PROFILE Wantisden Hall Farms
jor multiples. At Wantisden early varieties Maris Piper, Maris Peer, Bambino and Paris are grown along with bakers Maris Piper, Marfona and Lanorma.
“Our potatoes are lifted pret-
ty much off the fi eld to order – ex- cept for our home-grown seed po- tatoes, which we grow on isolated virgin land.
“Last summer’s drought was
very tricky: we ran out of water in some places and couldn’t get around quick enough with the temperatures as they were. We kept the crops alive but yields were all down – probably a third down on vegetables. There was some compensation as prices rose, but with potatoes, we had to use our free by just to fulfi l contracts. “So this year we have de- creased the area of all our vege- table crops, particularly where water may be an issue, and we’ve altered our contracts slightly to get crops off the farm sooner. We have spring fed reservoirs here at Wantisden, and we also have bore- holes and river abstraction licenc-
es – but it’s the river abstraction that is at greatest risk as it could be restricted by 50%. And we’ve had quite a dry winter so it is an increasing worry. We’re looking at building a new reservoir on one of our contract farms to give us more water security.”
Bulk storage Whole crop rye and maize, dou- ble-cropped if rain comes at the right time, are also grown on the light land for the AD plant at Bent-
BUSINESS FACTS
• LEAF demonstration farm • Member of marketing group 3Ms
• Cover crops and sheep • Ancient oak pollards
waters Park. Much of the onion storage is also at Bentwaters, but a 3000t bulk onion store at Wan- tisden is being converted to box storage for ease of management
A Dewulf 3-row belt planter sows Maris Piper potatoes on the light land
and improved quality. “With bulk storage you get compression at the bottom of the pile, and a bigger proportion of de- fects, and we’re paid on pack out. With boxes, if there is an issue, you can pull out a row. We’re re- placing mobile fl oor ducting with a new duct and a ‘letter box’ for each onion box allowing air in, and a new ‘brain’ for the drying sys- tem monitoring air humidity and fl ow. Farm Electronics is looking after the conversion, and it will be ready by July.”
A wide range of cover crops improve soil structure, hold on to nutrients, reduce compaction through deep rooting and increase organic matter. A trial with Kings Seeds over the winter saw 10 dif- ferent cover crops grown across 10ha to see what grew best, how much each benefi tted the soil and which the farm’s sheep liked. “The sheep had all 10 options to
choose from at any one time. They don’t oil radish – they ate that last, but it’s good as it’s very deep root- ing; they really liked fodder rape,
Kiwi Services are happy to support J H Kemball & Son and to provide all their fencing needs.
A Rodent Service_Layout 1 30/09/2013 14:47 Page 1
Contact Craig Mackay T: 01728 689121 M: 07764 252101 E:
info@kiwi-services.co.uk W:
www.kiwi-services.com
Pleased to supply J H
Kemball
Agricultural, equestrian, commercial & domestic fencing
HERBERT SPARE PARTS OFFICIAL SUPPLIER
ARE YOU READY FOR THIS SEASON?
• ALL parts for HERBERT handling systems available
• Full range of plastic screens - (30, 35, 40, 42.5, 45, 50, 52.5,
55, 57, 60, 65, 68, 70, 75 & 80mm)
• NEW PLASTIC SCREEN SIZE FOR THIS SEASON – 47.5MM
• Stock of pre-owned machinery
• Service work undertaken using experienced HERBERT engineers
Contact us NOW... to guarantee delivery when you need it!
01945 430983
www.hub4parts.co.uk
54 ANGLIA FARMER • APRIL 2019
Proud to support ES
Burroughs
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76
