Duncan Farrington, Author at Farrington Oils

As September draws to a close, we are in the final stages of the busy workload. Harvest seems a distant memory, the rapeseed is all planted and growing well, although a little rain wouldn’t go a miss; now it is just the wheat that needs planting. So the question is to plant wheat or not to plant wheat?

Like many of the jobs on an arable farm, I don’t have the luxury of a crystal ball to see what the weather is going to do over the next few weeks. September has to date been the driest on record. The lack of rain has not allowed much blackgrass and other weed seeds to germinate and grow, which ideally I would like to have a chance to kill off with a weed killer before we start planting wheat. If we drill too early, these weed seeds will germinate at the same time as the crop and cause problems for the next season. If we wait too long and the weather breaks, we may struggle to get the crops into good soil conditions, or at all. The plan is to encourage the weeds to grow quickly by giving the soil a gentle rake, kill off the weeds before planting some fields whilst the conditions are favourable, then wait as long as I dare before planting the remainder. In other words, I’m hedging my bets in trying to make the right decision.

I read recently that Richard Branson has given up eating beef because of his concerns over greenhouse gas emissions produced by cattle. He is, of course, correct – cows produce methane (from flatulence), however, Mr. Branson’s concerns are more about intensively produced beef in South America where cattle are raised in feed lots consuming huge resources to produce beef for North America. It is a completely different story in Britain and other similar countries, where beef is reared less intensively. Whilst it is true cows do flatualte because they are ruminant animals, meaning they eat grass, something we humans are not able to do. If we all stopped eating beef, what would happen to our green and pleasant land? Perhaps we could plough it all up to grow more crops to feed a vegetarian world, but there again that would cause other environmental issues, including the emission of greenhouse gases.

Sometimes, out of good intensions and trying to make the right decision, people can get a little side tracked without seeing the bigger picture. Besides, did I mention that air travel is a huge cause of greenhouse gas emissions? What would Mr. Branson say about that?

Harvest is almost complete and it has been an excellent one here at Bottom Farm.

That’s in stark contrast to the disastrous one we had last year. The 2013 harvest was the worst in my farming career, whereas 2014 will be remembered as one of the best. The rapeseed yielded very well, as did the wheat; and what’s more, we managed to get most of it harvested in good conditions, with some lovely weather.

We have just finished the spring barley, which was not so good, leaving one field of spring beans and one of spring wheat to gather. No sooner has the last crop been safely gathered in than we are back on the land planting next year’s crops, with the rapeseed already safely in the ground. The cycle continues from one year to the next.

It is very much a case of working day and night, sometimes not knowing which priority to do first before the weather breaks, as it inevitably does at some stage. I sit writing this feeling rather weary as the rain falls, giving us all a day’s well-earned rest.

In between work on the farm, I have also fitted in a weekend manning our stand at Carfest in Hampshire, promoting our rapeseed oil to festival goers. It was great to see a few Northamptonshire visitors at the show.

On marketing of a different kind, while 2014 has been an excellent year for growing crops, the same can’t be said for selling them, as currently prices for crops are about 35 per cent lower than last year. We produce global commodities and because of this, we are very much at the mercy of global markets.

When President Putin decided to walk into Crimea back in the spring, wheat prices peaked as the world worried what might happen in a major wheat-growing area.

However, now the markets have decided things are not so bad after all (for crops rather than Ukrainians), while countries are having very good harvests around the world, so there is no current pressure on supplies of food, hence prices have plummeted.

Luckily I sold a small amount of our wheat forward at the high price but, as with all such decisions, one never knows what the right thing to do is, while I haven’t yet mastered the art of trading with hindsight.

Therefore, in summary, I have had a bigger crop than hoped, which is worth less than hoped, so it probably all works out about even. If anyone would like some excellent quality wheat over the next few months, I may be able to supply some – if the price is right of course!

Over the years I have had bird surveys carried out on the farm. Primarily because I find this sort of thing interesting and whilst I am no bird expert (although I have learned a lot in the last few years), I do like to know what we have and what we can do to improve the likely hood of getting more species on the farm. Local conservation expert, Dr. Mark Avery has been surveying the birds at Bottom Farm since 2003. Back then he got very excited when he found Turtle Doves on the farm, which came back each year to nest. Unfortunately, in recent years he thought they had disappeared, which is the case in much of the UK. However, I was delighted recently when I thought I had spotted them here again, the turtle doves return. An excited call to Mark, who came out and confirmed, even more excitedly, that I was right! They’re back. This is great news, especially so as it was waste seeds I scatter around the farm from Farrington Oils, that they were feeding on.

