from my task, distracted by the cattle audience, one nifty ewe slipped out with the lambs. That was annoying, because now yours truly will have to get her shears out.

Considering wool’s environmental and sustainability credentials, it remains a stubbornly undervalued product. “High processing costs and weak consumer demand” are blamed. British Wool sent members a letter updating producers on the global wool market. Also enclosed was a booklet explaining the different marketing campaigns being run. British Wool’s Chief Executive Officer is optimistic for the future; let’s hope he’s right. The fields of corn around here look to be ripening fast. On 3 July, just outside Ringmer, I spotted a combine harvester in action. Now it’s harvesting time, the weather is forecast to be more unsettled. I don’t suppose anyone went into farming because they wanted an easy option.

An occasional reward is justified, I’m just going to check out our fridge. Safe, happy harvesting.

Shearing in progress

Getting the flock penned

Cattle keeping cool

Drafting the lambs off

The cattle came to watch

Flock penned ready for shearing

‘Miss naughty’ refused to go back through the wood

Gathering the flock

There was no shortage of advice, contacts, inspiration and ideas at this year’s Fruit Focus event held at NIAB East Malling. With a wide range of exhibitors, a packed programme of quality presentations and a selection of tours, the oft-quoted ‘something for everyone’ label would not have been out of place.

The NFU hosted two seminars during the day, the first focusing on enabling growth for UK horticulture against a backdrop of cost challenges and labour shortages, and the second discussing the challenges around delivering a fair supply chain for growers.

Either side of the central forums there was a continual stream of shorter forums covering everything from the future of robot fruit harvesting and greenhouse energy efficiency to electrical weed control and better irrigation.

Given the venue for the event, there was a

SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE

focus on research tours organised by NIAB, with visitors able to get a closer look at East Malling’s WET (water efficient technology) Centre, plum demonstration centre, research winery and produce quality centre or join a pathology research or fruit research and innovation tour.

Working demonstrations and an afternoon reception featuring local cheese and English wine added to the appeal of the day and

gave visitors a chance to network and read the literature collected from the multitude of exhibitors taking part.

Visitors included Aurel Voiculescu, who works in IT in this country but is a grower in his native India. He was at the event to look at the UK’s more advanced growing and harvesting technology with a view to supporting his growing back home.

“The technology is more advanced here,

Vineyard tour

particularly some of the AI and drone applications,” he commented. “I have also been looking at electronic weed control and the apps that calculate nutritional requirements. It’s a very interesting show.”

Chatting to Aurel was University of Bristol student Swapnil Mane, who has designed a robotic strawberry harvesting system for his Masters dissertation and was at the show to compare notes with the other technology on display.

Rootwave’s eWeeder turned quite a few heads during the afternoon, keeping head of global sales Stephen Jelley busy talking to potential customers.

On what was Rootwave’s first appearance at the show, where Stephen and his team were promoting the company’s trailed electric weeding solution for orchards, vineyards and fruit – available from next year – he said the stand had been “consistently busy”.

Rootwave has already enjoyed considerable success with its handheld spot control lance, which is even able to tackle the notorious Japanese Knotweed, although it can be a lengthy process.

There was a good turnout of packaging machinery on display, with G Mondini (UK) highlighting its TRAVE Fresh tray sealer. Sales manager Lee Driscoll said Fruit Focus had given him a chance to catch up with existing

customers and highlight the company’s range of machinery to potential new ones.

Also enjoying the networking opportunity was Robert Mitchell, managing director of Netafim, irrigation equipment specialists and partners with NIAB in its WET Centre. “Netafim is about growing more with less,” he explained. “We’ve been coming to Fruit Focus for many years, and it gives us a great chance to network and unveil upgrades and new products to potential customers.”

Stephen Jelley

Lee Driscoll

SHAPE YOUR FUTURE

Why you should consider Hadlow College

Just received your GCSE results and not sure of your next steps?

Want to study at Kent’s only specialist rural and land-based college with a wide range of courses, links to industry and employers and some fantastic facilities? Then Hadlow College could be the perfect fit for you.

We are holding GCSE information days on Thursday 24 and Friday 25 August at Hadlow College. There is no need to book an appointment; just drop in and our staff and careers team will be pleased to discuss your next steps with you. Here are seven reasons why you should consider Hadlow College:

1: A WIDE RANGE OF COURSES

Hadlow is Kent’s only specialist rural and land-based college delivering a range of courses covering a variety of areas.

They include agriculture, horticulture, gardening, agricultural engineering, aquaculture and fisheries management, equine, animal management and floristry.

Whether you are joining us straight from school or looking to change career, it is likely we will have a course to suit your needs.

2: BEAUTIFUL SURROUNDINGS

Our Hadlow campus is set in the picturesque surroundings of a large managed estate that includes over 265 acres of prime arable land, woodland, a cross-country course, sports facilities, natural river, three commercial farms, established show gardens and horticultural glasshouses, lakes and other natural habitats. It is a beautiful, and peaceful, place to learn.

3: FANTASTIC FACILITIES

Students at Hadlow College have access to some of the best facilities and resources in the sector. These include:

• A ‘concept orchard and vineyard’ that showcases the latest technology.

• An equestrian stabling area that accommodates 64 horses along with two international size indoor arenas, paddocks and a cross country course.

• Our National Centre for Reptile Welfare, which provides refuge and care for up to

600 unwanted reptiles and amphibians.

• Our animal management unit, which houses over 500 animals from 125 different species.

• A fully functioning commercial farm that is home to 350 ewes, lambing sheds and 66 hectares of rotational grazing land.

• A working beef farm which has land for grazing and for arable crop and forage productions.

• A fully stocked fisheries hatchery with various species of tropical and cold-water fish and over 50 aquarium tanks, plus a two-hectare mixed coarse fishing lake.

• The Royal Borough of Greenwich Equestrian Skills and Riding Centre, which boast an on-site equine spa, a water treadmill, hydrotherapy pool and stabling.

4: A ROUTE TO UCAS POINTS

Our Level 3 courses are the equivalent of A Levels and give you the points you need to apply for university. And when it comes to those important next steps, we have a team of qualified careers advisers who will provide free and impartial advice to help you make decisions about your future.

They can help you with everything from UCAS applications and interview techniques to writing a CV and a covering letter.

Many of our courses offer industry placements where you will gain long term work experience in the industry. This allows you to apply what you are learning at college in a work setting and can even lead to a permanent job or apprenticeship offer.

6: LEARN FROM EXPERTS

Many of our tutors have gained their knowledge and experience from working in the areas they are teaching in. As Ofsted noted: “Learners are positive and enthusiastic about the teaching and support they receive from lecturers. Lecturers carefully plan the curriculum, linking their industry knowledge and experience, which enables learners to link theory to the workplace.“

7: WE ARE GOOD AT WHAT WE DO

At our most recent inspection we were rated ‘Good’ by Ofsted. They said (you can read it on the Ofsted website): “Leaders and managers have worked effectively to make sure that staff continue to offer a high standard of training and education for young people.”

Our GCSE Information Days will run from 10 am to 4 pm on Thursday 24 and Friday 25 August. You don’t need to book; just come to the main reception at any of our campuses and our staff and careers teams will be happy to discuss your options for your next steps with you.

5: GET THE JOB YOU REALLY WANT

If you don’t want to go to university, then our strong links with companies both locally and nationally give you a great chance of getting that job you really want.

If you can’t make these dates, it still isn’t too late. You can drop in and talk to a tutor at our campuses on Monday 4 and Tuesday 5 September with a view to starting with us later that month. See

TURNING 90 WITH STYLE

One of the hardest things I have ever done was tell the trustees of the National Fruit Show that I was standing down, that I had finally found something that started to surpass the single-minded passion I had for ensuring the show would succeed.

I have taken a risk; after 30 years working in retail, farming, and food, it looked like suddenly I was exiting stage left for a whole new world. But no, life is still full of wonderful meetings with generous, socially conscious farmers who are sharing their non-retail grade, outstanding British produce with those who genuinely cannot afford to eat right now. Even in the face of diminishing margins, there are still those who recognise that helping others is a good thing to do.

And the fruit show, well the incredible 90-year-old institution is in safe hands. I opened an extremely exciting email today; there are only six stands left to sell, and we are only in July. Both halls are filled, as you would expect from the National Fruit Show, packed with the latest technology, advice, varieties and every support service a business could possibly want.

We have NFU President Minette Batters, on her farewell tour, opening the show and giving the keynote address on the conference stage, concluding the Worshipful Company of Fruiterers, conference session which will see John Gray, the managing director of Angus Soft Fruit, present his Fruiterers-sponsored Nuffield Scholarship report.

John, so highly regarded in the soft fruit industry, will undoubtedly have some pithy observations from his report Fresh produce supply chain excellence – growing our share of the value chain. Joining John and Minette on stage will be the 2022/23 student prize winners who will talk about their work, as well as two recipients of research grants from the company.

The cider and juice competitions are open to entrants right now, with the results being shared alongside those of the soft and top fruit competitions. The new chair of judges, Hutchinson’s Jonathan Blackman, will be joined by BBC’s Nigel Barden looking after the cider and Dr David Pennel chairing the judges for juice.

Top fruit classes look set to be hotly

contested. Warm weather with some rain at a critical point in the growing season means that colour, flavour and size forecasts are good, which always leads to an exciting judging day (this year on 31 October).

Education has been an enormous focus of the fruit show team over the past decade. The indefatigable Sam Smith and her high energy team have engaged with more than 10,000 children in the past 12 months, representing the industry and enthusing everyone they speak to about the incredible benefits of eating British grown fruit.

Hundreds of primary schools have been visited over the years, each receiving a great dose of enthusiasm about the industry, creating consumers of our fruit and inspiring young people about careers in fruit.

Building on our meeting with the Duchess

of Edinburgh last year, and new for this year, the show is delighted to be hosting a CEIAG (Careers Education, Information, Advice and Guidance) and teacher encounter event in collaboration with The Kent and Medway Careers hub. This will be an opportunity for the industry to network with teachers and careers advisors to help them discover pathways into the industry and businesses.

This great institution, founded in Kent and representing all that is great about British fruit, turns 90 with style at this year’s show on 1 and 2 November.

SARAH CALCUTT Chair, National Fruit Show

NFU President Minette Batters will be opening the National Fruit Show

BREEDING SHEEP FOR THE COMMERCIAL MARKET

Arriving at Hole Farm, I notice the smart promotional signs either side of the farm entrance advertising the upcoming ram sale. As I park up in front of the traditional Wealden farm house James Hamilton comes out to greet me and invites me in for a coffee.

“I’ve always been really keen on farming – my granny was a farmer up in Scotland and that’s where my passion came from,” explained James.

The Suffolk flock was established in 2012 following an opportunity to buy some good foundation ewes from a flock in Scotland that was scaling back. His granny had bred Suffolks and he had always been keen on the breed. He started quite small and has gradually built up to 100 ewes on the farm: 50 Suffolks and 50 commercials.

“What we do is sell Suffolk rams – that is our main business. We’re not trying to breed show ponies; if you go to any of the major shows the Suffolks will have legs the size of tree trunks and heads like a bullock,” he said.

“We are breeding a sheep for the commercial market, for the commercial

producer to breed fat lambs or replacement females. They are finer boned, and when they are born they get up and suck. We’ve always selected them for lambing ease, birth vigour and speed to suckle. Anything that doesn’t make the grade goes. It doesn’t matter how good it turns out to be in later life; it goes fat.

“Ultimately, if you’re selling rams to people and the lambs don’t get up and suck – they’re no use,” he explained.

James has sold his Suffolk rams privately to local farms for a number of years now and has built up some good customers.

Tom and Rhiannon Masters, at Chyngton Farm in Seaford, buy James’s rams and he also helps lamb their 700 ewes every February.

They have been really pleased with the lambs and the daughters they’ve kept, he said. The Suffolk-sired lambs get up and suck quickly

and the wether lambs grow and finish well off grass. The retained Suffolk mule ewe lambs make maternal and milky ewes.

Recently there was an opportunity to increase the size of his Suffolk flock after the Sandyknowe flock, run by Malcolm Stewart, was dispersed following Malcolm’s retirement from shepherding.

This flock had been managed on a commercial system with the ewes lambing outdoors in the Scottish Borders. He had about 240 ewes at his dispersal sale and James bought 20. The auctioneer, Scott Lambie, suggested he run his own on-farm ram sale down in Sussex given that he had been buying Malcolm’s best rams for a number of years.

Before retiring, Malcolm Stewart had run an annual on-farm ram sale since 2014 which had gone from strength to strength. The cost

This month Nigel Akehurst visits Hole Farm in Hadlow Down to meet young Suffolk ram breeder James Hamilton and find out more about his first on-farm ram sale at the end of August.

of intensively feeding rams to achieve the size expected by buyers at the traditional sales triggered the switch to an annual on-farm sale. James has never intensively fed rams for sale, commenting: “Overfeeding rams is no good for the buyer and no good for the ram itself”.

