Oils
Rapeseed Oil
Chili Oil
Dressings
Blackberry Vinaigrette
Classic Vinaigrette
Balsamic Dressing
Honey & Mustard
Ultimate Chilli Dressing
Busy busy busy. It is full steam ahead here as spring work continues on the farm in perfect weather conditions. Marvin has finished planting the crops, which have germinated and are rapidly emerging through the warm moist soils. The patchwork colours of the English countryside will continue to change from browns to different shades of green, along with the yellow of rapeseed, mixed in with the greens of autumn planted crops.
We continue to apply fertiliser to the crops helping them grow successfully throughout the season. Additionally, we are walking all the fields regularly with the agronomist, looking for any signs of disease that may need treating. This year it has been ideal conditions for something called ‘Rust,’ a disease spread by fungal spores in warm dry conditions, resulting in the leaves on the wheat crops becoming covered in a brown rusty looking disease. The disease saps the energy from the plant as it is not able to photosynthesise efficiently and we control it with a fungicide chemical, not dissimilar to one used in controlling athletes’ foot in human medicine.
The ground has at last dried off enough for me to finish off the area around our new bio-bed, getting this levelled and set with grass seed ready to make the farm yard all tidy for Open Farm Sunday on 8th June. Plans for the event continue to evolve well, the beer and hog roast are booked, as is the tea and cake stall. Eli will hold salad dressing making workshops throughout the day and some livestock will arrive with neighbouring farmers. Before this event, we are also getting involved with the Northants Young Farmers annual rally, where Farrington Oils are organising an ‘Oil Slide Challenge,’ in which Young Farmers will compete to raise money for two charities close to our hearts.
As part of our major spring clean around the farm, we are also decorating one of our barn conversions to get it ready to hopefully rent out to prospective local businesses. I’ve been around with the screwdriver fixing some door fittings and electrical work, whilst my Father is poised with a paint brush in hand. Now, while I write this article, I can hear gasps and laughs as everyone is next door having some first aid training today. If nothing else, working on a farm is certainly a varied career, with no two days often being the same.
Last month I predicted that by now I would have planted our spring beans, however, the stormy waters has so far not allowed that, although conditions are improving and I hope we can be doing something in the next couple of weeks.
Those who have read my column for some time will know I do mention the weather occasionally. Recently it has been making the national headlines. We had a few trees blow down, including one which blocked the road for a couple of hours before we cleared it up. However, this is nothing compared to what many around the country have suffered. Farmers on the Somerset Levels have suffered a second year of potentially livelihood ruining conditions.
I visited farmers on the Levels last year, remembering one farmer; an award winning, forward thinking person, with a fantastic business he has built up with his family and staff over the years. Most of his pasture was under water for 11½ months of the year. This nearly sent his business to the wall, but thanks to determination and a close relationship with his bank, they had worked out a way for him to pull through it. That was last year, but now I think of him as it has all happened again.
Somerset farmers know the levels flood; they have done since Roman times. Up until 1990, local rivers were dredged to manage the winter flooding. However with authorities like the Environment Agency now run by Westminster intelligentsia, priorities had changed and despite local knowledge and opposition, the powers from afar have not carried out this vital management in recent years, which has lead to the inevitable consequences in the last two years. Fortunately, with the political outfall, it looks like things may change from now on, as organisations will have to answer some big questions on the balance of priorities.
In the mean time, there has been a surge of support for the flooded farmers. Farmers around the country have organised much-needed food and bedding for stranded livestock, whilst the generosity of the wider British population has been overwhelming. In rural and urban areas alike, neighbours have been helping each other when homes have been deluged with flood waters. Often such devastating events bring out the best in people.
I have been refreshing my knowledge on how to manage our soils in our growing business. Soil is my pet area of interest, as ultimately everything we eat, whether this is meat, milk or vegetables comes from the soil it was grown in. Looking after soils both nutritionally and physically will ultimately look after us, to this end we have not ploughed on our farm since 1998. Ploughing is the traditional way farmers have prepared ground to plant crops for thousands of years. It has many benefits, which up until the last hundred years was mainly carried out behind a horse. However with the advent of the tractor, bigger and heavier machines have been used, which has bought some disadvantages from a soil health perspective.
At Bottom Farm, we talk terms such as ‘Minimum Tillage’ or ‘Direct Drilling.’ We use ‘Cover Crops’ and various other techniques, all of which have bought huge, measurable benefits to our soil health in increased organic matter and improved nutrition. However as our soils have improved, my knowledge has not kept up with the latest advances, so it has been really refreshing to learn more on the better use of cover cropping, crop rotations and improvements in how to establish crops. Some may say it is a dull subject and if you were to accuse me of being a soil nerd, I am happy to go along with that.
