TheFarmersMartMay2025

Stuart Henry Re-Joins Merlo UK as Area Service Manager

Merlo UK is delighted to announce the return of Stuart Henry as Area Service Manager, covering the Northern England territory. With extensive experience in agricultural and heavy vehicle engineering, Stuart brings a deep understanding of service and aftersales support to the role.

Following his passion

Stuart originally joined Merlo in December 2014. His career began with a strong foundation in farming, leading him to an apprenticeship in agricultural engineering with Oliver and Snowdon, now Carrs Billington. From there, he transitioned to HGV mechanics, obtained his HGV license, worked as a lorry driver before returning to agriculture- his true passion. He later advanced into the role of Area Manager for SDF before initially joining Merlo.

Changes within Merlo inspired him to return Committed to strengthening service operations, enhancing dealer relationships, and ensuring customer satisfaction, Stuart is excited to be back at Merlo. Sharing his enthusiasm, he said, “Over the last two years, the changes within the company inspired me to return, and I see an opportunity to make a real difference in the area. I am eager to support the dealer network and work closely with the rest of the Merlo team.”

Driving Service Delivery

Robin Cooch, National Aftersales Manager at Merlo UK, commented: “We are pleased to welcome Stuart back to Merlo. His extensive technical knowledge, hands-on experience, commitment to service excellence, and leadership skills will be

instrumental in supporting and mentoring our service teams. Stuart’s expertise will help drive our service delivery and enhance customer satisfaction across Northern England.”

Merlo Dealer Network

Stuart will be responsible for supporting the following agricultural and construction dealers in the North of England; RC Dalgliesh, Ancroft tractors, BH Plant, CJ Leonard, Filtermech, Blue Central, Carrs Billington, BRM Ltd, Hardwick Engineering, Agriscope, and JDW Engineering on the Isle of Man.

In the coming weeks, Stuart will be introducing himself and meeting with dealer teams across his territory. He looks forward to collaborating to achieve shared goals and further strengthen Merlo’s service network.

Editor

Ian Wilkinson

ian.wilkinson@kelsey.co.uk Tel: 07811 943968

Managing Director

Fiona Mercer

Finance Director

Gary Evans

Production Manager

Kelly Orriss Kelly.orriss@kelsey.co.uk

Sales Executive

Tim Holton

tim@holton1959.co.uk Tel: 07946 587770

Design Rob Terry rob@focusedondesign.co.uk

Writer Chris Berry chrisberrymedia@gmail.com

Sales Manager

Ian Wilkinson ian.wilkinson@kelsey.co.uk Tel: 07811 943968

16 GOLDEN HILL FARM

Chris Berry talks with Mark Roper of Golden Hill Farm, Wansford

21 MANOR FARM

Chris Berry talks with much-travelled farmer and horse transporter Adam Gibson

26 FRIDLINGTON FARMS

Padels all set to volley farm’s future

32 TUNSTALL ROAD FARM

Setting their livestock and produce apart. Chris Berry talks with Megan Mulholland of Tunstall Road Farm

38 FARM BUILDINGS AND CLEANING

Investing in your Agricultural Buildings is a valuable long-term investment

42 SALE AT

DUNGANNON

7200gns Corrick Presley sets New Simmental Sale Record at Dungannon

45 CHANDLERS

Family concern continues its strength

Press Releases

Ian Wilkinson

ian.wilkinson@kelsey.co.uk Tel: 07811 943968

Ad Production Manager Nick Bond nick@talk-media.uk

Digital Content Manager Rachael Harper rachael.harper@kelsey.co.uk

Subscriptions

The Agricultural year is well under way now and we have had some glorious weather which is great for both crops and animals.

TWO features coming up on two major Agricultural dealers The Russell Group who have now taken over Robert Webster ‘s territory to add to their own cross county reach they will be in the June issue but in this issue the mighty Chandlers Group who are a long standing Family business and just go from strength to strength despite many challenges both the industry and successive governments throw at them.

We have another feature on Farm Buildings and the main thrust is always keep your buildings clean and when adding or replacing your buildings always go to the professionals who will long term save you money and protect your all-important livestock. Plus these people really know the best way to go.