ON FARM RAM SALE AT HOLE FARM ON SATURDAY 26 AUGUST, FEATURING LOGIE DURNO RAMS

Convinced by the auctioneer to give it a go, James has set a date for his first on-farm ram sale on Saturday 26 August. The sale will be run by South East Marts, with Scott Lambie as the guest auctioneer.

In addition to selling 25 of his own Suffolk rams, he will also have 25 Durno hybrid rams available. The Durno is a hybrid terminal sire based on Texel and Charollais genetics and has been stabilised for over 20 years, ensuring that Durno-sired lambs are consistent.

The Charollais element contributes fast growth rates and easy fleshing, while the Texel adds carcass confirmation and hardiness. These rams are bred exclusively by W&C Ingram at Logie Durno Sheep, a family run business in the north of Scotland. Logie Durno specialises in the production of shearling rams for the pedigree and commercial producer,

selling over 1,000 rams annually from nine different breeds.

Logie Durno has put forward 25 Durno rams into the sale, choosing the breed because it is their most popular terminal sire, crossing well over a number of different types of ewe, and is already sold to many flocks in the South East of England. Durno-sired lambs from these flocks are regularly among the top prices at market.

Tom and Riannon Masters, who regularly top the early new season lamb trade at Ashford, have used Durno rams for four years. Since they switched to Durno rams exclusively for their Suffolk mule flock, the auctioneers have commented that Tom and Riannon have produced their best and most consistent lambs.

James felt having 50 rams and two different breeds was key to making the sale more attractive and giving it more critical mass. Viewings will be from 3pm in the afternoon, with the sale starting at 5.30pm. There will also be a bar and some food on offer, too. People can also look at the rams before the sale by getting in touch with James.

“The sheep won’t be trimmed. They were clipped in early June so what you see is what you get – they’ll be presented naturally,” he said.

FARM FACTS

• 127 acres in total, including 45 acres of woodland.

• 100 ewes, 50 Registered Suffolk ewes that are performance recorded and 50 commercial ewes.

• MV Accredited. No CODD or CLA in the flock.

• April lambing; Suffolks lambed indoors and commercial twins lambed outside.

• Suffolk rams sold to local farmers to breed their own replacements and produce finished lambs.

• Commercial lambs sold fat via Hailsham Market or private kills.

• Countryside Stewardship mid-tier scheme - options are herbal leys, winter bird food, nectar flower mixes, low input permanent pasture and hedgerow management.

• Capital options made full use of, with 2.5km of fencing and 600m of hedge laying all carried out in house.

• Works off-farm five days a week, two for Duncan Ellis at Church Farm in Litlington, and also works for Richard Brown’s research business.

• James also lambs for Tom and Rhiannon Masters in Seaford during February.

James Hamilton with Hub

PERFORMANCE RECORDING AND SUSTAINABLE FARMING GO HAND IN HAND

The flock has been performance recorded with Signet since the start. When purchasing a stock ram, James is looking for length, a good loin with width all the way along the top line and a set of Estimated Breeding Values (EBVs) to match.

“We do place an emphasis on good performance figures. However, for a lamb to be kept as a replacement or make it as a potential sale ram, they have to look the part too. Breeding purely for figures doesn’t work. Every lamb is handled and assessed as a fat lamb, which is an important part of the selection process.”

The individual traits James focuses on are growth rates, measured as a scan weight EBV, as well as muscle depth and fat depth EBVs. He has always selected for positive fat depth EBVs as this helps lambs achieve sufficient finish from grass diets. Breeding females also retain condition more easily when faced with challenging conditions.

James said about half the rams will have an Index in the top 1% of the Suffolk breed,

with the other half being in the top 5%. He commented: “The growth rates we are getting from the purebred and crossbred Suffolk lambs are phenomenal, but it’s important to breed lambs that carry sufficient flesh and finish at slaughter weights; a big lean lamb is heavily penalised in the live market, particularly when trade is back.”

The sale rams are wintered on a mixture of grass and forage crops. This year the rams were turned onto a herbal ley in the spring, established as part of the farm’s Sustainable Farming Incentive scheme.

To keep them growing well and thriving, James moves them every three to four days on a rotation to ensure that they graze efficiently and to allow the grass and clovers time to recover for the next grazing. His essential bits of kit include his sheep dog Hub, quad bike and electric fence Rappa winder.

The Suffolk ewes lamb in April indoors. The commercial twins are lambed outdoors, with the singles and triplets lambed indoors for ease of wet fostering.

Despite the challenging weather this spring, he was pleased with how lambing went this year. The Suffolk ewes turned out

at 180% and the commercial ewes turned out at 170%. “That’s marked up and alive at two days old,” he added.

“The Suffolks we have are functional ewes and very good mothers with plenty of milk; both traits that we continually select for. Most of the ewes will lamb themselves. it’s not like you’re getting big lambs that are getting hung or ewes that are wandering off.”

During lambing James records everything with pen and paper and then transfers the data to a spreadsheet on his laptop. He admitted his system is probably inefficient compared to some apps, but finds it works well for his flock of 100 ewes.

PERFORMANCE RECORDING IS IMPORTANT, BUT THE SHEEP MUST LOOK THE PART TOO

James runs his lambs in two mobs on a grass rotation and weighs them regularly, also taking faecal egg counts monthly (from May onwards) to monitor worm burdens and the need for drenching. The bottom end of the lambs are sold fat, with any ewes that consistently breed below average lambs also culled from the flock.

Photo: Lucy Carnaghan

Jack Rotational grazing

“It takes about an hour and half to weigh the lambs in each mob, and then it takes five minutes to put the data onto a spreadsheet. This works well for us, but would be too time consuming for larger flocks,” he said.

The Suffolks are weighed at eight weeks, allowing James to identify the most milky ewes, allowing for the differences between singles and twins, as well as shearling ewes which don’t milk as well as the older ewes. The lambs are weighed again before weaning.

In August the lambs are weighed again when they are around typical slaughter weights to help determine a scan weight EBV. A key element of performance recording is the collection of accurate measurements using an ultrasound scanner, which is carried out by a technician from Signet Breeding Services. This data is used to generate muscle depth and fat depth EBVs for each individual animal, taking into account the sex, whether lambs are reared as singles or twins and whether they are out of older ewes or shearling ewes.

In the autumn, ewe lambs for flock replacements and potential sale rams are selected. All lambs must look the part and handle well to be selected, regardless of how good their figures might be. Numbers are further whittled down over the next 12 months to ensure that only the best females are retained and the most suitable rams offered for sale.

I asked if he plans to scale up his sheep enterprise. He replied that it would need to stack up financially.

“I feel very lucky to do what I do and run 100 ewes here on a fairly straightforward system, generating a sensible income for the time involved, which allows me to work off farm. I love what I do, but you would need to have 1,000 ewes and a bigger land base to make it stack up as a standalone source of income,” he said.

James works for Duncan Ellis, who runs a large mixed farming business at Church Farm, and for Richard Brown’s research business, which looks at meat production and dairy production globally.

MARKET OUTLOOK FOR LAMB PRICES THIS YEAR

I asked James what he thinks about the current market for lamb. He replied he thought prices were still reasonable (at the time of writing in June), but said it had been a bit depressing from November through to February because of a glut of lambs.

“It wasn’t helped by the drought last summer, resulting in a lot of lambs being carried through into the winter when they were finished on forage crops or winter grazing. Then things really turned around in March, helped by some of the religious festival demand,” he said.

In the medium to long term, he is quite optimistic as he thinks the national flock is likely to contract. “Those that stay in will see some reward, I hope, with the usual seasonal peaks and troughs.”

He also thinks the industry is continually looking to improve. For example, farmers in his flock club are all now aiming to use good genetics and develop their grassland management.

“They are always analysing; not just their scanning percentages but also their mortality and rearing percentages, lamb growth rates, when they have marketed their lambs and how many they have sold by a certain date,” he said.

The only slightly worrying thing is the Australian and New Zealand trade deals for sheepmeat, he cautioned. Most industry analysts think Asia will continue to import most of Australia’s and New Zealand’s lamb exports but, as demonstrated last year by the lockdowns experienced in China which dropped demand for lamb, it only takes a few extra shipments into the UK to really distort the market over here. Overall, though, James thinks the Government’s push on the environment will create less supply and less supply is good for farmgate prices; so, he’s positive for the future.

ENVIRONMENTAL SCHEMES, HERBAL LEYS AND REGENERATIVE AGRICULTURE

James is coming to the end of a five-year Countryside Stewardship mid-tier agreement on the farm which has worked well. He plans to renew his agreement and has managed to do quite a few capital projects, including renewing stock fences and laying hedges, work which was carried out in house.

I ask James what he thinks about the term ‘regenerative agriculture’.

“I think it’s a very broad church. There’s a real scale between what some people would call regenerative, which is quite extreme and almost exclusionary to other people. We could argue we are regenerative; we grow a break crop of forage rape which winters our sheep, improves the ground, and is then put back into a new ley which is more productive. So we’re regenerating our pastures and improving our efficiency” he replied.

He thinks there is a danger that the term could be divisive and says we want to be united and stand together in agriculture.

“It’s based on lots of good principles, but ultimately even if farm businesses want to be environmentally sustainable or regenerative, they can’t be either of those things unless they are financially sustainable,” he added.

FARM TOUR

Finishing up our chat we head out to the fields to see his group of 25 Suffolk rams. Moving them twice a week is clearly paying dividends –they all look in great shape.

James points out the previous paddocks, which are already showing good signs of regrowth. It’s a great advertisement for herbal leys and rotational grazing. We head back to the yard, and before I leave James introduces me to his dog (Hub) and new addition (Jack, Hub’s son) a five month-old puppy who is coming along nicely, he said.

It’s been an interesting morning finding out about James’s Suffolk flock and Logie Durno and the plans for the ram sale. It will be a great opportunity to purchase some quality rams with performance figures to match. I look forward to seeing you at the sale.

VIN E YAR D

VARIETY PERFORMANCE

New Hall Wine Estate sits in the beautiful surroundings of the Crouch Valley in Essex. News from the Vineyard is brought to you Courtesy of our sister publication Vineyard Magazine.

Recent research has identified the Crouch Valley as having ideal conditions for viticulture. When Bill and Sheila Greenwood planted the first vines at New Hall Wine Estate in 1969 they may not have had the benefit of modern scientific research but they certainly knew their land. As pioneers and part of a very small English wine industry in 1976 New Hall won a Gold Medal at the IWSC. The continuing expansion and development of this commercial vineyard has led to many accolades over the years and in 2013 Piers Greenwood was named UKVA Winemaker of the Year.

The American businessman Henry Ford said:

“If everyone is moving forward together then success takes care of itself.” New Hall Wine Estate is a fine example of this sentiment. Alongside its own success New Hall Wine Estate has also witnessed the strong growth of English and Welsh wine across many regions. New Hall is still a family business, with Chris Trembath at the helm and his daughter Becki as the next generation to join the team.

There are many remarkable aspects to New Hall Wine Estate but one of the first things that any visitor will notice is the Railway Barn. The Railway Barn has a romantic presence because it is a tribute to the past and acknowledges the many changes that have

happened in the countryside. The invention of and the continued expansion of the railways created many possibilities for rural areas. Day trips and adventures into the countryside became possible for the masses until the Beeching Cuts of 1963. The railway line that ran only a few hundred yards from the site of the current vineyard was axed. What was unknown to those decision makers in 1963 was that six years later the obsolete railway sleepers would be incorporated into the foundations of a new vineyard. The remnants of the industrial age would become the literal supports of the new vineyard at the forefront of a viticultural revolution. The initial planting of 850 Huxelrebe vines has now flourished into

The initial planting of 850 Huxelrebe vines has now flourished into an amazing 125 acres

an amazing 125 acres with a variety of vines that is awe-inspiring.

Speaking to Andy Hares, the vineyard manager at New Hall, the full spectrum of grape varieties becomes apparent: Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier, Huxelrebe, Pinot Gris, Muller Thurgau, Reichenstiener, Siegerrebe, Bacchus, Pinot Blanc, Schonbuger, Acolon, Rondo, Regent, Zweigeltrebe, Chardonnay, Ortega, Pinot Meunier, Fruhburgunder. This is already an amazing list that gives New Hall Wine Estate the scope to make some unique wines but still with an eye on the future next year there will be a planting of another ten acres and the new PIWI variety Caberet Noir will be added to the list. At a tasting of this new variety Rachel Appleton the assistant winemaker was excited by the possible black fruit flavours that this variety could bring to red wines.