Agriculture and farming offer very interesting careers, not often considered by those from outside the industry. It is at the cutting edge of technology, for example I have just learnt about the use of LED lighting to grow British Strawberries throughout the year, or in my case understanding the biology involved in creating healthy soils. However it is also about an appreciation of the natural world we work within, the weather, wildlife, animals and living plants.
Agriculture is a growing industry, needing to recruit around 60,000 people by 2020. There are jobs for all sorts of careers from animal husbandry, engineers, biologists, financial and commodity trading and so on. I am just looking at recruiting one person this year, perhaps someone who is willing to share some of my passion about looking at the very ground beneath our feet.
Winter jobs are well and truly underway, as always the list is long and never seems to be quite completed. This year’s priorities include a little hedge planting; some hedge cutting, as every hedge planted does in time need managing; digging out ditches to reduce wet muddy soils in the fields; and, the main project this December is to clean out a pond.
We have several ponds around the farm. Over the years leaf litter and silt build up in ponds. By removing this, it gives the pond a new lease of life, creating a freshwater environment for everything from bugs, newts, and dragonflies, to drinking holes for passing birds and mammals. When cleaning ponds, it is important to create different depths of water, creating different habitats in this mini ecosystem. It is also ideal to have some of the banks steep, providing shelter for nesting birds from predators and other areas of the bank, leading gently to the water’s edge, so mammals can access a drink.
As the workload on the farm slows down for winter, farmers can often be found getting together at meetings to exchange ideas. This is an important part of any industry, although with agriculture most businesses are not in direct competition with each other, which can allow for honest probing conversations, where the participants can really gain from each other’s experiences.
This year I have been looking at personal development and in particular, how I can improve my management skills. Farms tend to be isolated businesses, where the employer and his or her workforce may be the same person or a team of say two or three people. HR, payroll, marketing or IT departments do not generally exist on the average farm. As such, farmers, or indeed other small businesses, do not easily have access to develop their skills in how to manage people in their businesses. Such skills are not something you can readily read about in a book or learn at college or university, they are honed over years of experience, both learning from others, as well as making plenty of mistakes yourself.
I have realised over the years, and especially in the last few months, that successful businesses employee great people, give them clear roles and goals and then give them the tools and encouragement to get on with the job. I believe that a manager’s role is to make work rewarding for their employees. At a recent team meeting I even suggested that work can be fun, however judging by the look on their faces may be I was being a little too alternative as they wondered what I was going to say next.
Farming Diary
From LEAF Demonstration Farmer Duncan Farrington
New Opportunities.
I started writing my Farming Diary for the recently launched, Village Bystander back in 2006 and have greatly enjoyed sharing some anecdotes with you, about what goes on here at Bottom Farm, from month to month. Admittedly most of my reports are about mundane things that happen throughout the farming year, often revolving around the weather, with all the issues that may bring. However, I have been presently surprised when meeting several Bystander readers, hearing how many of you have enjoyed reading my little column over the last seven years. It is now time to move into new opportunities.
Back in 2006, we were a pretty standard family arable farm for the area. Times were hard in agriculture financially, with many farmers looking at supplementing their incomes from diversified sources. I was no different and had just finished my first year of producing our Farrington’s Mellow Yellow cold pressed rapeseed oil – the first farmer in the UK to produce such a product from field to bottle. Back then I sold around 6,500 bottles a year. Now we can produce that number of bottles every couple of days; a success that far exceeded my original ambitions and expectations. So rather than being a farmer with a little extra income, I am more an oil producer that tries to fit farming around the day job. None of it would have been possible without the support of my wife Eli, family, or indeed the fantastic growing team of people now employed to help meet our customers’ demands.
I will still be writing a farming diary, which you can read on our website. Additionally, I have been asked to write it for the Northamptonshire Evening Telegraph as an exclusive column. I am very excited for the opportunity, but this is mixed with a little sadness at saying goodbye to the Bystander.
May I take this opportunity to firstly thank Katherine for hosting the dairy over the years, I am sure she will fill the column with someone far more entertaining than myself. I wish her and The Village Bystander all the best in the future. Secondly, thank-you to all of you that have read my ramblings and for all the comments I have received. So, for now, it is Goodbye from me.
However, time marches on and I am sad to say this will be my last column for the Bystanders
The autumn planting campaign has been a great success, with the majority of crops planted in ideal conditions and growing well, with the Winter routine almost upon us. I just have one field left to plant with wheat, which I have delayed to allow the weeds to grow first. These can then be easily killed off rather than trying to control them once a crop is established. With the recent rains over the last few weeks, if conditions don’t allow for autumn planting, the field will instead be planted with a spring crop once the soil dries out.