Mark has just launched a new book, ‘A Message from Martha’, which talks about the sad demise of the last carrier pigeon in America, 100 years ago and the social history around the subject. It also draws parallels with the plight of the Turtle Dove today in the UK, mentioning our farm as part of the message. I haven’t read the copy kindly given to me yet, due to harvest keeping me busy at the moment, but am looking forward to soon. Until then it looks great on the coffee table, with the cover designed by local artist, Carry Akroyd.

Harvest is in full swing, with the rapeseed nearly gathered in, giving very pleasing results following a near perfect growing season. Marvin is taking over from Father as the main combine driver this year, for which he has some big boots to fill. After over forty years experience driving combine harvesters, there is not much my Father doesn’t know and to let a new man lose on our beloved machine can’t be easy, however, Father seems reasonably relaxed, showing Marvin the finer points to help make him into an experienced operator in time.

Once we have finished the rapeseed, there will be a few days catching up on other jobs around the farm in readiness for the main wheat harvest to start in August. This is when the real fun starts and it all gets a bit hectic, so preparation is key.

www.leafmarque.com

Farming Diary

From LEAF Demonstration Farmer Duncan Farrington

Once again we will be sponsoring the Carfest South dressings and breadmaking workshops at Laverstoke Park. A fantastic event that sells out year after year, the workshops are run by the team at Laverstoke Park and Carfest. We are also teaming up with Waitrose Cookery School for the bread making workshop. We are supplying 80 liters of oil to keep the workshops going this year as well as having a stall at the event.

Carfest South raises money for Children in Need and is supported by hundreds of volunteers from the Carfest organisers and Laverstoke Park. It’s a mega event for all the family featuring music, food, cars and much more.

We are looking forward to welcoming customers to our stall where you can try our full range.

Wonderful Weather, Quality Wheat

Thank-you to all of you who came along to Open Farm Sunday last month, we had over 500 people visit Bottom Farm to get taste of life on a modern family farm. Many people were very complimentary of the day and all the different experiences they enjoyed, a day that was a real team effort with nearly 40 family, friends and neighbours volunteering their time helping make the day such a great success with wonderful weather.

This year we will start harvesting the rapeseed around 18^th July, a full week earlier than our average start date and nearly two weeks earlier than last year. Thanks to the warm season we have had, with rain at the right time and plenty of sunshine to match, the crops have grown and matured well. Let’s just hope the favourable weather keeps up over the next couple of months to really make 2014 a great year for crops, following the disastrous year of 2013. There is a theory that the weather patterns around the few days of the change of each season, dictates the weather for the next coming season. This year for the summer solstice on 21^st June, the weather was wonderful, so if you believe the theory, we are in for a good summer.

Some of the wheat we grow is destined to make flour for bread in Sainsbury’s. To make good quality bread, the flour requires a high protein quality. Protein quality in the grains of wheat is affected by the weather and the amount of Nitrogen available to the crop. I am involved in a trial to predict the eventual flour quality, from the crop growing in the field. By doing this I can assess whether or not the crop needs extra Nitrogen fertiliser to ensure the required protein quality. I have been around our fields with a pair of secateurs in hand, cutting quadrant samples of wheat to send off to a laboratory, where it is analysed to predict the final protein quality. I find this approach to agriculture and the careful use of valuable resources fascinating, as well as being a great opportunity for me to learn and fine tune our best practices. The results have shown with a degree of certainty that we need to apply a little more fertiliser this year to ensure the final quality of bread in your local supermarket is top quality.

Only a few days to go until Open Farm Sunday on 8^th June. Marvin and Father have recently got the combine harvester out of the shed, to service and clean it for the occasion. So far they have found a resident mouse which rather liked destroying the driver’s seat, a couple of bearings and a suspect drive belt that need changing. This is all standard stuff.

June is a month of preparation and a time to plan and take stock of the season so far. As well as getting ready for Farm Sunday, we are also ensuring everything from grain stores, to trailers, tractors and so on are cleaned, serviced and ready to go when harvest starts at the end of July. On the crop front, things are looking pretty good. The rapeseed is looking very well with the warm weather, the sun, and rain, making ideal conditions for the crop to grow. The wheat also is looking great in some fields, whilst the dreaded ‘Black grass’ is rearing its ugly head in other fields.

