PROFILE HH Craske & Son


additional 650t of space purchased at Camgrain for quality wheat. An old Atcost corn shed with 20t per hour Turner continuous fl ow drier – used to do all the grain on the farm – is today used for just the rape and beans. But the business has developed a long way from the day the farm was purchased by the Craske fami- ly in 1951. Prime movers on the farm in-


James Craske is vice-chairman of Hadleigh Farmers’ Agricultural Association and stewards at the Suffolk Show. Right: the grain store at Peyton Hall farm.


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HE-VA subsoiler with Accu discs. The cereal drill is an 8m Vader- stad on variable rates, which re- placed a 6m drill of the same type. It means less turning on the head- lands. “We try to make sure we farm as effi ciently as possible – right from planting.”


Consistent height


Attention to detail extends to the use of a Trimble GPS system for drilling, seeding, all cultivations and combining. Spraying is car- ried out using a self-propelled Sands 4000 Vision on a 24m boom to keep a more consistent height over what is undulating ground. A Kuhn Aero spreader is on standby and used to apply Ava- dex. “It’s the most effective way of applying it and it works,” says Michael, who is FACTS and BA- SIS qualifi ed and walks the fi elds with Mike Greener of Hutchin- sons.


Agrochemicals come from Far-


magri, Hutchinsons or Harlow Agricultural Merchants. Other inputs come from similarly near-


Varieties are recorded on a blackboard at the front of the store


by suppliers or via Anglia Farm- ers. “We like to keep things local if we can,” adds Michael. Fields were analysed by SOYL a few years ago and nutrients and magnesium are applied accord- ing to RB209 recommendations. “You could say it costs initially but we feel it is important to do the right thing and putting nu- trients where they are needed is both more effi cient and more ef- fective.


“There isn’t going to be an


endless supply of phosphate and potash – we know our nutri- ent mapping is working because we’ve assessed it four years on and it is bearing results – both in terms of crop performance and input savings.”


Storage Grain is stored on the fl oor in two large drying stores – one with an 1800t capacity and the oth- er which holds 1500t. A move to- wards central storage has seen an


clude a Challenger 845, a John Deere 8310, JD 8220 and JD 6210. There is also a CASE 155 Puma and soon to be a Case 240 CVX. “When you need to do a job you have to do be able to do it,” says James, who is responsible for the machinery. Off the farm, both brothers


steward at the local Hadleigh Show. They are also active mem- bers of the Suffolk Agricultural Association and the Farmers’ Club – using social media such as Twitter and Facebook to keep up to date on topical issues. Environmental responsibili- ties are taken seriously. Although grass margins are not in steward- ship, the farm is farmed with the environment very much in mind. More than 1000m of hedgerow was planted this spring, as well as oak trees and lime trees. “Father was a very for-


ward-thinking man,” says Mi- chael. He recognised the im- portance of drainage and took every opportunity to improve the farm. But where we amalga- mated fi elds, such as by remov- ing high banks, we have always made sure we planted something in their place. “It’s all part of putting some-


thing back into the land, rather than taking.”


We are proud to be supporting H H Craske & Son LONGFIELDS AGRICULTURE • COMMERCIAL • PERSONAL 52 ANGLIA FARMER • JULY 2018


T: 01206 396000 E: info@longfields.co.uk W: www.longfields.co.uk


Longfield Risk Solutions Ltd is an appointed representative for general insurance products of James and Lindsay Ltd


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