Andy has been the vineyard manager at New Hall for eight harvests, having previously worked in the French regions of Bergerac and St Emillion where he worked mainly with the Pinot Noir Variety. Describing his love of viticulture Andy said: “I love the variety and I love growing grapes, the life cycle of the vines is truly amazing.”

It is not always plain sailing for a vineyard that has so many different varieties planted in different decades. Andy explained that some of the rows are planted at 4m, some at 3m and some at 2m, these variations representing experiments with the aspect of planting density. This creates certain difficulties around the machines that can be used.

There are also different growing systems, one of which is a rather unique adaptation of the Scott Henry that has a double curtain giving a beautiful if slightly dense canopy. This tendency towards dense canopy can sometimes lead to a lack of flow and the vines can then be susceptible to downy mildew so Andy is ever vigilant for the first signs of disease pressure. Andy and the vineyard team work constantly to improve the fruit quality. This has included systematically lifting the canopy, aiding airflow and assisting with ripeness levels especially in the red grape varieties.

“This year around the middle of May the vines were about a month behind; spring

was such a non-event,” explained Andy, but by 5 July, the day Vineyard visited New Hall, flowering was over and owing to the recent warm weather the vines are now in line with what is considered average for the time of year. Deciding what is average and what to expect is not easy on a site with so many varieties and Andy has deep knowledge of all the intricacies of each of the planting blocks. While looking through the vineyard, Andy points out what will be some extremely elongated large bunches of Pinot Noir. “Large that is for Pinot Noir but very different in comparison to varieties such as Huxelrebe,” said Andy. Every year brings its own unique challenges, “it is going to be an interesting year again,” he added with half a smile and half a frown.

“The Siegrebbe will be harvested the first week in September” explained Andy. Prior to Covid-19 the early ripening of the Siegrebbe would also coincide with a festival weekend that would see local families enjoy time amongst the vines. For 2023 there was

a ticketed ‘Summer Vibes in the Vines’ event on 21 July with tours and tastings, music and open fire lunch. It is also possible to visit the cellar door on a Saturday and at certain times of year it is possible to travel the vineyard trail which has a beautiful map illustrating the varieties as visitors walk the 1km trail that offers views of the local wildlife as well. (As we stand at the entrance to the winery a fabulous brown hare hopped past; once a common sight in the countryside, this is just one of the many species to be found here.)

New Hall Wine Estate rarely has frost, “the weather is very site specific,” said Andy. To illustrate his point, in September 2022 the met office reported that some sites in the south east received rainfall well in excess of 150% of the long term average. When many other areas were relieved to have copious amounts of rain, New Hall had absolutely no rain for the entire month of September. “You could literally see the clouds split as they passed over the site,” said Andy. This lack of rain led to >>

Andy Hares

a fall in yields of around 30% for 2022. In 2012 however, which was generally a poor year across the UK, the unique climate of Essex and the Crouch Valley in particular meant that 33% of national production was harvested by the vineyards of Essex.

In terms of pests in the vineyard there is now little bird predation so there is no need to net the vines. Although Andy pointed out that when he started there was a grain silo full of nets so this must have been a task undertaken in the past. There are however quite significant populations of Muntjack deer and these are dealt with by leaving some sacrificial rows and the deer mainly stick to the one area of the vineyard.

Other pests in the vineyard are wasps. “The Rondo ripens early and the wasps love it,” Andy explained. Andy has found an unusual side effect of the product Sentinel – a fertiliser which contains the natural product salicylic acid – which is that the wasps will stop feeding on the grapes within one hour of application and the rows that were earlier swarming with hungry wasps will then remain free for seven to ten days.

In France Andy worked on organic systems and New Hall is working hard to reduce inputs, undertaking disease modelling and using the latest technology such as a Sencrop station to ensure that applications are used to maximum effect. For the past four years New Hall have been using Sectormentor to build a pattern of data for the future.

The number of varieties at New Hall has indirectly influenced the purchase of a new machine harvester. These machines are impressive both in size and capability but at New Hall the New Holland machine harvester purchased in 2022 through Ernest Doe has been such a benefit bringing in the 220 tonnes

of fruit from the 2022 harvest (yields at New Hall have reached as high as 270 tonnes). Andy estimated it would pay for itself within five years. He was quick to praise the forward thinking of Chris Trembath for the decision to purchase the machine.

“There is a skill to picking fruit quickly,” said Andy, and with 20 to 30 labourers for harvest for more than three weeks it becomes very expensive. Finally on the point of labour at harvest Andy concluded: “Ensuring an adequate supply of well trained and skilled pickers is only going to become more difficult.”

The problem of securing skilled pickers is compounded by the numerous varieties at New Hall as everything is ready at different times. The machine harvester has effectively taken a problem and dispensed with it. “We can pick an acre at 5am on a random Tuesday morning if that variety is ready and not have to worry about getting a team in and then occupying them for the rest of the day and we can leave fruit hanging longer without worrying about labour constraints; our numerous varieties make our harvest rather unique,” said Andy. In effect the machine harvester means that New Hall can work on the timescale that the vines determine rather than being influenced by other external factors. The early ripening Siegrebbe is a perfect example of the benefits of the machine harvester. “There is such a balance between what the winery want in the way of sugars and what we can give them from the vineyard; Siegrebbe becomes over ripe very quickly,” said Andy.

All the varieties at New Hall offer both those who work in the winery and those who work in the vineyard a fantastic opportunity to get a well rounded knowledge. With so many varieties here there are opportunities that are not to be found everywhere in the UK. It

is surprising to learn, therefore, that Andy is looking for both an assistant manager and a vineyard assistant (offering an apprenticeship for this position). “It is an amazing industry to be involved with,” said Andy and anyone who finds themselves working with Andy and these vines will build up their skill set very quickly.

Andy finally declared that his favourite variety to work with was Acolon. “It is the closest to the perfect grape with big bunches and it yields well,” he said. The winery team had different ideas for their favourite variety to work with, with Rachel Appleton, who has been the production manager for three years, choosing two varieties for very different reasons. “Siegrebbe ripens so early; for the 2022 season it was picked on 26 August which is really early and it is what I call ‘living the dream day’,” said Rachel. On this first day of picking all the winery staff, office staff and vineyard team pick the grapes together. “It is a really nice day of picking and tasting a few of the grapes and then we bring it back and make wine out of it and then there is about a week before the next variety is ready,” added Rachel. The second variety that Rachel mentions is Schonberger for its “extremely versatile, big berries that are a pretty green with a pink shine.” The head winemaker Olly Shaw was appointed on 19 May 2023 and on the subject of varieties Olly said: “I am looking forward to working with the variety Zweigeltrebe having not worked with this variety before but it can deliver a very concentrated style.”

From the entrance to the winery it is possible to see five varieties, “which creates a spectacular autumnal display,” said Rachel. On entering the winery it is obvious that this place is special. Not only is it incredibly photogenic, it has a cosy and appealing vibe. Rachel and Olly smile as they describe it as the ‘heritage

The number of varieties at New Hall Wine Estate is inspiring

winery.’ This area has the capacity for storage of up to 70,000 litres but this is only the beginning.

There are double doors leading from this heritage winery and beyond is a really modern winery space. The winery was upgraded in 2021 by Graham Heath Construction and was ready to accept grapes about one week before the 2021 harvest began. Storage capacity has now increased dramatically to over 120,000 litres, with 170,000 bottles produced under the New Hall label in 2022.

Working with UK suppliers such as Core Equipment, BevTech, Vigo and WR Services, it has ensured an array of quality equipment in the new winery catering for every need during harvest. There are now 89 individual tanks ranging in capacity from 750 litres up to 23,500 litres. This allows the winery so much versatility to take advantage of the different varieties and within that the different blocks. In the future this will also allow the winemaking team to work with different yeast strains and “work with the reds to incorporate oak,” said Olly. Having a good relationship with UK suppliers has clearly been key, as Jonathan Chaplin, MD of Core Equipment, explained: “We have supplied New Hall with a wide range of winemaking equipment including a labelling machine from Enos and high quality eccentric screw pumps from Kiesel. In addition, we have been their service partner for many years now, attending to their various pieces of winery equipment.”

“We have gone down the blending route to get the core range right but we have the opportunity to touch base with our heritage because we have got such a lot of heritage here, celebrating and showcasing the old vines,” explained Olly. "If we have time we will do some more skin maceration on the Pinot

Gris and the Bacchus but it is all about timing during harvest, you cannot wait around for eight hours with the press not doing anything,”

There is also a purpose built lab which allows extensive analysis to be undertaken with a sense of both “peace and patience,” explained Olly. “The more information we have about the juice and later the wine the better decisions we can make and better decisions make higher quality wine. With the amount of wine that we make it is important to be consistent and have more data so the lab is a fundamental part of that,” said Rachel.

There is plenty of room in this modern space and it has been designed so that the fork lift can be manoeuvred with ease throughout the building. This may seem an obvious necessity but it is something that can make a huge difference to the efficiency of a winery.

“Since there is not much disease pressure on this site and very little frost the fruit that we receive here in the winery is good quality,” explained Rachel. “You aspire to pick fruit when it is exactly ready and the machine harvester has made that a reality,” she added. “The fruit does not wait around either,” added Olly. The machine harvester is able to deliver four tonnes of fruit so within four to five hours the winery already has a press load. The winery has a large europress which will cope with eight to ten tonnes of fruit and a smaller press which will cope with two-and-a-half to three tonnes of fruit.

“There is a big focus on still wines at New Hall. “84% of the wines we made in 2022 were still," said Rachel.” As you would expect there are numerous limited edition and single varietal wines, and additionally The Barons Lane wine range has a still white comprised of Huxelrebe, Pinot Blanc and Schonberg, a still rosé a blend of Pinot Meunier and Pinot Noir

and a red. During the visit it became very clear that the red wines of New Hall are in demand. “The streamlined range makes it a natural thing for people to have the red,” explained Lucy Winward, commercial manager at New Hall Wine Estate.

“New Hall is producing 20,000 bottles of still red wine. Everything from 2019 onwards made a mark. The breakthrough came in 2021 because the winery team had more experience and the new winery had new red fermenters,” she added.

The demand for the New Hall red wine is not affected by seasonality like rosé.

“We have not always been able to offer red wine to our on-trade clients before because we did not have the depth of stock that they rightly require. Since moving our model from fruit sales to wine sales due to increasing demand of red wine, we can ensure continuity and reliability. Our investment in red production facilities, and the further planting of ten acres of red varietals next year, is a testament to our commitment for the production of quality red wine,” Lucy said.

The Barons Lane Red 2021 contains five varieties: Pinot Noir Prècoce, Rondo, Regent, Acolon and Zweigeltrebe and is a wine that is exciting, vibrant and interesting. With a retail price of £14.50 its growing appeal is completely understandable.

While at this amazing vineyard in the beautiful setting of the Crouch Valley it became clear that the Barons Lane Red is a reflection of the New Hall Wine Estate in so many ways. It embraces flair, incorporates imagination and above all celebrates variety with an ever-focussed eye on quality. It sums up the whole vision at New Hall which builds on the past to look at the future. The remnants of the old railway line will follow the track way into the future.

Rachel Appleton and Olly Shaw Lucy Winward

ELVED PHILLIPS ARABLE NOTES

MAIZE WAS STILL OFFICIALLY 64% IN DROUGHT

Our winter barley harvest in the south is about finished. The early Craft samples that were hopefully going to make malting didn’t! Retention is too thin and screenings are too high, but those cut later are just about OK, from 80% to 85% retained with nitrogen under 1.85.

I’ve been looking at spring barley in Hampshire, Berkshire and Gloucestershire. These are three to four weeks away, so they won’t be ready until the second or third week of August. They look shorter in the straw and thinner than usual, so while the grain count in the ear looks ok, I cannot see them reaching the high yield figures that some had last harvest. I think they will be nearer the six tonne per hectare mark.

There have been some huge yields reported on winter feed barley, some achieving nine to ten tonnes per hectare. Danish spring malting barley prices eased following rain, which may have arrived just in time, but it’s still believed that they may have lost up to 30% of yield already. The usually dependable French autumn sown spring barley is very poor, with low

retention and high screenings. Some of their traditional spring sown barley is OK and some is not, but it’s not complete yet. Either way both Scandinavia and France will have less spring malting barley to bring to the European party.

We may have a real dichotomy in the malting barley market. Brewers and maltsters throughout Europe will just not buy new crop as they are long of old crop malting barley, malt and beer. They are talking of this next year as being only an eleven month year rather than twelve in terms of demand.

Despite that, the nominal malting premium remains ridiculously high. If it was actually trading it could be as high as £60 to £70 per tonne, but that’s academic because it is not trading yet. If you look around Europe, nowhere, apart from England, is there a malting barley crop where you could say it’s going to be good. Yet sooner or later the end user will have to come to the trough! Meantime most proper malting barley producers will be waiting to see what they get and tucking it away. It may be a case of who blinks first after harvest.

