Farming Archives - Page 7 of 8

July is upon us and I am starting to look forward to harvest which normally arrives around 25th of the month, but will be delayed this year thanks to the delayed spring which has slowed everything up. I think the combine will not start rolling on our farm until at least the first week of August, and when we do start I imagine we are going to have a mixed bag both on crop yields and quality. Overall though it is not going to be anything special this year, so I just hope we have some lovely weather to at least get a good farmer’s tan for the efforts.

Normally we grow three crops on the farm in a crop rotation, ensuring the fields and soil experience different crops each year, as part of a healthy and sustainable farming system. These crops would be winter wheat, winter rapeseed, and spring beans. However this year our rotation is somewhat different to the original plan.

Crops this year comprise of winter wheat, spring wheat, winter rapeseed, spring beans, spring barley and fallow land. Looking around the farm at the moment there is certainly a patchwork feel to the fields, some with good crops, especially the spring barley. Barley is something we have not grown since I was a child, so I do not have much actual experience of it, however at the moment the ears are just emerging which gives the crop a lovely soft hairy look as the crop gently sways in the breeze. ‘Ears’ is the term used for the seed heads on the crop which are the last part of the plant to develop, with the next few weeks being a crucial time to have plenty of sunshine allowing the plant to photosynthesize, to grow bold healthy grains of seed. Combine this with the occasional warm rain and it is looking very promising for the barley. The spring wheat looks equally as promising, whereas the winter wheat and rapeseed vary from good to bad, to downright ugly. At their worse there is either no crop in large parts of the fields or in the case of the wheat, the crop is very thin whilst the weeds are very thick. In these areas, we have resorted to the desperate measure of destroying the crop rather than trying to harvest rubbish.

Last month I had a BBC film crew to the farm again. This time they came with the food writer Nigel Slater, as they are currently filming for a new BBC 1 looking at what different foods we produce in Britain. Also, how farmers grow the raw ingredients, how they are made into finished foods we buy and, no doubt, will end up with Nigel creating something delicious in his kitchen. We had a great day looking at the story behind what goes into making our rapeseed oil, I will keep you posted later in the year if we hear of any dates for airing.

I have now found what I hope to be a great harvest student. We had several applicants for prospective tractor drivers over the busy summer period, all from different parts of the country. I have taken on a young lad from the Scilly Isles, from a farming family who is keen to gain experience in different types of farming. I think farming wheat and rapeseed in Northamptonshire is going to be very different from narcissus and new potatoes in the Scillys. Having met and spoken with him, I am sure he will be up to the challenge and I very much look forward to him joining us in the middle of July.

www.leafmarque.com

Farming Diary

From LEAF Demonstration Farmer Duncan Farrington

As we approach midway through the year, I realise just how far behind, not to mention how embarrassingly bad our crops look this year. So much so that the BBC want to come and film some of our fields and generally humiliate my farming prowess publicly. It is a story that although I would rather not be telling, does have a serious point and whilst this will have a major financial impact on our farm over the next eighteen months, it is a problem that extends far beyond our farm gate. I call it Embarrassing Crop Syndrome.

Major food manufacturers are starting to plan for the shortage of British grown crops over the next year or so. Companies such as Weetabix and McVitie’s have both announced they will have to source some of their wheat from abroad to make up for the shortfall grown in Britain. Or as I learned on a recent farm visit to a vegetable producer, supermarkets are having to accept that contracts will not all be met for supply, with agreements being renegotiated to accommodate the late season. Additionally, as well as vegetables and fruits being later to harvest, customers are also accepting that these crops may well be smaller in size than the normal strict criteria set. This shows that even the all powerful retail sector can not dictate to the weather if it does not want to play ball.

Currently, our rapeseed, where there is a crop, is in flower, but the plants are still very small and sparse. I can not see how this will make up the lost ground to give a normal yield. Although rapeseed does have an incredible ability to compensate when it does start growing in the spring, time is running out for it to manage this. Likewise, with the autumn planted wheat fields, they are simply not growing as quickly as I would like. On a brighter note, our spring planted crops of wheat, barley and beans are growing well in the warmer weather, so I hope they at least will bring some good results.