Chris Berry has been out and about talking again to all sorts of interesting farming operations

Callum Stark of Fridlington Farms in Sutton on the Forrest running a

2000 acre arable farm, pigs on B&B and has also turned over 2 of his potato stores to Padel tennis courts!

“Megan Mulholland & Robert Hendricks of Tunstall Road Farm & Tunstall Meat Co. They have 190 cattle ,100 breeding yews and 20 breeding sows they send all their meat to a local butcher in Ripon. A very enterprising pair

“Adam Gibson of Manor Farm Gillamoor Adam has pigs, cattle, horse transportation and is involved with Helmsley Races as Clerk of the Course. Another great farming character.

And not least Mark Roper of Golden Hill Farms near Driffield. Mark and brother Andrew run 260 acres of arable &have livestock and also a mobile mill & mix wagon - mill and mixing grain for other livestock farmers as well.

Ian Wilkinson Managing Editor

At Farmers Mart we are always looking for farms and farming operations to features on, we love meeting up with farmers to hear their many and varied stories and seeing their variety of herds and groups of animals. We are also looking for farming businesses to do features on, knowing how hard they often work in providing that all important support that farmers need in these challenging times.

If you would like to know more, please contact Ian to learn more - ian.wilkinson@kelsey.co.uk

INVEST IN LAMBS NOW TO MAXIMISE RETURNS

IT will be important for farmers to maximise returns on this year’s lambs as the market continues to strengthen.

Breeding ewe numbers in the UK continue to decline, with Defra indicating the total sheep and lamb population in the UK fell by 2.5% in the year to June 2024, from 31.8m to 31.0m head. This means there will be fewer lambs available this season. The results also indicate the lamb crop – those aged under one year old - fell by 1.5% to stand at 15.2m head.

Coupled with mixed scanning results and the impact of Bluetongue and Schmallenberg, a bumper lamb crop is not expected this spring, meaning new season lambs will be valuable.

With lambing in many areas under way, getting lambs off to the best start is important. This begins with ensuring ewes are in optimum health to prevent problems at lambing. It’s also important to analyse forage and body condition score, with lowland ewes lambing at a body condition score of around 3.5 and hill ewes between 2.5 and 3.

“Lambs are valuable, and you need to protect your investment,” says Bryn Hughes, national sheep specialist at Wynnstay. “Having the expense now can pay dividends in the longer term with better lambs, so don’t scrimp and save.”

Even where farmers have good grass supplies, cake and additional feed will be required to ensure ewes – particularly those carrying twins and triplets - receive the correct nutrition to maximise colostrum and rear healthy lambs.

“Colostrum is key to getting lambs off to the best start in life; good colostrum can prevent disease and other issues,” says Bryn. “Don’t over-rely on grass when you turn them out, as you

never know what the spring weather is going to be like. When turning lambs out on to rotational systems the grass must be at least 10cm, and they need to come out when grass height is 4cm.

“If this is difficult to manage, or grass growth is slow, consider creep feeding. Young lambs on creep systems don’t consume huge amounts of creep. Where there is good grass and good milky ewes expect consumption to be around 40kg of creep up to the point of sale, but if conditions are more challenging consumption will be higher.

“There are real advantages to creep feeding, like higher market returns, heavier and better finished lambs and lambs that leave the farm faster. And ewes in better condition at weaning will have a larger lamb crop next year,” adds Bryn.

“It’s important to check the level of feed they have. You’re aiming to maximise their performance and value to get them away as quickly as possible.”

● Wynnstay offers a range of quality Lambmaster Creep Feeds in a range of specifications. The Wynnstay Lambmaster range complements a milk and grass diet, helping to maximise high growth rates. The range is scientifically formulated with the optimal balance of energy and protein to achieve high growth rates, ensuring lambs can be finished quickly. For more information visit www.wynnstay.co.uk

Professor Fiona Burnett (SRUC)

Dr Will Smith (Gowan)

SUN SHINES ON SUCCESSFUL SPRINGTIME LIVE

TRACTORS and livestock helped to tell the story of farming to thousands of children at Springtime Live as the sun shone at the Great Yorkshire Showground in Harrogate today.