Once the main work is completed for another year on an arable farm, the machinery is cleaned down and given a pre-winter service before putting away for another year. We then sit down and take stock of how the previous year has gone. This last twelve months has not been fun in our case, thanks to the continued unfavourable weather throughout the crop year. The result has been that income is down 30%, which presents challenges in any business. However, the underlying business is sound and we have a good relationship with our bank manager who will stand by us for the next twelve months. On a brighter note, looking ahead, the prospects for next year are already looking much better and will hopefully get us back on course by December 2014.
While the farm side of the business may not have had a good year, I am pleased to report that Farrington Oils continues to do well. We have had several changes in staff over the last few months, which have given us a great opportunity to get some fantastic new blood into the company and build a very strong team. This was recently rewarded as we all attended the Northamptonshire Food and Drink Awards at the Derngate in Northampton. We were delighted to be nominated for three different awards and came away with two. A fantastic result made all the more enjoyable by sharing it with the team – who actually make it all happen. Such events are also a wonderful opportunity to catch up with and meet other county businesses to share and exchange ideas, as well as me being able to show off my moves on the dance floor at the end of the evening. Thank-you to all who organise and host the awards each year and to all of you who nominated Farrington Oils, it means a huge amount to us all at Bottom Farm.
What a wonderful summer it has been, as September draws to a close we continue to enjoy lovely weather as the days shorten and the nights start drawing in we reach the final push. The last eighteen months in arable farming have not been pleasant from a weather perspective. The resulting financial implications will endure for a further year, meaning I am having to look hard at my cash-flow figures and having regular conversations with the bank manager. However the farming calendar revolves and we start looking towards next year’s crops, so far it has been perfect conditions to start the new farming year.
All of our rapeseed was planted in warm moist soils, enabling this most delicate of plants to get off to the best possible start during the crucial first few weeks of its life. Next we turn our attention to planting the wheat crop. Again the conditions are perfect for the crop to grow, with warm and moist soils. If it’s perfect for crops to grow, the same rings true for the weeds, which (you may be surprised to hear me say this) is a good thing. Rather than rushing ahead to plant our wheat, I am currently nurturing the weeds to grow. By encouraging as many weeds as possible to grow now, we can easily kill them off with a mixture of cultural control from raking the soil, backed up with spraying them off with a herbicide. The more we do now, the less competition in the following wheat crop. If we get it right, fantastic. If we get it wrong and the weather suddenly changes to cold, wet rain, we have a repeat of last year, where we couldn’t get the crop established at all. I am nervously optimistic that we can’t have two disastrous years in a row and all will be good this time round. With wheat planting starting, some long days and nights keeping the drill going, should see the end of the autumn planting with great success.
Farming is becoming very much a topic that people are interested in learning more about. I was delighted to see the recent BBC series ‘Harvest’ in which three different farming systems were followed throughout the year observing what it takes to grow our food, cumulating in the all important harvest. It was refreshing to see agriculture portrayed as a modern, caring and efficient industry, growing fantastic quality food, using the latest techniques backed up by knowledgeable hard working people. Of course modern agriculture has by its very nature to be sustainable, both economically and environmentally, a message I have been talking to people about for years and something that LEAF farmers can and do deliver. However for the BBC to portray agriculture in this way, unapologetically, without the hair-shirt, unrealistic ideals that agriculture and food production can be achieved in some romantic fashion, was a great breath of fresh air for everyone. By show casing the very best of our industry, is not only a great advert for UK Agriculture, but also gives the consumer a refreshing outlook of what actually happens on our farms. Congratulations to all involved; the farmers and their staff, and especially the BBC for presenting the programs in this way – long overdue I say.
In the oil side of the business, it has also been a busy few months. We have had a few staff issues but, I am pleased to report, these have been successfully sorted. I have again got a fantastic team, which is the most important asset any company can have. We are all looking forward to getting togged up for the annual Calsberg UK Northamptonshire Food & Drink Awards on 17th October, in which we are finalists. Whether we come home victorious or not, I am sure everyone will enjoy a well deserved great evening together celebrating all their hard work.
Quick one this month as I take a few minutes to sit down while we are getting the combine ready for long hours on another field. I am pleased to report that although as expected the crop yields are pretty disastrous on the whole, the weather over the last few weeks has at last been very much on our side so we can get on with the job in hand.
Normally rapeseed harvest would start around 27th July, with wheat following around the end of the first week in August. This year however due to crops maturing at different rates all over the place, we started harvest on some wheat on 3rd August, before moving to some rapeseed on 13th August, on to spring Barley on 19th August, back to finish rapeseed off on 21st August, before moving back into wheat later around 23rd August. Yes it has been challenging trying to decide which best to do first. Every time you change from one crop to another, it takes several hours resetting the combine for the job in hand.