Last month I said the Black Sea pantomime had become boring. Some traders thought that Russia not re-opening the grain corridor would be bearish to the market. However, subsequent attacks on grain storage infrastructure, plus the threat to maybe target grain carrying vessels, has frightened the market, creating an opportunity to sell into a rising market for a change.

In the bigger barley picture, it looks like we will have 12 million tonnes fewer globally from this harvest. The apparent done deal

for Australia to take over the French role as their leading barley supplier is still not finalised. China has now raised the issue of the USA expanding its military operations in the Pacific. It may be a coincidence, but a large number of boats destined for China have just appeared at big French ports, causing short term covering interest. Of course, if France were to somehow still retain a slice of the Chinese business that would again change the dynamic of European barley and the current malting premium would narrow, with feed improving in price.

None of the countries I highlighted last month as having weather problems have really improved. Even the US maize, where after a better spell of weather the USDA was forecasting a ridiculously larger crop, has deteriorated. Note, maize was still officially 64% in drought in the middle of July.

So nowhere in the world do the crops look better than they did a month ago, except for maybe some in the UK, so my advice is unchanged; use your storage. Most have sold what they need for harvest space or cash, with some forward sales above the current market, so if you have more, that’s a bonus to sell. It’s all about the weather elsewhere.

Then finally you have the consumer. They have watched their raw material cost fall £100 per tonne since May 2022 and so for the past six months they have been buying hand to mouth spot and taking very little forward cover. So, they have been either very clever, very stupid or very greedy. Time will tell, but the farmer has the trump card of not having to sell spot. Just let the weather and political issues percolate.

TENSION HANGING OVER HARVEST 2023

Harvest is always a tense affair. First there is the weather to contend with. Then comes the voyage of discovery as the combine sets sail through the crops to see how well they yield (it being famously difficult to tell how a crop might yield by simply walking through it before harvest).

Even once safely in-store, what will samples reveal about suitability for malting, milling and micronising?

But there is a tension hanging over harvest 2023 that no amount of perfect weather, high yield and specific weight can relieve – low arable commodity prices.

‘Low prices’, of course, is a relative term. Only a few years ago, September values of £176 per tonne for feed wheat, £145 per tonne for feed barley and £213 for feed peas would have seemed perfectly acceptable. But that was before the mindboggling levels of inflation in our growing costs that have occurred in recent years.

In the most recent growing season, I had to pay an average of over £680 per tonne for prilled and foliar nitrogen fertiliser. Add to that some very expensive tractor diesel, alarming increases in machinery costs and wildly inflated agri-chemical prices, and harvest 2023 yields are going to have to be bumper for me to stand any chance of breaking even.

A relentless fall in grain prices over the past 14 months has certainly taken me by surprise because all we ever seem to hear about is ‘global warming’ and the impact that climate change is having on food production around the world. And yet, no matter how extreme the drought, say, in southern Europe or the reports of wildfires in Canada, global grain stocks remain adequate and UK arable commodity prices stay in the doldrums.

Of course, as any arable farmer knows, one has to take the good years with the bad. Many of my arable farming peers (although not me) sold their 2022 and 2023 harvests very well as a result of Russia’s brutal and unprovoked attack on Ukraine which sent spot arable commodity prices and grain futures soaring for several months in early 2022.

But feed wheat at £340 a tonne in June of 2022 now seems like a distant memory. Such is the vicious quality of the current cost price squeeze on UK arable farmers, I can’t help but wonder how much longer some of the more marginal arable land currently under cultivation in the South East will remain in production.

Is an arable farmer’s decision to throw in the towel defined as ‘harvest tension taken to breaking point’?

•

STEPHEN CARR Arable farmer

After a late start, the combine wheels are now turning and life has gone from its normal chaotic self to a faster chaotic pace than I ever thought possible.

I think in my next life I shall run a logistical freight company. I seem to be gaining quite a lot of experience and feel I could be the best candidate for the job. The days/weeks are jam packed with military precision. Packed lunches are made in a frenzy and the ice creams runs are back on in between Zara competing.

School’s out for summer and Ted is in his element. Leaving the farm is certainly not on his agenda and the only writing he intends to do is writing down the weights of the grain trailers! We haven’t seen Fergus for days unless it’s on a tractor carting bales, although we occasionally get a glimpse of Monty cultivating or on the grain cart. A phone call asking for food or a “just job” is a regular interruption. Could you go and fetch or could you just drop off these parts seems to be a never-ending task.

Thankfully we now have all our telehandlers back in service. A 2019 model decided that it didn’t wish to move anymore when the drive plate snapped. We then had to wait eight weeks for parts to arrive so that the boys could repair it. The machine was back on the road for 12 hours before our other (2020) machine at the youngstock

TELEHANDLERS BACK IN SERVICE

unit decided to do exactly the same thing. Is this a coincidence or do the telehandler manufacturers have an issue with drive plates?

As I write this we are currently awaiting parts for the other machine. A completely unacceptable wait again. Brexit is not my friend…

The weather would appear to be a law unto itself, and I’ve now decided that when we wake up and look at a beautiful sunny sky in the morning it could be an illusion, as 30 minutes later it may be pouring with rain. Who knows what the next hour will bring, let alone tomorrow?

The lambs are gaining weight nicely and have been selected for the Edenbridge & Oxted Show, a really enjoyable farming show that will see us camping for two days (Mr Grumpy and Fergus will remain at home). Let us hope the weather is kind to us.

Zara and I are getting used to this camping malarky after spending more nights in the lorry than in my own bed this summer. After she was selected for the U18s team in eventing we spent a fantastic week at Bishop Burton International at the end of July. What an amazing experience, and hopefully the start of many, although the washing took me a fair time to sort afterwards. Fortunately, we

have the most amazing friend who moves in and takes over all my jobs for me while I am away. Everyone needs a Sadie in their lives and Ted adores her.

While chatting to a local farmer in Yorkshire while we were away, he asked about the Colorado potato beetle that had been discovered in Kent. I had to confess to not knowing much about this, but on doing my research discovered that farmers have been asked to remain vigilant after a pest that poses a significant threat to potato crops was identified.

The Animal and Plant Health Agency is working with the affected farmer to eradicate the pest and will conduct a survey to find how far it has spread beyond the initial site.

This is the first UK outbreak of the disease since 1977. The Colorado beetle will strip the leaves completely from the plant and eventually the plant will die. It will not affect humans or animals but will affect plant health. As I write, I believe that another outbreak has been identified in Hampshire. Fingers crossed they eradicate it ASAP or a potential potato shortage may well ensue.

Fingers crossed life will return to its normal self by the next time I write. Stay safe and happy harvesting.

NEW KNOWLEDGE EXCHANGE MANAGER

Daisy Green has been named as the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board’s new knowledge exchange manager for the dairy sector, covering the South East and East Anglia regions.

Daisy will be responsible for discussion groups and strategic dairy farms in the East of England, from Leicestershire to the South Coast, and is tasked with building working relationships and sharing best practices with key industry stakeholders in the region.

Her role will involve organising and delivering training and webinars and promoting knowledge sharing among dairy farmers. She will also play a crucial role in gathering feedback from farmers and industry stakeholders.

Daisy has an agricultural science degree from Harper Adams University and previously worked on a 600-cow split block grazing farm with a special focus on youngstock and grass management.

ANITA HEAD Farmer

Grassweeds have again been a big talking point for many growers this year, with some fields coming under significant pressure, prompting scrutiny of control strategies and questions about how to manage seed return.

Black grass remains the dominant issue in many areas, although Italian ryegrass and brome are increasing nationally.

Although some blame the shift to direct drilling and minimal tillage systems for rising grassweed pressure, as ploughing has long been an effective tool in the armoury, Hutchinsons experts say the reasons are far more complex and reflect a combination of factors, from inappropriate cultivation choice and timing to poor herbicide strategy and weather extremes.

Technical manager Dick Neale points to three important reasons why some growers have seen disappointing grassweed control this year in particular, and believes understanding these is key to moving forward.

1. POOR STALE SEEDBED CHITTING PERFORMANCE

Dry conditions in summer and early autumn 2021 and 2022 reduced the germination of volunteer grassweeds before drilling, resulting in less effective stale seedbed control two years running. Soil moisture is generally much higher in 2023, though, so stale seedbeds should be much more effective.

Rolling stubbles twice can be a good way of encouraging weed seed germination when

there is sufficient moisture and avoids the risk of cultivations creating over-fine seedbeds.

2. COMPROMISED RESIDUAL HERBICIDE PERFORMANCE

Dry seedbeds also restricted the performance of residual herbicides. Residuals need sufficient moisture to keep the active dissolved in solution so it can be taken up by emerging weeds.

Again, more soil moisture this year should allow for better performance, but pay attention to seedbed quality, moisture/post-application rainfall, pre-em timing (within 24 to 48 hours of drilling) and application coverage to maximise efficacy.

3. LACK OF APPLICATION SEQUENCING

Where there has been a focus on stacking pre-emergence chemistry, this has generally meant fewer spring residuals to catch springgerminating grassweeds. The impact will be particularly noticeable where germination is protracted, due to the weather or natural characteristics (e.g. Italian ryegrass).

All three factors were compounded in 2022 when stronger wheat prices encouraged a

higher proportion of wheat plantings last autumn, meaning more growers started drilling earlier, when conditions were still dry, with insufficient opportunity for stale seedbeds.

GRASSWEED CONTROL TIPS

• Understand the specific weed species you are targeting to tailor the most appropriate cultivations and control strategies - particularly important for brome.

• Use stale seedbeds where possible - consider rolling twice instead of shallow cultivations. Efficacy is reliant on soil moisture, so patience may be required.

• Also recognise the importance of soil moisture for residual herbicide efficacy - consider delaying drilling if soils are too dry.

• Stack or sequence residual herbicides, especially where weed germination is protracted.

• Delay drilling – wait for moisture, allow time for stale seedbeds to work.

• Use higher seed rates to increase crop competition – particularly important when sowing later and establishment percentage is likely to be lower.

• Get weed seeds resistance tested to understand what chemistry will be effective and which to avoid.

• Ploughing can be a good reset button to bury high seed return, but beware of weed seeds you may bring to the surface and potential problems buried for future years. This needs to be done well to be effective.

• Consider rotational changes, such as growing spring barley – this may be more effective against black-grass than ryegrass due to protracted germination.

REPUTATION FOR QUALITY OF WORK

The scope and spread of work currently being carried out by steel framed building experts Forma highlights the company’s skillset, experience and comprehensive range of services.

While overseeing the completion of a new grain store at Wybournes Farm, High Halstow in north Kent, managing director Keith Stoner listed the other projects currently on Forma’s books.

“We are finishing a classic car storage unit at Hindhead in Surrey, working on a general purpose farm building in the Ashdown Forest, delivering the groundworks and a new winery at Etchingham in East Sussex and putting up a second building for an elderflower producer in Robertsbridge, again in East Sussex,” he said.

It’s an impressive list and reflects the reputation that Forma has established for the quality of its work across a range of sectors.

“We erect fully galvanised, steelframed buildings,” he stressed. “We don’t compromise on materials to save a few pounds, but we do aim to put up the best building for the best price.”

In the case of classic car storage buildings, something that Forma has developed a reputation for erecting, the frame can be overclad with a range of materials to produce a more traditional look while retaining the benefits of a steel-framed, clear span building.

It was creating a storage building for farmer Richard Whitebread’s vintage tractor

collection at High Halstow that led to the order for the grain store currently being completed at Wybournes Farm.

Richard was so pleased with the building that when son Nick, who farms with his father as R A Whitebread, was looking for a new grain store, he turned to Forma.

“Repeat business is very important to us,” Keith explained. “The building currently going up for the elderflower producer in Robertsbridge is also the second we have done for that particular company. Our attention to detail and customer focus is aimed at building up a good relationship with all our clients, and that is often reflected in second or third contracts.”

The grain store at Wybournes Farm is 30m

Keith Stoner

by 18m and 6.5m to the eaves, with two roller shutter doors and a personnel door, four metre high reinforced concrete walling and a similar height dividing panel. It has a power floated floor for ease of cleaning and a generous concrete apron to the front.

Forma benefits from Keith’s wide-ranging experience in construction across a range of disciplines. After starting work alongside his father in 1984, he took time out to attend Crawley College, where he completed a City & Guilds qualification in constructional engineering.

After working for a time for the fire service and then the police, he set up a building company in 2001 and gained valuable experience in the residential sector before returning to larger scale building working as a project manager for a steelframed building company. He spent time as a contracts manager with a groundworks company before setting up Forma in 2017, and has seen the company grow steadily ever since.