This hugely successful celebration of farming, food and the countryside is hosted by the Yorkshire Agricultural Society, organisers of the Great Yorkshire Show with a mission to capture the imaginations of young generations about the countryside and where food comes from.

Children enjoyed meeting sheep and pigs, as well as heavy horses, exotic animals and creepy crawlies. A whole raft of free demonstrations, displays and hands-on workshops entertained young visitors, from craftmaking, horse shoeing in The Forge and archaeological dig experiences to drystone walling, mini Rovers and the story of grain from field to fork.

TV and internet star Chloé Fuller and her Super Spaniel Shows, about a day in the life of an Assistance Dog, drew big crowds and showed that disability is no barrier to success.

Popular attractions also included Diggerland, ride-on tractors provided by Ripon Farm Services, Moo Music dance classes and tractor trailer rides supported by Russell’s.

Rachel Coates, Show Director, said: “Farming has a powerful story to tell that can capture the imaginations of young people and stay with them through life. Those imaginations have been fired today at Springtime Live.

“I hope everyone who came

along, whatever their age, left having learned something new about farming and the countryside. It’s a story we must continue to tell if we want the next generation to grow up valuing the hard work that goes into producing great tasting, nutritious food.”

Springtime Live raises funds for the Yorkshire Agricultural Society, which is proudly at the heart of Yorkshire’s farming, food and countryside; now and forever. It is just one event in a year-round education programme organised by the charity which also benefits from the profits raised by businesses at the Showground, Fodder – Great Yorkshire Food Hall, the Great Yorkshire Events Centre and Harrogate Caravan Park.

The Society’s next educational event is Countryside Days, an annual two-day interactive event for thousands of primary school children at the Great Yorkshire Showground on 4-5th June. Places for school groups are

available now, visit yas.co.uk/ education for details.

The Society is also offering discounted school group bookings and free teacher places to the Great Yorkshire Show on Tuesday 8th to Friday 11th July, where there are endless learning opportunities for children across both primary and secondary education. See greatyorkshireshow.co.uk for more information.

Alistair Young Engineering

Joins

Merlo Agricultural Dealer Network

MERLO UK is pleased to announce that, effective FROM Monday, 24th March 2025, Alistair Young Engineering Ltd, based in Dunphail, Forres, joined the Merlo dealer network. The company will represent the brand north of the central belt in Scotland, covering Banff-shire, Moray, Nairn-shire, the west of Aberdeenshire, Ross-shire, and Inverness-shire.

With a strong reputation for quality, service and expertise, Alistair Young Engineering Ltd is a family-owned business that aligns perfectly with Merlo’s own family values. As long-standing Valtra dealers since 1994, they also represent several leading agricultural franchises, including Hi-Spec Engineering, Krone, McHale, Richard Western, JPM

Trailers, KRM, Bomford Turner, and Quicke. Their deep-rooted experience in the agricultural sector ensures that Merlo customers in the region will receive exceptional support, service, and expertise.

Shaun Groom, General Manager at Merlo UK, commented:

“We are delighted to welcome Alistair Young Engineering Ltd back to the Merlo dealer network. Their extensive experience, commitment to customer service, and strong presence in the region make them an excellent fit for representing Merlo. This partnership further strengthens our support for customers across northern Scotland.”

Ashleigh Young, Joint Managing Director of Alistair Young

Strategies for success

Engineering Ltd, added: “We are excited to introduce Merlo’s innovative telehandlers to our product offering. A high-quality telehandler for performance and reliability makes them the perfect addition to our existing franchises.

Neil Murdoch, Joint Managing Director of Alistair Young Engineering Ltd, added: Our goal has always been to provide the best solutions for our customers, and this partnership allows us to expand our offering with a trusted, premium brand.”

Founded in 1981 by Alistair Young Senior, the business has

grown steadily over the years. Now managed by three joint Managing Directors - Steven Young, Ashleigh Young, and Neil Murdoch – the company has expanded its staff facilities and customer base while maintaining its core focus on providing high quality service.