The black grass is one subject that many arable farmers will spend hours discussing. It is a grass weed that thrives in our moist fertile soils. However, it is extremely competitive and can reduce crops yields by over 60% in bad cases. Over the last decade, the weed has steadily and stealthily become a major issue for UK agriculture. Pre-1993 farmers were allowed to burn crop stubbles as a great way of cleaning up weed seeds. This however also killed many other things, including insects and small creatures. Following the stubble burning ban, farmers have relied on herbicides to control black-grass, but over the years it has become resistant and now we have to look at a combined assault on the weed using chemistry, physics, and biology; with herbicides, crop rotations, cultivation techniques, cover crops and so on. So far we are at best holding the status quo and in time I hope we will start winning.

Recently, friend and expert ornithologist, Dr. Mark Avery did one of his bird surveys on our farm. I didn’t see him on this occasion, as it was early one Saturday morning. He recorded 29 species of birds, including 7 on the Red List. I can add Lapwing and Grey Partridge, which he didn’t spot that morning. But never the less, we were delighted to hear such a range of birds in one couple of hour visit. As well as growing food for humans, we are also providing food and habitat for our feathery friends.

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 8^th 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.

I love this time of year when Spring has sprung, nature starts to wake up; blossom and leaves start appearing on trees and hedges, birds sing, the countryside has a lovely fresh smell and everything starts feeling a little more pleasant. At last we are able to get on with some real farm work as it is full steam ahead with spring work. We have started planting our spring crops, with the beans going in. The rapeseed is really growing quickly now as weather warms and days lengthen; it is literally growing in front of my eyes, as last week alone it doubled in height.

Marvin, our latest recruit on the farm is finding his feet quickly as I throw him in at the deep end. Currently he is putting fertiliser on the rapeseed to ensure it has a nutritious diet to maintain its strong growth. Fertiliser is food for plants. Like us, all plants require food, with a balanced diet being vital to healthy living. We give the crops a mixed diet of nutrition to include Nitrogen, which forms the building blocks of protein; Sulphur to help make healthy oil; Manganese to help the chlorophyll work efficiently and so on.

Much of a plant’s need is gained from what is in the soil. We analyse what the soil has and balance this with the extra parts the crop needs. Over time I need to ensure I am not mining the soil, but putting back what the crop takes out, as well as looking after all the bacteria and organic matter that work in symbiosis with the plants to create a healthy and sustainable system. As gardeners know, it’s all part of a great big jigsaw puzzle trying to get the balance right.

Looking ahead to June 8^th, we are starting preparations for Open Farm Sunday, in which around 400 farms nationwide open their gates to welcome the public and show what we get up to in growing food for the nation. It is an event I thoroughly enjoy organising, with the help of our neighbours. We try to put on a great free family day out here at Bottom Farm, with farm walks, farm machinery, livestock, local food to try and so on. If you are interested please look at the website for more information www.farmsunday.org

This month I have been working with Winter projects and have been building a Bio-bed. A what? I hear you ask. A bio-bed is the latest thinking on creating an ideal area to wash out agricultural crop sprayers. We use our crop sprayer to apply pesticides and fertilisers to the crops throughout the year to help them grow and to keep them in tip top condition. Pesticides are often a potential area of controversy from some quarters, however, just like modern medicine, they are an important and necessary part of growing food. As you would visit your doctor for an aliment, being prescribed a particular medicine to be taken as directed to help you recover. This is exactly the same with our crops. We take expert advice on what remedies to use and apply them skilfully, with the best equipment and trained people.

Getting back to our bio-bed, it is a specifically designed area to wash our crop sprayer on. Capturing any pesticide residue so it can ‘bio-degrade’ naturally, rather than risk it getting into watercourses. The bio-bed is basically a large lined pond, filled with a mix of straw, compost, and soil. The bio mix allows bugs and bacteria to break down pesticides, thus cleaning the water before it is safely trickle irrigated back onto the land. As our farmyard is surrounded by a brook, I am conscious that pollution risk is an issue and I am excited to see how this new system will work.

I have enjoyed this project as it allowed me to get out of the office and get my hands dirty, literally. As often is the case with such projects, we chose rather wet conditions, and after a couple of days with a digger, created a muddy mess. The bio-bed may be nearly finished, but it will be several weeks before we fully clean up the mess we have created around it.

Next on the agenda, once the weather starts to improve for the spring, will be the planting of our spring crops. Firstly the beans, followed by barley. With this, there is no fixed date as one has to be patient. It is crucial to plant when nature is ready and the conditions are right. However, by next month I will hopefully have a progress report that at least something has been done.

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.