While the increasing demand for English

wines has seen wineries form a relatively large part of Forma’s current order book, the company delivers the full range of agricultural buildings, including livestock housing, machinery sheds and general purpose buildings.

The Forma team is also skilled at renovating and repurposing agricultural buildings. A recent project in Burgess Hill saw Forma construct five new buildings and convert two other concrete-framed, asbestos-clad former farm buildings into smart, modern, offices as part of a diversification project.

There are five permanent staff plus a pool of tried and tested sub-contract staff that are brought on board as necessary. As South East Farmer went to press Keith was about to take on two more full-time staff in response to the company’s growing workload.

“We have a skilled workforce and we like to do turnkey projects,” he added. “From site clearance and groundworks through to fit out, electrical installations and final handover, Forma has the knowledge and experience to deliver.”

Forma offer a competitive and reliable service. We have over 30 years experience in the construction sector and the family have been Sussex builders since at least 1605! We specialise in the supply and construction of steel framed buildings, together with the repair and refurbishment of existing farm buildings.

Based in the heart of Sussex, Forma cover the South East and offer a range of services including steel framed buildings, groundwork, steel / fibre cement / timber cladding, concrete panels, roller shutters and sectional insulated doors, asbestos removal, gutter and drainage work and general farm building maintenance.

100% British designed & built Over 35 Year’s experience Site visits

With input costs continuing to soar, labour difficult to source and top fruit prices under pressure, efficiency and cost-saving are increasingly important when sourcing machinery for the orchard or vineyard.

That theme was well in evidence at fruit and vineyard specialist N P Seymour’s two machinery demonstration days held at Amsbury farm, Hunton, near Maidstone, towards the end of July.

At both the orchard day and the vineyard event the following day, the Cranbrook, Kentbased team was keen to highlight cost-saving equipment that could, in many cases, carry out more than one task.

More than 100 enthusiastic visitors attended the two events, held by kind permission of grower Clive Baxter, who allowed the demonstration team to put the machines

MACHINERY IN ACTION

through their paces on his trees and vines. The impressive response from growers across the South East reflected the fact that this was very much a ‘demonstration day’ as opposed to the more usual open day event at which machinery is on display but rarely seen in action.

Sales and marketing director Claire Seymour explained that customers increasingly wanted to see machinery working, particularly given the complexities of modern equipment and the difficulty of explaining exactly how a new machine did what the brochure said it did.

“Fifty years ago, before the internet, farmers would go to a show, talk to dealers, do as much research as they could and then make their purchasing decision,” she explained. “These days they can sit in their tractor cab during a break and use their smartphone to look at videos of anything they are interested in. They are looking for something extra when they come to a show – and seeing the machine in action is that extra something.

“Even at an event like the National Fruit Show these days it’s not enough just to have a new machine on your stand. You have to have a video of it being put through its paces. We decided to go one step further and invite growers to see a range of new equipment put to work on a real farm. We are delighted that so many people took advantage of that opportunity and made it a really worthwhile two days.”

The orchard machinery day highlighted the latest Gen3 Fendt tractors alongside mechanical weeding solutions from Clemens, Braun

Lily Nuttall 07547 154811 lily.nuttall@metos.at www.metos.uk

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and Perfect, Fruit-Tec’s REDpulse Duo, trimmers from BMV, sprayers from OCLL, weather stations from Pessl iMetos and the Munckhof Pluk-O-Trak picking platform.

The focus shifted to the vineyard the following day, with demonstrators showing off Braun and Clemens under-vine weeding solutions, defoliators and trimmers from ERO, sprayers from Berthoud and OCLL, mowers from Braun, weather stations from Pessl iMetos and handheld tools from Felco and ARS.

Fruit-Tec’s REDpulse Duo is a pneumatic orchard defoliator and a good example of the kind of high-tech kit that needs to be demonstrated rather than talked about. “It works by emitting a high-frequency pulsating air stream to remove leaves from the middle to lower half of the tree, allowing more light to get through and producing a redder apple,” Claire said. “It’s pioneering technology that isn’t easy to explain – but growers who see it in action can immediately see its value.”

Munckhof’s Pluk-O-Trak self-propelled harvester, introduced a remarkable 54 years ago, was just one of the multiple-use pieces of equipment on display at the orchard demonstration day.

The Pluk-O-Trak is renowned for significantly reducing the amount of labour required to harvest top fruit and for its gentle handling of the produce. Pickers stand on the platform or walk alongside the machine, placing the fruit onto one of four picking belts.

An onboard computer system automatically records key harvest data that allows growers to track and trace fruit from the tree to the cold store, while the trailer that follows the harvester can tow up to 16 bins, doing away with the need to pre-position them. Full bins are lowered gently to the ground while a new one is loaded on to the harvester’s turntable, which rotates as fruit is fed in via the belts. >>

BRAUN Modular System.

V Perfekt

Rotary st tille

Vine trunk cleaner

Cultivator frame Vario

Rotary star tiller

Disc plough

LUV Perfekt

Mower Alpha

Cultivator frame Vario

Vine trunk cleaner

Critically, the harvester’s versatile platform arrangement means it can be used in all seasons, not just during harvest. The platforms can be quickly re-configured to support pruning, handthinning, trellis maintenance and netting installation, with some growers noting savings of up to 35% on ancillary costs by using the Pluk-O-Trak.

Also designed with efficiency in mind, whether tackling a vineyard or an orchard, the Braun Alpha mower adapts to a variety of row widths and can tackle a range of slopes. A sensor switch allows the variable width mower to adjust continuously to its surroundings, while the cutting height is also continuously variable.

Ideal for mowing grassed vineyards and orchards and mulching vine and orchard prunings, the Alpha has brackets that allow accessories such as the Braun Vine Trunk Cleaner to be mounted. “It

means the grower can mow, pulverise prunings, tackle weed growth and remove buds from the trunks all in one pass,” pointed out Claire. Running additional equipment puts demands on the oil flow from the tractor providing the motive power, which is why many manufacturers design their equipment first and foremost with a Fendt in mind.

Impressive oil flow is just one of the benefits of the latest Gen3 Fendt tractors that attracted considerable attention at the demonstration days.

With a fuel-efficient 3.3 litre turbo-charged engine, the fruit and vine (F/V) models range from 70 to 110hp, with a vario transmission that allows for a truly flat floor within a comfortable, driver-friendly cab. Built in Germany in the same factory as its bigger brothers, the Fendt offers the usual impressive build quality.

>>

Photos: Martin Apps, Countrywide Photographic

The ease of fitting attachments to a Fendt is another plus factor, with most specialist equipment manufacturers designing their equipment to fit the marque without costly adaptation.

Decent hydraulic capacity is essential for growers looking at high-tech equipment such as ERO’s impressive new VITIpulse Combi defoliator, which needs a throughput of 80 litres per minute.

As its name suggests, the Combi brings the ‘suck and pluck’ roller defoliation method and the pneumatic air blast method together into one machine, allowing the grower to choose the method that best suits the time of year or

the result they are seeking to achieve.

“Used together, more targeted results can be achieved as the roller removes the external leaves, allowing the air blast to penetrate through to the inner part of the canopy,” explained Claire. “But at times of year when the air blast system can’t be used because it might damage the fruit, the operator can just use the rollers.”

Another multi-purpose machine that allows users to spread the cost by performing more than one task is BMV’s FL800 mechanical pruner and orchard trimmer. Designed with economical orchard management in mind, its winter-focused saw blades can be replaced

by knives for orchard trimming and cutting green wood in the summer.

The flexibility of the P and PC models, which feature different numbers of blades in a variety of combinations, means the FL800 can be used for cutting hedges and windbreaks up to 4.5 metres around the orchard as well as topping trees in the autumn.

Amongst a range of vineyard and orchard sprayers on display, Carrarospray’s OCLL Q Wector 3 trailed model turned heads at the demonstration days because of its ingenious layout that places the air intake fan in front of the anti-drift tower to avoid debris or spray being sucked into the machine.

Also creating considerable interest was the same manufacturer’s NPA mounted sprayer, said by Claire to be the most popular model amongst N P Seymour’s customers. The NPA has eight flexible, directional spray heads and allows growers to choose from 400, 500 or 600 litre tank models. It is ideal for top fruit orchards and vineyards as well as other fruits, including raspberries.

Again with multi-tasking in mind, the demonstration days featured the Clemens range of cultivation equipment which offers a choice of frames plus a wide range of implements that enable growers to tackle a number of jobs in just one pass. The front- or rear-mounted SB Compact frame is ideal for narrow alleys, while the SB2 is designed to accommodate undervine care systems such

as the Radius SL, Radius SL Plus and Multiclean. The Multiclean is popular with growers because of its ability to reduce the cost of bud rubbing while also helping take weeds back to ground level, without interfering with soil structure, by acting like a strimmer. For those less concerned with soil disturbance, the Braun Rollhacke finger weeder was also being demonstrated.

Growers were also able to see demonstrations of the Perfect Van Wamel TerraRanger, the first mechanical weeder to offer effective control in the orchard at high driving speeds, and the impressive ERO Elite vine trimmer.

On display but not put through its paces because of limited headland space at the demonstration site was the Berthoud Win’ Air sprayer.

years of experience in manufacturing vineyard machinery

Defoliator

Defoliator VITIpulse Combi

ERO Trimmer ELITE

GRAHAM ELLIS FRICS FAAV FLAA For and on behalf of Stanfords

T: 01206 842156 E: info@stanfords-colchester.co.uk

www.stanfords-colchester.co.uk

SERIOUS RESISTANCE TO BEEF PRICES

Early July saw harvest begin in East Anglia with winter barley and whole crop cereal being harvested. Weather became more variable and shortage of rain was not apparent.

In the livestock ring we saw for the first time for many months serious resistance to beef prices being paid by wholesalers and butchers for prime stock, with massive quantities of cheaper box meat from all over the world causing serious disruption to the trade for the best beef in the world.

This is extremely frustrating, but at least in the livestock ring prices did not fall as quickly as the dead weight trade. It is, however, fair to state that trade became very difficult, with producers complaining that they were back at a very low level of return if not a loss.

We should, however, remember that trade was still above 12 months

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ago and although we all have increased costs to meet, this was a positive fact at this difficult trading time. Numbers coming through the ring had increased, with reports of waiting lists for some dead weight centres.

Processing over 30 month cattle also saw a fall in demand as would be expected with massive quantities of other boxed meat about, but cull cattle are still seeing a realistic return. Store cattle are short at this time of year in East Anglia, with those that were available again meeting some resistance with falling finished prices.

At least the grass was growing, giving graziers some hope for the future with cheaper feed supplies about.

The sheep trade also found a lower demand, and certainly below 12 months ago in Colchester,, with numbers also down. It was very variable, with trade varying by 30pkg either up or down on the week before and the trade hard to judge.

The strongest trade was seen for the best heavy lambs over 44 kilos with weight and finish. Several pens of leaner lambs were taken for further feeding as generally numbers are thought to be lower than 12 months ago.

There was a wide range in finished lamb prices, anywhere from £80 for the leanest lambs to £160 for the best finished lambs, with a few prime lambs above this. As this report was being written in the middle of July the trade was still very variable.

The cull ewe trade remains strong following the recent Muslim festivals, the quality of cull ewes still meeting a strong demand throughout. A few pens of store lambs are coming forward, mainly being smaller sorts forward, these trading from £50 to £70 a head, with stronger lambs up to £90 a head. It will be interesting to see how this trade develops over the next few weeks.

The pig trade continued to be strong, with numbers totally inadequate for most abattoirs. It would be fair to say that this is a true case of supply and demand, however producers still need many months of positive prices to offset the enormous losses they made over the past two to three years.

The cull sow trade was also strong, with prices many times what they were 12 months ago. This is actually causing some problems, however, with producers looking at their long-term position, and those who have any concerns may well still clear their sow herds, reducing yet again the number of small independent pig producers.

As stated, harvest had started by early July in Essex and Suffolk but the slightly inclement weather will have no doubt delayed matters. It is, though, likely that by the time this report is published many acres of wheat will also have been harvested and it will be interesting to see where the wheat and barley prices go off the combine.

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PIGS HAVE BEEN FLYING

Writing at what is often seen as a traditionally quieter time here at Ashford Market, with clients busy harvesting, or at least trying to in between showers, I have been reflecting on the past few months.

In a time when agriculture, in fact the whole world, faces uncertainty and upheaval, whether that is weather related - global warming, droughts, flooding, heat waves in Southern Europe - or economically driven factors such as conflicts, the aftermath of Brexit and the agricultural transition plan, it is sometimes difficult to find positives.

It’s not all doom and gloom, however, and in recent months we have seen what can only be described as a phenomenal record-breaking trade in the cattle and pig rings, combining with input prices starting to look much more sensible.