With this new partnership, farmers, businesses and existing Merlo customers across northern Scotland will have access to Merlo’s marketleading telehandlers and parts, backed by the expertise, service and support of Alistair Young Engineering Ltd.

Early protection needed to mitigate net blotch pressure in spring barley

SPRING barley growers may need to apply an early fungicide spray to counter increased pressure from net blotch. That is according to ProCam agronomist Alistair Gordon who warns that early drilled crops and those using untreated or farm saved seed will be at a higher than usual risk of infection.

“Net blotch has rapidly become one of the hardest diseases to control in spring barley, not least because crops can easily become infected either via seedborne or trashborne sources of inoculum,” Alistair explains.

“The added complication of disease resistance – which has reduced the efficacy of several fungicide active ingredients –means it’s no longer possible to cure infections once they have taken hold. Prevention is therefore crucial to ensure crops remain as clean as possible for as long as possible.”

Among the main methods for mitigating net blotch pressure is to grow a resistant variety, or applying an appropriate seed treatment.

“Unfortunately, some spring seed, especially that which has been farm-saved, won’t have been treated and, if already infected or not naturally resistant, could prove to be a ticking timebomb later in the season. And, with seed treatments unlikely to offer full control, monitoring all crops during their early growth stages will be even more important this year.”

Alistair’s advice is therefore to apply an early season fungicide treatment to provide crops with an extra layer of disease protection before infections explode.

“In a ‘normal’ year, or in a low disease pressure scenario, it might be feasible to wait until the traditional T1 timing to apply a first fungicide treatment,” Alistair says. “Unfortunately, that approach won’t cut the mustard this year as we’re already hearing reports that a significant volume of seed has been confirmed to have very high levels of net blotch. Where untreated seed has been drilled, or where drilling was brought forward to make the most of the recent dry conditions, the risk will be even greater.

“The advice this year is therefore to bring crop protection plans forward by applying a suitable fungicide treatment as soon as possible.”

Alistair recommends that growers and agronomists should be on the lookout for symptoms of net blotch (brown stripes of infection spreading from the base of leaves in seedlings) ahead of the first tiller stage (GS21).

“Most growers will already be planning to apply weed control and trace elements at this timing, so it makes sense to use the opportunity to apply a fungicide to knock back any infection that has travelled up from the seed or which has been transmitted into the emerging plant from infected trash.”

In terms of which active ingredients to apply at this early timing, Alistair explains that growers and agronomists need to choose carefully to ensure the selected treatment is effective.

“A rapidly developing resistance issue has made several azoles and SDHI fungicides less effective than they used to be,” he explains. “It is therefore important to

protect key actives such as prothioconazole, adepydin and fluopyram by using them in conjunction with another mode of action.

“The best option is to include a strobilurin (QoI), but even some active ingredients in this fungicide group – such as fluoxastrobin and azoxystrobin – have been impacted

by resistant isolates.

“Thankfully, pyraclostrobin and trifloxystrobin have so far remained unaffected by any disease mutations, with products such as Mobius (175 g/L prothioconazole and 150 g/L trifloxystrobin) and Comet 200 (200 g/L pyraclostrobin) useful options to deliver effective QoI’s at this early GS21 timing.”

ProCam’s Alistair Gordon believes an early fungicide treatment, at GS21, will be needed to control net blotch in spring barley.

Yorkshire dairy farmer awarded ‘Platinum Cowpat’ for generating over 1 million kwh of renewable energy from slurry

EDWARD Goodall, a dairy farmer from Yorkshire, has been awarded the prestigious ‘Platinum Cowpat’ for generating more than one million kilowatt hours (kWh) of renewable electricity using slurry from his herd.

The award, presented by the Rt Hon George Eustice, former Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, was announced yesterday at the On-Farm Anaerobic Digestion (AD) and Methane Capture Summit held at Askham Bryan College in York.

The Platinum Cowpat is awarded by Biolectric to farms whose micro-anaerobic digestion (AD) systems surpass 1,000,000 kWh of net green energy generation that can be used on the farm — a major milestone in small-scale AD and

sustainable livestock farming.

