Environment Archives - Page 5 of 5

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.

www.leafmarque.com

Farming Diary

From LEAF Demonstration Farmer Duncan Farrington

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

We are immensly proud that our entire range of Farrington’s MELLOW YELLOW cold press rapeseed oil, dressings and mayonnaise has been approved by the Vegetarian Society. Sharing an ethos of tracability, quality ingredients and no-nonsense food production makes our range a great choice for customers who wish to make informed choices about the food they eat.

Dr Mark Avery, our straight-talking RSPB blogger has stood down from his position as Conservation Director after 13 years to go freelance. Mark, a scientist by training and a naturalist by nature has been visiting Duncan at Bottom Farm for a few years now, bouncing ideas and helping with advice on making life a little better for our feathered friends. If you have enjoyed following Mark’s blogs as we have done, you can read about his latest visit to Bottom Farm on his new blog, it is well worth a visit for views of birds, farming and more.

www.markavery.info

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.

Duncan has been spending time over the past eighteen months working with the BBC, and writer, broadcaster, and gardener Sarah Raven, on a three-part documentary set to get the nation buzzing called BBC Bees Butterflies and Bloom.

To be aired on BBC 2 at 8 pm next Wednesday; Sarah travels the length of the country visiting Birmingham, Harrogate, Leicester and Northamptonshire on a mission to halt the rapid decline in our native bumblebees and wild pollinating insects by bringing flower power to our towns, cities and countryside.

In the part one Sarah spends time at Bottom Farm; which is LEAF Marque accredited with Duncan; discovering how in recent years, he has replaced much of the lost hedging and is constantly looking for innovative ideas to encourage wildlife back onto the farm. Duncan investigates sowing modern perennial wildflower ‘margins’ around crops on his farm to support pollinators, but also to benefit his crop productivity.Sarah wants to inspire and inform everyone, no matter where they live – village, town, city or countryside – to plant insect friendly plants.

The last two parts look at cities and towns and how pollinating-friendly urban planting is making a difference and how Britain’s backyard gardeners, with the help of the RHS and HTA can play their part.

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!

Summer has finally arrived, the harvest is in full swing and we are busier than ever on Bottom Farm! Welcome to our summer newsletter, where we are in the press, on the box and more…..

In the Press…

We hosted a very successful press day in May, where, in spite of the rain, we enjoyed Mellow Yellow drizzled barbequed asparagus cooked for us by Adam Gray (Head Chef at Rhodes Twenty Four in London). This has resulted in some excellent coverage in magazines such as Delicious, Countryfile and Good Housekeeping.

On the Box…

ITV viewers in the Anglia region will be able to catch us on “Country Lives” on Friday 22 August at 8pm and in the Meridian region on Sunday 31^st August at 6pm to see Duncan give a tour of the farm and some background on Farrington Oils Ltd.

Show Time…. We continue to show at both the trade and retail fairs and we have really noticed in the retail shows how familiar people are with Mellow Yellow as a brand and how aware they are of the many health benefits of cold-pressed rapeseed oil – many have stopped using olive oil in favour of Mellow Yellow.

Thank you to those of you who dropped in on Duncan at the Speciality & Fine Food Fair in Harrogate in June. We also had a good show at the CLA Game Fair in July at Blenheim, where this time the sun shone as it should!

Award winning Dressings!

The dressings have been flying off the shelves. Although people do associate them with salads and warmer weather, it is well worth remembering that they are also delicious with steamed veg, as well as smoked fish and cheeses.

SALSA… No, thankfully we haven’t all taken up latin-american dancing but we are very pleased to have attained our SALSA (Safe And Local Supplier Approval) accreditation which means that you can be confident in the high standards to which our oil and dressings are produced.

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 (Stamford).

In the headlines again…

Hold the front page! We’ll be featured in the spring / early summer issues of some top notch magazines.

Kiwi chef Peter Gordon (of The Providores and Tapa Room in London) is writing a piece to appear in the June edition of Delicious magazine. He visited us during harvest and cooked a fabulous and healthy meal of mussels, a hot salad, and blueberry muffins in our kitchen. Naturally, he used Mellow Yellow for every course.

Other magazines will include House & Garden Magazine and BBC Good Food Magazine.

Watch us on…

We are filming again soon, to appear in a new series of Country Lives. This series will be broadcast in the Anglia and Meridian areas, and although no date is confirmed yet, it should be later in the spring.

Award winning Dressings!

The dressings are selling well. With all this press coverage and (we hope) good weather just around the corner, perhaps it would be a good time to make sure you’re well stocked.

Mellow Yellow in the Emerald Isle.

Mellow Yellow has been available in a few outlets for a couple of years. Now following a recent visit, and forthcoming press coverage, the number of Irish customers is increasing. Duncan will attend a trade show in Dublin later this year, to build on this success.

Further Information

The Cress Company (Scotland); Essential Trading Co-op; F.A.Wyatt & Co Ltd.(Ireland); Hider Food Imports; Goodness Foods; Michael Bance (Leicestershire); Olives et Al.