Thankfully we are not taking part in the annual Open Farm Sunday which takes place on 9th June this year. However we are welcoming some of our customers to the farm during June to see how we grow, press and bottle our rapeseed oil. The last two parts of this are not an issue, as we can proudly show them our latest investment in the oil pressing factory, however, the growing bit will cause a slight problem. It has even been suggested by one happy neighbour with a big grin on his face, who does have a field or two of good rapeseed, that we take our customers to look at his crop instead – it’s certainly a tempting offer, even if it was meant tongue in check. However, I am working on the principle that our customers will be able to appreciate how we have to work with nature, and this year is hopefully an exception and will not become the norm.

Anyway, that’s enough doom and gloom, in the next couple of months harvest will arrive and with it will be our chance to say goodbye to the disaster of the 2013 crops. Then we can look forward to planting next year’s crops which of course will grow fantastically well, in ideal weather conditions, so we can all look forward to talking about how good 2014 crops will be. In the meantime, I just need to find a harvest student to help clear this lot out the way first.

www.leafmarque.com

Farming Diary

From LEAF Demonstration Farmer Duncan Farrington

Today I want to mention career prospects in food and farming as barely a day goes by when we don’t hear about the dire state of the economy and the lack of job prospects, especially for young people. As a country, we do continue to bump along a continual trough of the economic cycle and for many people things really are tough. Over the last thirty or so years, the UK economy has largely been built on the very successful service and financial sectors, with little regard given to either manufacturing or agriculture. Now I think it is fair to say that everyone agrees there needs to be a bit of rebalancing in UK plc if we are to ensure future success.

People are beginning to appreciate that Britain does have a successful manufacturing industry, whilst not big enough we do make products to be proud of that the rest of the world want to buy. This is an industry that requires people at all levels and is busy recruiting. The same can be said for agriculture and the food supply industries, which have undergone a complete turnaround in fortunes over the last twenty years.

When I first came back to the farm, the world was awash with food that no one wanted, whilst Government saw agriculture as a backward industry, in decline, that should be used solely to provide the role of national park keeper for society. Agricultural colleges and universities closed down due to lack of interest, the industry was on its knees financially, and public perception was at an all time low. Today the world is a lot different place, with a growing global population which can afford food, in addition to other non-food resources the industry can provide, there has never been a better time for people to look at a career in food and farming.

Currently, there are around 476,000 people employed on farms in the UK. Farming and the food supply industry grows around 70% of the food we eat, manage over 80% of Britain’s land, it is worth £10bln a year and if you were to add in the supporting industries the figure increases substantially. An extra 60,000 jobs will be created in the next ten years. 98% of graduates from land-based degree courses go directly into careers.

Not everyone is aware of the great potential for future careers. However, job roles encompass everything from farming to finance, research, robotics, environment, policy, veterinary as well as design, media, marketing and much more. Additionally, it is far from being a male-dominated industry, as plenty of very successful females at all levels will testify. Whilst some schools and career advisers still think of the industry as a last ditch option for students, there are plenty of colleges and universities who would be happy to show how this is not the case. There are other useful organizations giving impartial advice such as LANTRA at www.lantra.co.uk/careers . Or a new joint industry initiative called Bright Crop which is due to go live later this year www.brightcrop.org.uk .

If you or someone you know is considering what they might want to do for a future career, why not take a look at what food and farming has to offer.

Yes we are still waiting for spring as the weather continues to be against us. I do find myself sounding like a broken record, each day waking up, looking eagerly out of the window to see if anything has changed, but in reality feel like we are playing a part in the film Groundhog Day.

As you may gather we still haven’t done much useful on the farm in the last month. It’s been too wet to cut hedges; dig out ditches or drain land; apply fertilizer to the crops in the ground; plant crops not in the ground. By now I would like to be looking at planting our spring beans if not already done so. The latest 30mm of rain and snow over the last few days, means we are not going to be doing anything anytime soon.

We have been shopping though in the last few months. On the farm, we have just taken delivery of a new sprayer. This is a major investment which lasts around ten years. As with all such toys, the price continues to rise, as does the level of sophistication we hope to make the most of. This latest British-built machine comes with a full compliment of GPS auto-guided controls, ensuring we can get the most efficient use of the fertilizers and agrochemicals the machine will apply over its lifetime. This will ensure we put exactly the right amount of product on in the right place, with the obvious benefits that brings. Complete with touch screen display and joystick controls in the tractor cab, it is ideally suited for the X-box generation, so, unfortunately, I won’t be getting to drive it much myself.