Edward’s 33kW Biolectric system at Beech Grove Farm has quietly clocked up this achievement since its commissioning in 2018, delivering both environmental and financial benefits.

“Generating this amount of energy from slurry alone is a big win for our business and the environment,” said Edward Goodall. “We’re always looking for ways to make the farm more self-sufficient and sustainable, and the AD system has been a real game-changer. It’s reliable, cost-saving and future-proof.”

Becoming energy selfsufficient was a strategic decision for Edward and his family, who run T D Goodall, a century-old diversified dairy enterprise near Leeds. The farm includes 230 Holstein Friesians milked by Lely robots, a milk processing

facility, an ice cream shop and a café — all of which benefit from the clean energy and heat generated by the digester.

The farm now produces around 85% of its electricity needs from renewable sources, with the Biolectric plant providing the lion’s share. Since installation, the system has delivered the equivalent of £200,000 in electricity savings and offset around 750 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions — the equivalent of taking over 160 cars off the road for a year.

Joseph Fayolle, Biolectric’s UK & Ireland Manager, commented: “Edward’s achievement showcases the enormous potential of micro-AD to support British farmers in reducing emissions, managing rising energy costs and improving fertiliser efficiency. One million

kilowatt hours is a significant milestone, and we’re thrilled to recognise his success with the Platinum Cowpat award.”

The Biolectric system uses only slurry to produce renewable electricity and heat through a closed-loop, automated process. The technology captures methane — a potent greenhouse gas — before it escapes into the atmosphere, turning it into a valuable energy source. The by-product, digestate, is also a superior organic fertiliser, helping to improve soil health and reduce reliance on artificial inputs. With more than 450 installations operating across Europe and rising interest from UK farmers, micro-AD systems are set to play a growing role in the transition to lower-emission agriculture.

Edward Goodall (left) receiving his platinum cowpat award from Rt Hon George Eustice (right)

Scotland’s leading agricultural charity appoints new Chief Executive

SCOTLAND’S leading agricultural organisation, RHASS (Royal Highland & Agricultural Society of Scotland), has announced Alex Paterson as its new Chief Executive.

Taking up the post in May, Alex will play a pivotal role in shaping the organisation’s strategic direction, delivering growth and ensuring strong financial stability and governance.

Alex brings a wealth of experience to RHASS. Previously Chief Executive of Historic Environment Scotland (HES) from 2016 to 2024, Alex successfully built HES into a high-performing organisation, ensuring effective governance and forming strategic relationships across the public sector. Alex was also Chief Executive of Highlands and Islands Enterprise for six years, successfully leading the Scottish Government’s economic development agency for the Highlands and Islands, providing advice, funding and support to businesses, communities and key industries.

Working collaboratively with the RHASS board of trustees and employees, Alex will help advance RHASS’ mission to support Scottish agriculture and rural communities, and drive growth through Highland Centre Ltd. He will also oversee the charity’s operations, finances, stakeholder relationships, and programme development to ensure impactful and sustainable results.

Over the last year, the RHASS senior leadership team and Directors, alongside an external advisor, have been working on the organisation’s

turnaround by interrogating finances and streamlining their process. Alex will play a pivotal role in driving forward the new strategic approach, ensuring focus is very much on being efficient and effective and he will lead with transparency and accountability.

Alex Paterson, Chief Executive of RHASS said:

“Joining the RHASS Group at such an important time is incredibly exciting. The organisation’s commitment to innovation and supporting those from within rural Scotland is something I greatly admire. I’m eager to help shape the future strategic direction of the RHASS

Group to ensure a lasting legacy for the agriculture and event sector and for those that live and work in it.”

James Logan, Chair of RHASS, said: “Alex brings with him a wealth of experience and we are thrilled to welcome him to the RHASS Group as our Chief Executive. In his previous roles he has successfully handled challenging issues and major organisational change and we are positive that he will help us to shape the future strategic direction of the organisation both commercially and in advancing the work RHASS does to move forward with our mission to support Scottish agriculture and

rural communities.”