The wheat and rapeseed yields have been very low, with rapeseed being 30 to 50% down on what we would hope for, however the wheat has so far been good quality, so although it won’t make many loaves of bread, at least they will good ones. The spring barley has been very pleasing with Father saying it was a pleasure to harvest. The yield was good and hopefully the quality will be also.
As well as harvest, I have been helping the guys bottle oil during the day as we are currently short staffed, and the summer sales continue to go well. It has been a while since I have helped in the bottling room, and although I would rather the timing being a bit different, it has been good to get back in there helping everyone along. We have a good team and it is important to help them when they need it.
That’s it for now, I am being called to go and help get on to the next field, so better show that I am not just hiding in the office drinking tea.
As a rule of thumb, we usually start harvesting around 27th July. However in reality along with good farming tradition, it comes down to friendly brinkmanship, where neighbours pretend to be calm and patient, The Calm Before the Storm waiting until the crops are in perfect condition to harvest, before someone breaks ranks and you hear the sound of a combine entering a field somewhere over the horizon. All thoughts of planned calmness are forgotten immediately as you run to get your combine out of the shed in an attempt not to be seen as being behind the neighbours. It’s a completely futile competition as in reality the crops will be ready in their own time, and this initial excitement to get started normally finishes a few metres into the field with the realisation that the crop is not ready, and we have to go back to patiently wait a few more days.,
This year, however, things will be a little different. Harvest is not likely to start for us until around the second week in August. I know we will be incredibly twitchy by then, especially if we hear a nearby combine going somewhere. Due to the long winter and late cold spring, everything is simply behind by around three to four weeks. Once we do start we will not know which way to turn first as no doubt the rapeseed, winter wheat and spring barley will all be ready together. I can certainly see a few weeks of excited panic and long hours. It will be a case of “Don’t panic Mr Mannering.”
Preparation for harvest continues. I have taken on our harvest student, who this year comes all the way from the Scilly Isles. He applied for the role following a visit by Duchy College in Cornwall to the farm learning about what we get up to here. Jonathan is from a family farm on St Marys. Whilst their farm is only 10% the size of our farm in Northamptonshire, it very much promotes the adage of “It’s not the size that matters, but what you do with it that counts”. On Jonathan’s family farm of around 70 acres which is managed by his Grandfather, Father and Mother; they have beef cattle, grow several different types of foder crops to feed the cattle, grow new potatoes, grow narcissus, have three campsites, as well as his Father managing the island’s ferry terminal. It certainly sounds very different to how we do things here, which we can both learn from each other about the great diversity in British agriculture.
Currently, we are in the final stages of preparing all the machinery and grain store for harvest. The yard has been swept. Grain trailers have had a full clean down and service, with all the wheel bearings and brakes serviced. The combine is ready to go, with no obvious signs of mice damage at the moment – fingers crossed. The tractors have been washed and serviced and we are nearly there. We are going around some of the fields mowing the wildlife strips to encourage the right types of grasses and wildflowers to grow, as well as giving the footpaths and bridleways a cut. Additionally, we are walking through the spring barley in the early mornings before the sun gets too hot to rogue out (pull out by hand) any wild oats and wheat plants that will contaminate the crop which is destined for seed.
Next, it is just that patient waiting game. We are not good at it and no doubt this year there will be plenty of relieved farmers’ wives, once they have got us out from under their feet doing something useful.
Farming Diary
From LEAF Demonstration Farmer Duncan Farrington
We are thrilled to be sponsoring not one, but TWO workshops at the sell-out event CarFest South. This is the second year we have sponsored a workshop, and this year the organiser’s at Carfest asked if we would like to come back and sponsor both the bread making and dressings workshops – and of course we are more than happy to help!
Carfest aims to raise £1.5m for BBC Children in Need and is organised by a great team and supported by BBC Radio 2 DJ Chris Evans. Carfest South is hosted at Laverstoke Farm, owned by Jodie and Clare Scheckter who are passionate about producing great tasting, healthy food. The bread making and dressings workshops are so popular at the events as they get all members of the family involved, kids love it and it’s free to visitors. Farrington’s Mellow Yellow are supplying over 70 litres of cold pressed rapeseed oil for the fun part of making bread and dressings, as well as lots of other goodies from our range of rapeseed oil dressings and mayonnaise.
The volunteers will be working hard at the workshops this year as it is a sell out event and there will be 15,000 visitors to Laverstoke Park every day! We are also donating £1000 to the great fundraising efforts and we wish Carfest South and the team at Laverstoke Park a fantastic event!
For more information about Carfest, the cars, the music, the food… click here.