I oversee the calf and pig sections here at

Ashford. Both have been buoyant, but the pig trade in particular has gone from strength to strength in recent months. The classic case of low supply caused by many producers exiting pig production in recent years, combined with increased demand for the summer barbecue and hog roast season has seen all classes of finished pigs flying.

Trade has lifted by nearly 100 pence per kilo on the year, with very few pens under 200 pence. Heavy, well-fleshed pigs are particularly sought after at present, with many more required to fulfil orders on a fortnightly basis.

The calf ring has started to see a lift in numbers, which is to be expected at this time of year with herds starting to calve once more. High input costs have certainly had an impact on the trade in the past 12 months. There is an air of confidence starting to gain momentum, with buyers’ costs falling and the store cattle trade remaining strong.

Today, many farm businesses cannot thrive on the sale of stock or produce alone and other income opportunities are becoming a key part

to the success of any business. The Basic Payment Scheme has proved useful over the years, with many businesses relying on this guaranteed income to keep things afloat.

There are arguments for and against this assistance, but by now farmers will hopefully have received or will be eagerly anticipating the first instalment of this year’s BPS payment. By now you will also be aware of the reductions in payments, which by next year will be at least 50% less than they were in 2020.

A lot of my time at Hobbs Parker is spent in our property consultancy business. It appears many of our clients are starting to consider alternative revenue options, with my phone and diary becoming increasingly busy with enquires about “the new schemes” and other revenue options. Until recently, the options have been limited to Countryside Stewardship (CS), which provides a useful alternative income stream but does not necessarily fit everyone’s farming system.

The good news is that DEFRA has announced that the 2023 Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI), which is now starting to look more sensible, with workable revised standards and which may actually be accessible to a wider range of clients, will be available from August. Payment rates for SFI, while not replicating BPS levels, are certainly more attractive and on a par with the CS agreements.

Away from subsidies, there are still many diversified opportunities to be found and often it is a case of finding a solution to unlock these. There is no ‘one size fits all’ answer and taking advice is essential. Whether the question is around when to market your livestock or which scheme to access, we are always here to help.

THOMAS HAMPLETT MRICS FAAV Chartered surveyor and Auctioneer T: 01233 502222

ONLINE RESOURCES

At a recent farm vet congress, it became clear that most farmers use social media platforms such as Facebook and YouTube to answer questions and find out how to do things, with YouTube being the most popular amongst farmers. The topics most searched for were machinery, the weather and animal health, writes Sharminda Lockwood at Westpoint Farm Vets Ashford.

As social media is at our fingertips almost constantly, it is understandably an easy way to get questions answered quickly. In terms of animal health, a lot of good advice is offered, including, in many cases, “Speak to your vet”. However, a lot of advice is not evidence-based, not specific to the location of the post, or has questionable welfare implications, for example spraying aerosol antibiotics into sheep eyes (please do not follow this advice).

Sadly, in some instances bad advice delays proper diagnosis and treatment. Fortunately, as well as the option of talking to your veterinary surgeon, there are many well-researched resources that can be used to widen knowledge and understanding of animal health.

MEDICINE USE

All veterinary medicines will come with a data sheet. The data sheet will specify the species the medicine is for, the treatment dose and the way to administer it. But where can you find this information if you lose the sheet?

The Noah Compendium of data sheets for animal medicine is a compilation of all data sheets and is available online and as an app. The search function can be easily used to find the data sheet you need – see www.noahnoahcompendium.co.uk.

For information on responsible medicine use in the livestock industry, the Responsible Use of Medicines in Agriculture alliance (RUMA) has lots of information and guides on appropriate antibiotic use as well as anti-parasiticides –www.ruma.org.

PARASITE CONTROL

For sheep farmers, www.scops.org.uk is an invaluable resource. The Sustainable Control of Parasites in Sheep (SCOPS) is a voluntary, industry-led group that recognises that resistance to parasiticides is a huge challenge to the future of the industry. SCOPS aims to help farmers maintain productivity through sustainable parasite control. The website should be a sheep farmer’s and advisor’s ‘go to’ for the latest information on both internal and external parasites, and as vets we will always refer to the SCOPS technical manual when advising on parasite control. The website includes essential guides to worming, videos on collecting samples for faecal egg counts correctly and more.

The equivalent for cattle farmers is www.cattleparasites.org.uk. The Control of Worms Sustainably (COWS) is another voluntary group aiming to help producers remain productive while managing parasites sustainably.

FARM ANIMAL DISEASE

NADIS is a unique, online, veterinary based animal health knowledge transfer resource on diseases of cattle, sheep, and pigs –www.nadis.org.uk. The information is produced by vets and, importantly, is peer reviewed, which means other industry experts have reviewed the information before publication. There is a range of webinars available and very useful parasite forecast tools. The parasite forecast tool is particularly useful at the beginning of the lamb season for assessing the best time to treat for Nematodirus in lambs.

The Moredun Foundation also has a disease directory and updates on latest research. The foundation offers a membership option to access further learning and the chance to support latest projects – www.moredun.org.uk.

FARM ANIMAL HEALTH AND PRODUCTION

Most farmers will have heard of AHDB – the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board – a statutory board funded by levies from farmers, growers, and the industry. Supporting the future of farming, AHDB has a huge range of materials and events on offer covering most topics including grazing management, nutrition (the ‘Feeding the Ewe’ guide is excellent), and marketing.

Most of the veterinary pharmaceutical companies that manufacture commonly used vaccines and farm animal medications also have their own online learning and information platforms.

BOVINE TUBERCULOSIS (TB)

The TB hub www.tbhub.co.uk provides access to up-to-date information on the practicalities of dealing with a TB outbreak as well as practical guidance on biosecurity and protecting your herd against a breakdown.

www.ibTB.co.uk is a mapping site developed by the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) and the ERGO (Environmental Research Group Oxford) which maps all the TB breakdowns across England and Wales. This is an important tool when buying cattle from outside our low-risk TB area.

E: info@westpointfarmvets.co.uk www.westpointfarmvets.co.uk

Most TB breakdowns in Kent are caused by bought-in cattle and if you have taken part in a TB advisory service (TBAS) visit recently, most will have had consulting the ibTB map as an action when buying in new cattle stock. Free TBAS visits are available for all cattle farmers and are a great way to find out more about TB and how to minimise risk to your herd. Contact your veterinary surgeon to find out more.

covered in this article contact your local Westpoint practice

It really has been an odd sort of summer so far in the South East corner of the country; a number of weeks without any significant rain has knocked grass growth back considerably. At one time our grass was getting away from the sheep and I kept looking at it with a view to topping, really just to tidy things up a bit, but as things were getting quite dry I held off.

That decision seems to have reaped dividends as much of the one paddock that I did top has now burnt off and there is little significant regrowth on the rest, which is just about maintaining a bit of green. Conversely those left untopped, although a little untidy, still have plenty of green in the bottom, maybe not of the best in terms of feed value but with a few molasses blocks in front of them the sheep seem to be doing remarkably well.

The few ewes that I marked and separated for culling have certainly gained a bit of condition since weaning in the middle of June and the lambs have kept moving forward steadily, the latter aided by a little bit of lamb finisher (about 100gm/head) on offer each day. I probably now need to go through them fairly soon to get some of the poorer (in terms of type etc.) Lleyn ram lambs, plus some Suffolk cross wethers, away; they certainly handle well and although they haven’t been on the scales recently they look to be some decent weights.

We had a good Kent Show this year. It was encouraging to see sheep exhibits up significantly on recent years, plus we had Lleyn classes returning after a significant gap. With a number of firsts and the breed champion provided, we really were quite pleased with the show, although we have not really had the time to enjoy our success. With judging duties looming at the Great Yorkshire Show (GYS), it was all a bit of a rush to get sheep home and sorted on the Sunday evening and sheep rounds done on the Monday morning before heading north ready for judging duties at Harrogate on the Tuesday.

It was certainly quite an honour to be asked to judge at the GYS, although I was not judging my own breed. As mentioned in previous articles, in recent years I have been involved on a number of occasions in judging some

SUMMER GRASS AND SUMMER SHOWS

rare and minority breeds and it was one of these, the Castlemilk Moorit, that I was invited to judge on the occasion of the breed’s first line up in their own classes at the GYS. It was certainly quite a distinction.

The Castlemilk is an interesting breed, a sheep whose ancient appearance belies its lineage; it certainly has the outward show and character of a rather primitive breed but has a relatively short history that began in the nineteen twenties, being developed under the direction of Sir John Buchanan-Jardine as a parkland sheep for his Castlemilk Estate in Dumfriesshire.

Its history is rather imprecise but recent DNA analysis has established that it has in its makeup input from Soay, Manx Loaghtan, Shetland and the Wiltshire Horn breeds; sadly, what this analysis has not done is confirm the rumoured Mouflon genetics in its make up. The European Mouflon, now considered to be a feral population of some of the first domesticated sheep that traveled, in prehistory, with ancient farmers out of the Middle East into Europe, would have added a lovely genetic connection to the very origins of sheep domestication some ten to twelve thousand years ago in Mesopotamia, a link that would have done justice to the ancient appearance of the breed. It is worth noting, however, that the inclusion of the Soay within the breed’s origins might just still provide a link, possibly a little tenuous and convoluted, to the Mouflon.

To return to the point, in addition to being an honour to be asked to judge at the GYS (now considered, along with the Highland and

the Royal Welsh, as one of the top three in the country), it was also a pleasure both to meet such a dedicated and enthusiastic group of sheep breeders and their sheep. The quality of sheep forward certainly justified their presence at the show, which, by the way, had more than three and a half thousand sheep forward.

It is unfortunate that, in order to arrive at a sensible line up for the rosettes, an integral part of any judging process involves not just identifying the good points but also seeking out the faults (however minor) of the sheep presented; the former generally rather less challenging than the latter but both needed in the process of arriving at a meaningful result. As with all sheep shows, some sheep will always stand out, proud sheep that show themselves, but it is sorting the others that often provides the greatest challenge. That said, it is always a pleasure to see a good line up of sheep and all of the Castlemilk Moorit forward for judging at the GYS were a credit to their owners and certainly deserving of a place in their inaugural presence at the show.

We did take advantage of our visit to the north to take a short break in the lovely village of Malham, famed for its proximity to Malham Cove, a key feature in many a geography field trip; but one of the most noticeable features, which brings me back to the opening words of this piece, was the abundance, in many cases a surfeit, of grass in front of the numerous sheep flocks in the area, both on enclosed land and the open fell. And they reckon that they have experienced a dry summer; they really don’t know how lucky they are.

ALAN WEST Sheep farmer

JOHNE’S DISEASE IN CATTLE

I was asked by a dairy farmer client the other week if it were possible to eradicate Johne’s Disease from his farm. I was unwilling to sign a declaration of freedom from Johnes, but a low level of risk of disease could be achieved for the farm.

Let me explain my caution. The disease is caused by Mycobacterium Avium subspecies Paratuberculosis, known as MAP. It is closely related to the bacteria that cause bovine and human TB and shares the resilience and tenacity of its cousins.

It is shed in dung and milk and can survive for up to a year on pasture. It affects other mammals, including sheep, goats, deer and rabbits. There is a protracted period between infection and actual signs of disease which is often measured in years (similar to TB). It also takes a long time before the bacteria are detectable in laboratory tests from infected animals. It is often, therefore, referred to as an “iceberg disease” because of the likelihood of undetected latent disease on farm.

Despite these problems, it is a disease that should be controlled because of its influence on other herd issues. A Johne’s positive cow is five times more likely to be lame and twice as likely to be a high cell count cow and we still do not fully understand the link between MAP and Crohn’s Disease in humans.

Dairy farmers can now use the Johne's Disease Tracker to identify how their herd is succeeding, or not, with Johne’s Disease Control. The National Johne’s Management Plan has helped dairy farmers, along with their vets, drive down the incidence of disease, but eradication is proving difficult to achieve.

The prime target is to protect the calf and stop new infections, while having clear breeding policies (do not serve or breed to beef terminal sire) and good culling advice around removing the right cows at the right time is important.

However, the fact that, for example, calf to calf transmission can definitely occur, and the fact that we don’t yet fully understand the risks of transmission from sheep and other wildlife mammals that graze the same land as the cattle makes it difficult to eliminate the risk of infection and eradicate the disease.

This is yet another similarity with TB. I know that a clear TB Test means that you are given Officially TB Free (OTF) status, but are you really TB free? Have you really eradicated TB from your herd? Both diseases are likely to need an ongoing monitoring programme and the adoption of practices to prevent the introduction of new infections on farm.

3,000 CHILDREN ENJOY TASTE OF FARMING

Youngsters from 60 primary schools enjoyed a taste of farming at the 15th Essex Schools Food and Farming Day.