“We have a very proud history at RHASS and Alex will help drive innovation and help forge exciting opportunities for the future of the charity, our staff, our members and the sector.”

A cornerstone of RHASS’ work is the Royal Highland Show which is hosted annually at the Royal Highland Centre (RHC). It is the primary fundraising event for the charity. As well as being one of Scotland’s most sought-after venues within the country’s vibrant event sector, the venue welcomes over one million visitors a year and hosted over 150 events in 2024.

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LIFE ON THE FARM WITH THE FARMER NOT THE WIFE

FARMING is more than just a job— it’s a way of life. For many, it’s about family legacy, hard work, and embracing the unpredictable nature of the countryside.

Here, farming influencer Rhi Pinches, aka @the_farmer_not_ the_wife, shares all about her journey in farming, her passion for sharing the realities of farm life on social media, and how Polaris has played a key role in her day-to-day work.

Born into Farming

For Rhi, farming is in her blood and she is using the power of social media to show the realities of farming life while hoping to influence opinion.

She explains: “Fortunately for me, I was born into a farming family, which gave me a great gateway into the industry. As the eldest of four, I spent a lot of my childhood helping my dad - whether that was filling water

buckets, opening gates, or just being an extra pair of hands. As I grew, so did my responsibilities, and now, at 32, I have three children of my own and I am a partner in the family business.”

The love for farming runs deep, but so does the appreciation for sharing its reality with others.

That’s why she started her social media platform, The Farmer Not

The Wife, showcasing the raw and honest side of life as a beef and sheep farmer, and juggling that with being a mum. A day in the life of being The Farmer Not the Wife is nothing short of busy.

Rhi explains: “My mornings start with the school run before heading back home with my youngest, who sticks with me as I tackle the day’s tasks. This usually involves checking livestock, feeding and bedding down cattle, and - especially over the winter - getting stuck into projects like fencing and tree planting.

“Once the kids are home from school I often bundle them into the Polaris Ranger and head back out to the fields. If the job in hand isn’t safe to have the kids about, I get my Mum to watch them for me if I need to go back to work – she is always on hand to help me as my partner doesn’t return home from work until later in the evening.”

With so many demands, finding balance is a challenge, but she’s determined to keep her children involved in farm life where possible.

“I encourage them to spend time outside with me. That way, we’re together, getting work done, and hopefully, they’re learning and having fun at the same time. The key is to make things enjoyable—even if it’s just letting them take on little jobs so they feel involved,” she adds.

But what’s been the biggest challenge?

“The most rewarding part of

my farming journey has also been the hardest - proving that I can keep on farming while raising a family. Having three girls under five was a whirlwind, but you learn to manage it. Exhausted and aged, but managing!”

Polaris RANGER Diesel: A Game-Changer on the Farm

Juggling motherhood and farming is tough, but doing it without the right equipment would have been even tougher.

“I wouldn’t have managed without investing in our first Polaris Ranger when my middle daughter was born,” explains Rhi.

“We’d tried other brands, but the Ranger stood out - it was quieter, it had a bench seat perfect for us, and it heated up fast. It also had compartments to keep farm medicines safe, plus a little cupboard for colouring books

and pens - probably not what the designers had in mind!”

Having a reliable vehicle made all the difference.

“The Ranger gave me a safe, warm, and secure way to get around our rough hill farm without needing childcare. I couldn’t manage without it.”

Switching from an ATV to a UTV was a transition, but soon Rhi realised how it suited her lifestyle more.

“I was worried I’d struggle to catch or move livestock, but the Ranger Diesel is incredibly manoeuvrable. It’s lightweight compared to other brands, meaning it doesn’t tear up wet ground, and it grips impressively on steep land.

“Although I use the Ranger day-in, day-out, and it’s generally replaced our need for multiple ATVs, I do still want one ATV to hand on the farm.

“Recently I decided to make the jump from my Yamaha and purchase a new Sportsman 570 from my local Polaris dealer. I haven’t had the chance to use it properly yet, but I can really see and feel the difference. Now we’re

Polaris through and through!”