In Farrington Oils we have also been spending money, with the last piece of investment now in place and just about finished, being commissioned. This is a new filter to remove sediment from the rapeseed oil before it is bottled. Ever since starting the company, filtration, especially in cold weather has always been my biggest problem. However this latest filter will sort this issue out, albeit at vast cost. Our previous filters had been very much manually operated – fine when things are going well, but needed coaxing along to get the best out of them. There was a lot of down time when filter sheets needed changing and cleaning down, it was often a messy job and created plenty of unusable wastage. This new Anglo-Dutch machine works exactly the same as the old one in principle, but with a level of automation that should mean it is pretty much self-sufficient, it filters and cleans itself automatically, as well as reducing the waste dramatically. We are currently in the process of rigging it up with its own mobile phone so it can call me or Martin in the middle of the night if something goes wrong and it needs a little help. If we gave it internet connection, we would be able to control it from a smart phone without getting out of bed, but as internet connection is not the best in rural Hargrave, that might just be asking for trouble.

I genuinely thought that this month I would be writing to report that we eventually caught up with planting all the wheat, and everything looks better than expected. However that didn’t happen as we are no further ahead than a month ago, so without further ado; the weather, slugs, crop planting and soil conditions are all banned subjects as we move towards Christmas, Keeping Warm for Winter.

Winter jobs are now well underway, which has started with some hedge laying. It is ideal to have a variety of different sizes, shapes, and ages of hedges to give habitat variety on the farm. Over the years we have planted several hedgerows, which are cut every two to three years with a tractor mounted machine to create a dense hedgerow. With some of the older hedges, if they are left for many years, eventually they become very big and lanky, requiring more extreme measures, as is the case with the hedge we are laying this year. It has become full of weedy trees rather than dense hedgerow, so we are cutting and removing many of the trees, whilst leaving a few healthy ones to enhance the landscape. Then the remaining understory of Quick and Blackthorn bushes are cut part way through at the base, before being pulled down and laid horizontally along the hedge line. These laid plants will sprout new growth in the spring. Once the hedge is laid, we will ‘gap up’ any spaces with newly planted hedging plants. The end result being a lovely stock proof hedge in a couple of year’s time that will be fit for another hundred years, as well as some great logs to keep us warm in the winter.

As well as work on the farm, I have been travelling around the country to various events. Of note, I spent an excellent day at the LEAF President’s event at HSBC headquarters in London, where we had some fascinating speakers on how food production is going to feed 9 billion people over the next 30 years in a manner that will look after the planet at the same time. Then there was breakfast with the Chief Economist of the Bank of England, as he travels the country gauging the pulse of the economy to help formulate future policy. A trip to a factory in Yorkshire to inspect my latest machine being built to filter oil; this was a surprise as they have built a major part of it incorrectly and unless they are planning for gravity to go up a hill, they will have to quickly rectify the issue before I take delivery of it.

In Farrington Oils, my Production Manager Rob has now retired after nearly five years with us. His passion meant that he never missed a customer order, and he made sure every bottle of oil produced was top quality. We wish Rob well in his retirement, and welcome Martin to the team, to take us forward over the next chapter in the Farrington Oils story.

The guys are flat out at the moment with oil production and orders as everyone is looking to buy our products ready for Christmas, whether it is to roast Christmas spuds or to buy a gift bag for a friend. Of course without our customers over the years we would not have a business, so from all of us here, a big thank-you to all of you who continue to support us. Have a lovely Christmas.

www.leafmarque.com

Farming Diary

From LEAF Demonstration Farmer Duncan Farrington

Farrington’s Mellow Yellow Popularity Grows continuously.

Thanks to the increasing popularity of our Farrington’s Mellow Yellow range of rapeseed oil, dressings, and mayonnaises, we are no longer able to grow all the rapeseed we need at Bottom Farm. For some months of the year, we will need to source seed from outside farms to supplement our own.

Over the last few months, I have been looking to work with other LEAF Marque growers of Rapeseed, to supply top quality seed. I am delighted to have teamed up with Arden Farms based at Owmby-by-Spital near Market Rasen in Lincolnshire. Arden farms grow a range of crops, including wheat, barley, oilseed rape, and onions. They also take much pride in their herd of red deer, which being in the heart of the Lincolnshire Wolds, the land is ideally suited to deer giving them a natural diet and cover. Interestingly, venison contains less than half the fat of beef, pork, and lamb. This combined with the fact that it is a very tender and nutritious meat, supports venison in becoming increasingly popular with consumers.