The activity-packed event, organised by the Essex Agricultural Society and held at Writtle University College near Chelmsford, saw 3,000 young people enjoy the sunshine while learning about how food travels from farm to fork.

It was the first schools food and farming event since 2019 and was hailed as a success by event chairman Annabelle Rout. She commented: "The showground was filled with exhibitors in our five zones; livestock, machinery, food, crops and countryside and environment. It was fantastic to experience the buzz of 3,000 school children learning about the importance of food and farming in Essex."

Hands-on activities and demonstrations took place throughout the day. Children met sheep, goats and other livestock, tasted local produce and were introduced to tractors and combine harvesters.

Schools also put their own work on display as part of the popular scarecrow competition, which was won by Jotmans Hall Primary School, ahead of Tollesbury School and Shorefields School in second and third places.

Writtle University College's Vice-Chancellor, Professor Tim Middleton, said: "We were delighted to welcome primary schools from across Essex, along with Essex Agricultural Society members and industry supporters, back to our campus. This inspirational event is key to helping pupils increase their understanding of food, farming and the environment, and shows just how fulfilling careers in these sectors can be."

Photo: Vicky Holmes Photography

I was wondering what one should call an ‘enforced’ negotiation, supported by government, which appears little short of a scam? Many farmers will know what I am writing about if they, too, have telephone masts on their land. I was one of the earliest farmers in the area to have one in the late 1990s, when negotiations were relatively straightforward.

Mast erection took some time, but the structure eventually went up and I believe both parties have had a good deal. The telephone company, with a good site, looking down on a busy A road, gave the operators an unending flow of customers, day and night. We had a fair rent, agreed amicably and paid on time.

Around 2017 to 2019, the telephone companies persuaded the Government that the only way they could fund nationwide coverage was to renegotiate existing rental agreements with landowners, farmers, shops etc and rewrite the previously agreed terms. The Tory Government went along with it.

The result is that site owners are now getting their ‘rewards’. On a quite remote site, where once we received £5,000 a year, we were offered £700, but after some quite heated discussions this could now be upped to the grand sum of £1,200. A cut of £3,800.

That was on one of three current sites which we have leased out since. The other two, much bigger structures, were soon to be alongside a busy new bypass on an A road, with endless ‘nose to tail’ traffic and new houses along the far side. One was earning something like £10,000 a year, a price again agreed amicably, which obviously reflected the good revenue the operator was able to earn from it. If we received £10k, how much, one wonders, do the operators make?

Then last year we had a ‘reviewed’ offer for that mast, which rather made me laugh (the alternative being to cry) as it was for something under £300 a year. There has been no further discussion, nor will there be, unless they make a fair and reasonable offer.

The third site earns us a similar sum which, as of today, stands unaltered, but we are not expecting good news. All farmers and

NICK ADAMES

HAWTHORN TREES SUDDENLY DIED

landowners with sites are, one presumes, similarly affected, probably being seen as an easy touch, so are tested first. In that case I hope any readers in a similar position react in the same way, or we will all be ‘trodden on’.

The original story was, reportedly, that by lessening the companies’ rent burden in the better covered areas of the UK these £multibillion concerns would be able to fund their networks across the whole country faster. But have they? I don’t think so, but I don’t live up in the north of Scotland. I guess they will have lost much good will.

On my home farm we have a local rife/river cutting through the northern end. It forms part of a system of such local rifes draining similar lower land and running down to the coast a couple of miles south.

Within some five miles there are about five similar channels and they all feed into one, around half a mile from the seawall and its pumps. These rifes were all dug by hand, at huge human effort, over many years, around the early 15th century. They worked so well that great effort was put, until recently, into keeping them clear and running.

In the recent past, until the mid 1990s, I well remember the National Rivers Authority (NRA) had gangs of men dedicated to

clearing these drains annually, keeping the main ditch systems clear. Even in wet weather when the land flooded, the water was soon able to get away.

All this then changed, since when we have been visited by floods, often arriving in November and staying with us, as this year, until May, making the chance of getting crops into the land almost impossible (see July’s South East Farmer). On top of this we have a main sewage treatment plant on another rife, which joins ours a bit further downstream, which in bad weather discharges raw sewage into the whole system.

I have spoken about this before, but I raise it again since we discovered recently that the hawthorn trees lining our lowland ditches have suddenly died. We have some 300 yards of rife frontage and perhaps another mile of feeder ditches and there is barely one hawthorn left alive along these ditches, just sad skeletons of dead and dying wood; probably over 100 trees. It's bad enough to have polluted water but worse still to have a water shortage. One wonders when it will get through to the planning authorities and put a stop to their head-on rush to cover our whole area, south of the South Downs, with wall to wall new houses.

Former dairy farmer

FANTASTIC NEWS

John Marland, a Sussex farmer and chair

The Government has now responded to the Rock Review, accepting and agreeing with all 75 recommendations. This is fantastic news and I, for one, appreciate the enormous amount of effort and dedication shown by Baroness Kate Rock and the excellent way it was received by the Government, which is aiming for a thriving tenanted sector that is able to engage with all the new environmental schemes.

I can already see some of the effects of its implementation, for example the forming of a new DEFRA and joint industry body called the Farm Tenancy Forum to deal with tenant concerns and worries. This will feed back to government real world experience and insight, giving it an ability to make and amend the law based on sound information. Meanwhile the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors has been urged to take a close look at the way it operates after the review called for “demonstrable improvement in the performance of land agents”.

After a surprise election result in Holland, where a small pro-farmer party swept invto power in the senate, I was invited to the Dutch Embassy in London in a spirit of collaboration and mutual support between the UK and Dutch farming communities. It was an interesting and encouraging meeting which I left feeling positive.

The importance of record keeping is becoming more and more vital, particularly with the news recently that the Environment Agency has been granted the ability to levy an unlimited fine, rather than being limited to £250,000. It has also taken on 50 more inspectors, increasing the possibility of a visit and a request to see your farm records.

Separately, a government consolation period has just closed on the enforcement of animal health and welfare offences. The Animals (Penalty Notices) Act was adopted in April 2022, providing powers to introduce penalty notices with a maximum penalty of £5,000 for animal health and welfare offences. I, for one, could never argue against any legislation with regard to animal health and welfare; we need people to recognise how good our farming is in the UK and how well we care for our animals, but we must keep our records up to date.

I was invited to the Farmers’ Club to mark the end of the South East Regional Board and say a fond “farewell and good luck” to all the members and to William White and his fantastic team. I have known William for more than 30 years and have always been impressed by the dedication and commitment he has shown to the NFU in general and the South East region in particular. It was nice to raise a glass and toast “a gentleman and a friend”.

I recently attended the first shadow Eastern Region Board meeting hosted by Christy Willett and her son Hew on their beautiful farm in Essex, ably co-chaired by Alan Clifton-Holt and Tony Bambridge. We

had the opportunity to meet our new regional director Dr Zoe Leach and were all made very welcome.

One of the nicest aspects of my new role is the ability to offer a little advice, primarily to other farmers, the NFU and some government departments. In doing so I am able to draw on my long experience and farming and industry connections; I seem to have amassed a fair amount of knowledge!

We are currently working on a tenants’ conference to be held in early November at NFU HQ at Stoneleigh – details to follow.

With commodity prices fluctuating more than the record-breaking weather I hope you have a good one, whatever your harvest is. Stay safe and well.

of the NFU’s Tenants’ Forum, appreciates the enormous amount of effort and dedication shown by Baroness Kate Rock.

JERSEY STUDY TRIP A GREAT SUCCESS

Alan Johnson, curriculum manager for agriculture, reports.

At Plumpton College we support our students in many ways, not only with curriculum but also with other life skills. There is no better way of developing these skills than through study trips that enable the students to experience different farming systems, respect differences and develop a new understanding, thus broadening their horizons and knowledge.

A good example was a recent trip to Jersey to gain a clearer understanding of the opportunities and issues to overcome in other areas of the UK and Jersey; a unique example of successful farming where the inhabitants have adapted to current issues to make a success of the venture.

The students have increased their knowledge and understanding of different farming methods with specific environmental guidelines. Some unique examples on the island include Jersey Royal farm soil structure and how it is managed. The entire process from field to supermarket has a target time frame of 48 hours, with potatoes farmed on steep banks and holding a gold standard for seasonal produce.

Students also learned about cooperatives and how they work, as 11 farms produce early potatoes, all working together as a cooperative and forming a strong team. Other unique aspects include the use of seaweed, cleared from the beach daily, as a fertiliser.

Students also learned about the

importance of good timing, with the crop being planted in January, harvested in April, off the island within 24 hours and to supermarkets within 48 hours. There is a great deal of activity regarding marketing by different supermarkets.

Highly developed mechanical quality control methods are in place on the potato grading lines, with any waste fed to cows. Also included on the trip were two dairy farms being run by fifth generations of farming families. Again these function as a larger cooperative, with their primary market being in the Far East, where gold top milk from Jersey cows is in high demand.

No other breeds are allowed on the island except some Aberdeen Angus beef cattle through semen. The herd size ranged from five to 300, which made it interesting to see the range of bespoke production systems. No live animals go onto the island to cut down the risk of disease and biosecurity is very important, which links very well to the newly developed biosecurity centre at the college farm.

The students benefitted much from the trip, with links to course content and career plans going forward. They were made more aware of traditional products and how new technology can sustainably keep them viable.

Thanks to Martin Hole and Gillian Van Der Meer from East Sussex NFU, Lely and Bartholomews Chichester for helping to make the trip possible.

FIND OUT MORE

At Plumpton College we have apprenticeships available at level 2 and level 3, with a potential start at any time of the year, and we are currently recruiting for both levels. Talk to our team to find out more by phone or email: Business@plumpton.ac.uk

FARMS ARE TRICKY ASSETS IN DIVORCE

By Natasha Grande, Partner and Head of Family at Wilsons Solicitors LLP.

Farms are tricky assets for the courts in divorce. They are often capital rich, but income poor. When there is a farm which has been in the family for generations, if funds need to be raised to pay off a husband or a wife, this could affect the profitability and long-term sustainability of the farm and interrupt succession planning. This makes divorce a difficult and expensive process, unless the parties have planned in advance.

The land, farm and assets are often held in trusts with complicated structures. The family courts have shown in case law that they try to allow farms which have been passed down through the generations to continue to do so, where possible, especially when the children are part of the succession planning for the farm. It can be a difficult balancing exercise for the courts, dealing with the wish to keep a generational family farm together and balancing the needs of a spouse who is leaving the marriage.

A prenuptial agreement (‘prenup’) is an agreement entered into before marriage that sets out the division of assets and any financial support if the marriage breaks down. It is not strictly binding, but the court should give effect to the agreement unless in all the circumstances it would be unfair to hold the parties to the agreement. Prenups are a useful tool in defining non-marital property such as the farmhouse or land, which may have been held by one family for generations.

Prenuptial agreements are the insurance which can make a difference in the preservation of a farm beyond divorce. They may not feel romantic, but it is important to

plan for what might happen. A prenuptial agreement which provides for potential claims and future arrangements and provides for any children of the family has a good chance of being upheld and could make all the difference in the preservation of the farm beyond divorce. Do ensure both parties enter into the agreement of their own free will. There should be no pressure; both parties should know the implications of the agreement, take legal advice, provide full disclosure, and understand that the agreement will determine the financial consequences of their marriage coming to an

end. Do ensure that the prenuptial agreement is drawn up by a family lawyer, at least 28 days before the wedding, and that if the assets are out of the jurisdiction, both parties take advice on what the implications could be in the other jurisdictions.

Don’t enter into a prenuptial agreement that does not make any provision for a party on divorce or seeks to prevent a party from applying to the court for financial provision. These would be automatic red flags to a court and it is likely the prenuptial agreement would not be upheld.

Compulsory purchase powers are used by a variety of public authorities to acquire land which is needed for the delivery of projects deemed to be in the public interest. This can include improvements to the highway network, the construction of new railway lines or the provision of new infrastructure required by utilities operators.

Many of these projects require the use of agricultural land, for example HS1, which was built through Kent in the early 2000s and involved the acquisition of hundreds of acres of farmland. This means that rural landowners are among the most affected groups. Promoters of schemes which require the use of CPO powers need to be able to demonstrate that there is a “compelling case in the public interest” for the CPO to be made.

WHAT CAN I DO ABOUT A CPO?

So, how do you know whether a CPO is going to affect your land, what can you do about it and, if it goes ahead, what level of compensation can you expect to receive?

In most cases, the underlying project will require planning permission from either the local council or central government through a development consent order. There will usually be a period of public consultation which should include affected landowners. If you become aware of a project, you should carefully examine the proposal and respond to the consultation. It may be possible to influence the plans to minimise the impact on your land. At this stage it is essential to obtain legal advice, particularly if you are keen to resist the making of the order.

