Chairman’s Jottings

At home in Sussex on the 1st of June we started grass silaging which was successful in the sunshine; even if the yield was marginally down on last year. Now, after only 1ml of rain in the last month and like most people reading this, we are hopeful for a bit more in the coming days!

We have had four recent successful events for the U35s. At the end of April, we hosted Ed Horton to our Spring Coronation Dinner in the club. Ed talked about his mixed ‘hybrid’ farming operation, managing 4500ha across Gloucestershire, Wiltshire, Oxfordshire and Hampshire, and contract farming an additional 2500ha. He explained how the system is a lower input considered approach to growing arable crops somewhere between conventional and organic that benefits the soil, water quality, biodiversity and gross margins. He also explained how livestock integration is key, for example, the sheep are grazed on all cereal crops and OSR to remove disease and act as growth regulators, lowering the chemical usage.

In May we hosted a tour, tasting and lunch at Chapel Down Vineyard in Kent and the following weekend a group of 10 of us participated in the Sussex Farm Walk weekend. This was followed by a trip to Polo in the Park, London in early June which saw us watch the semi finals and final of the 3 day event.

As some of you may be aware, when Jill Willows sadly passed

Emily

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