We at Farrington’s are very excited and look forward to working closely with Arden Farms, who like us strive to farm their land in a way that is sympathetic to the environment in order to create a healthy and diverse range of food. To read more about Arden Farms, visit their website www.ardenfarms.co.uk

As you know we are huge supporters of LEAF (Linking Environment and Farming), and what is stands for. They are a small organisation that kicks well above its weight. It was the first farming organisation to recognise that good, sustainable and profitable farming systems can work in harmony with sustainable environmental and conservation goals. In doing so they have managed to bring farmers, consumers, conservation bodies and even politicians all along for the experience. A small part of Duncan’s commitment is his role as a LEAF Marque demonstration farm, and he regularly hosts farm tours and talks about the farming methods he follows.

Brits are swapping from olive oil and more traditional cooking oils to cold-pressed rapeseed oil in a bit to reduce their intake of saturated fat while also supporting British produce. Rapeseed oil is winning over Brits’ hearts.
Waitrose reports that British rapeseed is the fastest growing oil in its entire range.
Sales of rapeseed oil are up 26 per cent year on year – in volume. In comparison, olive oils are up 1.6 per cent.
Waitrose grocery buyer Carla Smith says, “Rapeseed oil is rising in popularity for two reasons.
“Rapeseed oil is a healthier choice. It has half the saturated fat of olive oil and contains a good balance of omega 3, 6 and 9 fatty acids. We expect its popularity to increase further as consumers are kick-starting the new year with healthy diets.
“All of our cold-pressed rapeseed suppliers are British, so opting for rapeseed oil also appeals to consumers wanting to support British farmers.”
Rapeseed oil is ideal for roasting, stir-fries, marinades and dressings.
Waitrose stock several brands of Rapeseed oil including Farrington’s, Goldenfields and Hillfarm.
The popularity of rapeseed oil has also been influenced by restaurants. The new Jamie Oliver restaurant, Union Jacks, is using Farrington’s rapeseed oil instead of olive oil, while Rivington Bar and Grill has pledged to use just British rapeseed oil.

For product samples and further information please contact Amanda French at ZPR on 020 7896 3404, or email amanda@z-pr.com

www.z-pr.com

Great news! Following filming in May, Duncan and Farrington Oils are to be featured on Thursday 25 June at 7.00pm on The BBC one show with Plantswoman and Horticulturist Christine Walkden .

We are obviously thrilled to have this prime time exposure and anticipate a boost to sales so do make sure you have plenty of Mellow Yellow, our 3 delicious dressings and our brand new mayonnaise in stock!

We have our very own Delia, or should it be Nigella here at Farrington Oils, as Eli now writes a bi-monthly column in Country Kitchen magazine (www.countrykitchenmag.com). Entitled ‘Farmer’s Diary’, Eli writes about life on the farm, and gives recipes using Mellow Yellow of course. The magazine is a popular national food magazine that we are very proud to be associated with, so if you have a chance please check out Eli,s new column.

Show Time….

Thank-you to those of you who dropped in on Duncan, at the Speciality & Fine Food Fair in London, we had a fantastic show, meeting existing and new customers keen to stock Mellow Yellow. Eli also had success in Dublin at SHOP08 to increase our customers there, we hope to extend our wholesale distribution there shortly as a result. Now we look forward to the consumer shows leading up to Christmas, helping heighten awareness of our brand.

Roasted Vegetables….

With the winter months approaching, an excellent tip to give your customers is to try Mellow Yellow Rapeseed Oil to roast winter vegetables. The subtle nutty taste is fantastic with parsnips, butternut squash, carrots and more, making a great way to serve vegetables.

Further Information

For orders and further information, please do not hesitate to call us on 01933 622809; email info@farrington-oils.co.uk ; or one of our brilliant wholesale suppliers, who are always happy to hear from you:

Essential Trading Co-op; F A Wyatt & Co Ltd.(Ireland); Hider Food Imports; Goodness Foods; Michael Bance (Leicestershire), Richards Catering Supplies (Cornwall), T & J Fine Foods (Lincolnshire).