Contract Farming

Because of the wide range of soil types we have access to a range of cultivation equipment to suit most occasions.  Whether that be traditionally ploughing, disc and tine combination, straight tines or a stubble rake we can do it.

At either ends of the scale in the past 12 months we have invested in a low disturbance subsoiler and also a straw rake.  Both of these have been brought into use to assist in the transition to more direct drilling.

We have never subscribed to the idea of having one drill for all situations and so we have the opposite.  With a 3m combination drill which is used for game covers and spring barley early in the season at the opposite end of the spectrum is the 12m Horsch Avatar direct drill which we use for everything from cover crops to cereals.

We also have a 6m vaderstad rapide drill which we can use on cultivated ground and 6m Horsch Sprinter which establishes our beans but can also plant cereals and oilseed rape.  For cover crops and grass there is a seeder box on a 6m carrier and finally the sprayer has a broadcaster on it for establishing mustard and stubble turnips in standing wheat.

Precision technology is at the forefront of our fertilising equipment.  James has worked closely with Yara for nearly 20 years with the N-Sensor so all nitrogen applications are made variably according to crop need.  With the extensive use of manures across all three farms Potash and Phosphorus base fertilisers aren’t used.  The Amazone ZA-TS 4200 spreader has been on the farm for over 5 years and is calibrated annually.

Liquid fertiliser is also used as a means of getting the required amount of sulphur into crops, the relationship with Yara means that it is the preferred brand across the farmed area.

At the busiest time of year we have come to reply on the Class brand for our harvesting solutions.  We have been running a Lexion 770 for 6 years and in 2023 it was joined by a Lexion 580 to give us ample capacity.  With two experienced operators we can clear over 200 acres a day which minimises post harvest drying and ensures quality.

In 2024 the 770 moved onto a 12.3m header to ensure that we can operate on a fully controlled traffic system.  Backed up by two 16t and one 14t trailers we have ample capacity to run the two machines together or independently.

For over 20 years we have been pushing our goal of increasing soil health by adding manures to the soils we farm.  Today we have cow muck, clean water sludge, digestate and sewage cake applied by contractors that we have worked with for many years.

A recent change from 30m to 36m tramlines has seen a step up in both the capacity and the accuracy of our mainline sprayer.  We have updated our Rogator sprayer from a yellow ‘D’ series to a Fendt 655 and along with the wider boom we now have individual nozzle control to minimise overlaps.

On a smaller scale we also operate a sprayer on our Polaris Ranger with a mixture of booms.  For game covers and patch spraying we have a 6m boom with 3 sections and for spraying sterile strips around the edges of fields we have a 1m boom with 2 sections.