The Home Farm is 280ha of which 230ha is cropped, growing mainly winter wheat, oilseed rape, winter barley and some beans. A further 850ha is contract farmed by Bridge House Farm Ltd on behalf of 6 clients. Cropping on these blocks are mainly wheat, osr, winter and spring barley and winter and spring beans. 

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There is a modern grain storage facility on the home farm capable of storing 7000t, with further storage on 2 other units.

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Keith Thompson manages the arable enterprise. He is BASIS and FACTS qualified. The farm mantra is attention to detail. We have managed to keep blackgrass off the home farm and are working very hard on the contract farms we have managed for some time. The new blocks are subjected to vigorous anti blackgrass measures to bring down populations as quickly as possible.

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Production output is very good with wheat crops averaging over 10t/ha, osr over 4t/ha and winter barley 9t/ha. Cost control is also paramount.

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Precision farming techniques are used extensively and new technology is constantly being reviewed. Currently we use yield mapping, variable rate fertiliser for N P and K, variable rate seed drilling is also employed. All field working tractors have guidance.

 

 

Fertiliser;

The pig unit produce a lot of manure which the arable unit takes advantage of. Very little P and K has been bought in across all the contract farms saving a lot of money and has helped lift the soil indices, improve the soil health, micro biology, organic matter levels, currently over 5% and manageability.

Liquid nitrogen is used as the main source of nitrogen.

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