You also have the right to object to the making of a CPO affecting your land and, in some cases, it may fail to pass the ‘public interest’ test, meaning that the CPO is not confirmed.

COMPULSORY PURCHASE ORDERS

GETTING THE RIGHT SUPPORT

If the CPO is confirmed, then the acquiring authority will need to engage with you directly. This will usually take the form of a letter requesting details of land ownership and other interests which may need to be acquired or bought out. They should seek to acquire the land by agreement before falling back on the CPO powers. Specialist surveyors are usually employed to carry out the negotiations on your behalf. It is usual for your legal and other professional costs for this stage to be met by the acquiring authority.

Where agreement cannot be reached, the acquiring authority will be able to rely upon its powers in the order to compulsorily acquire the land. However, the CPO should be checked carefully by your lawyers to check that there is not some defect in the order or the procedures which means that it cannot be relied upon.

WILL I BE COMPENSATED?

Where land is acquired through the CPO or under threat of compulsion, there are rules which determine how much compensation you are entitled to. The general rule is that you should receive an amount to represent your loss. This will include an element for the market value of the interest in the land taken. Other grounds for compensation may include disturbance and loss payments to cover losses other than market value. You may also be entitled to compensation for ‘severance and injurious affection’, which are payments for the loss of value caused to any retained land. Again, it is crucial to obtain professional legal and valuation advice to ensure you are adequately compensated.

Lee May is a partner in Brachers’ Commercial Property team and specialises in planning law.

Many farmers and rural businesses ask about the implications of a compulsory purchase order. Lee May, Commercial Property Partner at Brachers law firm, explains all you need to know.

Maidstone | Canterbury www.brachers.co.uk

Proud to be recognised for our agricultural expertise in leading directories, Chambers and Partners and The Legal 500

A “knowledgeable and responsive” team of “excellent solicitors who know their specialisms inside out”

MIXED USE INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITY

George Webb Finn are delighted to offer for sale a mixed use investment opportunity comprising a range of lettings for retail, office, industrial and storage uses, situated within a wider 59.2 hectares (146.29 acres) of Kentish orchards with significant further commercial development potential (subject to planning permission).

The property is located in the hamlet of Brogdale, on the outskirts of Faversham in Kent.

The site comprises a wide range of diversified existing and converted farm buildings and offices with an approximate gross internal area of 3,640m2 (39,180ft 2), set within orchards and pasture, commanding a rent of approximately £383,000 (plus VAT) per annum.

Arriving at Brogdale Farm, visitors enter a substantial car park, with an adjacent

overflow car park providing an abundance of parking.

The main farm office and marketplace have been converted into a mixture of commercial uses including office, retail and restaurant, offering a lovely range of units within a courtyard environment. Brogdale Collections has a range of facilities, offering a unique and spacious venue for meetings, conferences or events. Further conversion of farm buildings to the rear of the site provides more mixed-use accommodation including offices, industrial, storage and agricultural uses.

The property also benefits from a two-bedroom residential dwelling on site.

The agricultural land is let to two farming tenants. It is classified as a combination of

For more information call: Chris Hildyard on 01795 470556 chris@georgewebbfinn.com

TOPPICK

Grade I and Grade II and comprises top fruit, soft fruit, nuts and nursery crops as well as recently grubbed orchards laid to grass.

There is also a range of field parcels used for events by Brogdale Collections in association with its charitable objectives, a market garden growing 150 varieties of produce, an outdoor space to develop leisure and employment opportunities for disabled children and young people and the Faversham Miniature Railway, the only 9” gauge railway in the UK open to the public.

The title is held freehold and is offered for sale subject to the occupational leases. All commercial premises are let on Landlord and Tenant Act 1954 leases and have been contracted out of s.24 – s.28. The land let to DEFRA is subject to a lease under the Landlord and Tenant Act 1954 and benefits from a right to renew. The non-DEFRA land is let subject to the Agricultural Tenancies Act 1995 and is for a fixed term of two years or less. The residential dwelling is subject to an assured shorthold tenancy agreement.

BROGDALE COLLECTIONS

The National Fruit Collections have been established on site since 1952. They comprise some 4,000 varieties as a food crop collection under an international treaty of plant genetic resources which the Government has an obligation to maintain. It is the largest collection in the world and possibly the only one with public access.

The charity draws around 12,000 visitors to the site as a result of its various activities.

GUIDE PRICE: £4,850,000

146.29 ACRES FAVERSHAM | KENT

a planning pickle...

The professional, creative thinkers at The

VERSATILE FARM WITH POTENTIAL

A versatile farm with great potential, located in an extremely sought after position close to Horsham, comprising a five bedroom farmhouse, extensive range of agricultural and commercial buildings and fishing lakes has come to the market with Batcheller Monkhouse.

There is an array of commercial buildings, some let to small businesses, and derelict agricultural buildings, fishing lakes, an A D Plant which requires investment to restore or de-commission and grass paddocks totalling just over 100 acres.

The farmhouse is set in a secluded plot after entering the main entrance to the farm. It offers just over 3,000 sq ft of accommodation and is now in need of some modernising.

There is a large driveway to the front and an annexe provides additional accommodation or office space if required.

There is an adjoining fenced and gated paddock with a field shelter. There are numerous warehouses/workshops let to local businesses,

some with and some without tenancy agreements.

There is a range of derelict agricultural buildings, some being let to local businesses, approximately 65,000 sq ft.

There is a malfunctioning anaerobic digestion plant inside a warehouse which is believed to require significant investment to restore or de-commission.

There are three stocked fishing lakes and a parking area, currently let to a local angling club on a long lease.

The land is free draining and predominantly clay and sand with a large part being on a gentle southerly slope and divided into several large paddocks totalling approximately 100 acres. The farm benefits from four access points.

There is planning consent (DC/13/0134) for an agriculturally tied farm dwelling which is not built yet.

There are several enforcements notices in place; further information is available from the agent.

iFor an appointment to view please contact Haywards Heath office: 01444 453181

LAND AND FARMS SPONSORED BY BATCHELLER MONKHOUSE

GUIDE PRICE: £3,250,000 - £3,500,000 APPROXIMATELY 100 ACRES HORSHAM, | WEST SUSSEX

WEALDEN FRUIT FARM

A well situated wealden fruit farm on the edge of the village of Marden with prior approval for the development of three dwellings with 36 acres of established fruit orchards is on the market with Lambert & Foster. It is available as a whole or in two Lots.

The popular Balfour Winery is on the doorstep at Hush Heath Estate, offering beautiful panoramic views over the vineyard and a fresh, seasonal menu served among their award winning wines.

LOT 1 – REGION £650,000

Lot 1 includes agricultural buildings with prior approval for residential conversion to three dwellings with 3.57 acres/1.44 ha orchards. It comprises a former fruit packhouse and adjacent cold store now with prior approval for residential conversion to three dwellings under Class Q permitted

development applications, together with land extending in total to 3.57 acres (1.44 hectares) comprising an established Conference pear orchard.

The packing shed has consent for one detached three bedroom dwelling. Prior approval was granted on 17 May 2023 under reference 23/501475/PNQCLA. The accommodation extends to approximately 1560 sq ft/ 144 sq m.

The cold store has consent for a pair of attached two bedroom dwellings. Prior approval was granted on 17 May 2023 under reference 23/501474/PNQCLA. Each house has accommodation extending to approximately 800 sq ft/ 74 sq m. Each dwelling has a garden curtilage matching the development footprint of each dwelling.

LOT 2 – REGION £450,000

The land at Cannon Farm extends to some 32.77 acres (13.26 hectares) of level grade III land according to the DEFRA agricultural land classification map which is currently cropped to the following orchards and fallow areas:

• Ponds and sites 1.90 acres

• Pasture 5.92 acres

• Reubens apples 4.00 acres

• Bramley apples 7.41 acres

• Gala apples 1.48 acres

• Bramley apples 3.43 acres

• Braeburn apples 4.57 acres

• Fallow 4.06 acres / 32.77 acres

The land is enclosed mainly by mature trees and hedgerows.

Offers invited for the whole in region of £1,100,000.

OFFERS INVITED FOR THE WHOLE IN REGION OF £1,100,000

MARDEN | KENT

iBoth lots by appointments with the sole selling agent Lambert and Foster’s Paddock Wood office on 01892 832325 Option 3. For more information contact Alan Mummery or Amelia Rogers

LAND FOR SALE

Land at Attwood Farm, Bodle Street Green, Hailsham, East Sussex

Guide Price: £1,228,000

Available as a Whole or in 7 Lots

A rare opportunity to purchase approximately 89 acres of permanent pasture and woodland situated in the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Please contact Emer Edwards MRICS

T: 01590 509280

E: e.edwards@batchellermonkhouse.com

Viewings will be strictly accompanied. Please visit batchellermonkhouse.com for full property details.

batchellermonkhouse.com

Biddenden,

Ashford

GUIDE PRICE £400,000 – £425,000

A picturesque block of pasture parkland encircled by mature, mainly oak woodland, extending to some 57.95 acres (23.45 hectares). The site offers significant recreational and sporting opportunities, subject to any planning permission that might be required.

KENT OFFICE 01892 832 325 |

Chiddingly, Lewes

An exceptionally rare rural development opportunity comprising a period Sussex barn with consent for residential conversion with a range of outbuildings, situated in an accessible rural location, adjacent to a working farm.

Goudhurst, Cranbrook

An equestrian smallholding with planning permission for residential conversion to provide a two-bedroom, single storey dwelling with pasture, stables and a ménage extending in all to some 10.18 acres (4.12 hectares).

SUSSEX OFFICE 01435 873 999

Competitive Direct Drilling Service

COMPLETE OUR CROSSWORD TO WIN

A mixed box of our 500ml sparkling ciders including four bottles of Biddies 5, Red Love cider and Biddies 8

ACROSS

1 Demanding great effort (9)

4 Agricultural machine for compressing grass or straw (5)

7 Not capable of being reversed or returned to the original condition (9)

9 Away from another or others (5)

11 Advanced in years (4)

12 Model of tractor from JCB (7)

13 County in England (14)

15 Warn or arouse to a sense of danger (6)

17 A person who is in charge (5)

20 Assault with intent to rob (7)

22 Create a item of clothing with wool (4)

23 An officer of the court who is employed to execute writs and make arrests (7)

25 A young offender (10)

26 A small island (4)

DOWN

1 A shade of brown with a tinge of red (5)

2 Crop science organisation (4)

3 Of or relating to a characteristic of opera (8)

5 Savoury jelly based on fish or meat stock used as a mold for meats or vegetables (5)

6 Before now (7)

8 Fish eggs (3)

10 Correct (4)

13 Make a mathematical calculation (9)

14 Traverse or travel on [a body of water] (4)

16 Male sheep (3)

17 Long and narrow strip of water made for boats or for irrigation (5)

18 A farming charity (3)

19 Barley leaf ------, a disease specific to barley (6)

21 An organisation of employees formed to bargain with the employer (5)

22 A sturdy twilled cloth used for military uniforms (5)

PRIZE ANAGRAM: An item of farm machinery with a long reach (11)

24 A highly contagious viral disease (3)

LAST MONTH’S ANSWERS:

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 August. The winner will be announced in the September edition.

We are offering readers the chance to win a mixed box of our 500ml sparkling ciders including four bottles of Biddies 5, Red Love cider and Biddies 8. For more information about the vineyards, please visit www.biddendenvineyards.com or call 01580 291726.

*Subject to availability

Correct answer: Royal Sovereign

LAST MONTH’S WINNER: Andrew Campbell from Dorking, Surrey

VI NE YA R DS

VI NE YA R DS

To enter, simply unscramble the anagram (11) using the green squares.

Crossword by Jo Legg, Ashford, Kent

FOR SALE

Excellent Mixed Use Investment & Development Opportunity

• Freehold site extending to approximately 59.20 Ha (146.29 Ac)

• Wide variety of office, retail and industrial units extending to approximately 3,640m² (39,180ft²)

• Commercial Landlord and Tenant Act 1954 Leases all ‘Contracted Out’

• Two-bedroom detached residential dwelling

• Passing rent approx. £383,000 (plus VAT) per annum

• Home of The National Fruit Collections – established on site since 1952, comprising 4,000 varieties of top fruit trees, maintained and funded by the Government

• Ongoing outline planning application for proposed development of an additional 360m² (3,767ft²) nursery school and 25 x 95m² (1,023ft²) workshop/business units

Guide Price: £4,850,000 (+VAT)

Please contact Chris Hildyard for further information

E: chris@georgewebbfinn.com

T: 01795 470556

W: www.georgewebbfin.com