One of her fondest memories with Polaris isn’t just about the impressive capabilities of the vehicle but the brand itself.

“Being invited to a Polaris press event in 2024 was a huge highlight. I learned about the

models and features and fell in love with electric XP Kinetic. I’d just recovered from meningitis and wasn’t sure if I’d manage the trip, but I’m so glad I went—it was a massive opportunity.”

The Power of Social Media in Farming

Beyond the fields, Rhi has found a community through building her social media profile through Instagram.

“I use my account daily to show the highs and lows of hill farm life in the Shropshire Hills. Social media has introduced me to like-minded people, and some of them really stepped up to support me when I was unwell.”

She’s also excited about how more farmers are sharing their experiences online.

“It’s brilliant seeing so many farmers using pictures, reels, and stories to give an insight into what we do. More people are becoming interested in farming and where their food comes from, and social media is making it accessible.”

Looking to the Future

Right now, there’s plenty of work to do during lambing and calving season.

“We made the most of our

time during the winter - putting up fences and gateways, fitting water tanks, laying concrete, and planting hedgerows. It was all made easier with the Ranger, which lets us throw everything in the back and get on with it. Thankfully, the days are now getting longer again and we’re flat out with the Ranger during this busy season.”

As for the next decade of farming in the UK?

“I won’t lie - thinking about the future of British agriculture makes me a bit emotional. But one thing I do know is that Polaris will continue to play a role. The Kinetic was amazing, and with electric vehicles becoming more popular, I think we’ll see more of them on farms across the country.”

Right now, under the Great Polaris £1m Giveaway, you can get up to £5,000 off the price of new Polaris vehicles during 2025, until £1m has been given back to Britain. This means you can make the move from an ATV to a new UTV like the Polaris Ranger 570 for as little as £9,999.

Contact your local Polaris dealer or visit polarisbritain.com to learn more.

Faecal Worm Egg Counts Are Key to Effective Worm Control

SHEEP farmers are being urged to conduct regular faecal egg counts, as data reveals there is no such thing as a ‘regular worm season’.

Data from 25 farms across the country that regularly monitor faecal worm egg counts (FWEC) in lambs as part of the Zoetis Parasite Watch Scheme showed unexpectedly high strongyle (roundworm) burdens as late as autumn last year. Egg counts began rising in May, peaking in August when the highest average count of almost 600 eggs per gram (EPG) was recorded. Counts dipped in mid-to the late season before rising again to 650 EPG in November.

“This is different to previous years when egg counts typically stayed high during summer and fell during the autumn as the weather turned colder.” Zoetis Vet Patricia van Veen said, “It highlights the importance of conducting regular faecal egg count tests for monitoring and drench efficacy to prevent unnecessary lamb losses.”

Independent sheep

consultant Nerys Wright echoed this sentiment: “This clearly shows there is no such thing as a regular worm season due to changing weather patterns. I would encourage farmers to remain alert to the risk of parasites later in the season and continue to monitor egg counts to ensure we are treating when it is

needed.”

She advised farmers to start monitoring worm burdens when lambs eat enough grass and likely begin to ingest worm larvae – around six weeks of age.

She added egg counts should be monitored every three weeks, with 10-15 dung samples taken from each group of lambs. “Samples should be taken from a representative number of lambs in the group. Samples should be collected when fresh, ideally still warm to the touch. If samples cannot be sent to the lab immediately, they must be stored airtight in a fridge to prevent them from heating and worm eggs from hatching,” she warned.

FWEC over 400-500 eggs per gram (EPG) can indicate a high challenge, although some lambs can better withstand worm challenges, explained Mrs Wright. Alongside FWEC,

the monitoring of lamb growth rates and ewe body condition scores can serve as useful indicators of strongyle infection.

Mrs Wright advises farmers to work with their vet or SQP/ RAMA to create or update a parasite control plan tailored to their farm, including using a mid to late ‘break dose’ of group four and group five wormers to help manage anthelmintic resistance and prolong the efficacy of all other wormer groups.

“Regular faecal egg counting in sheep will help you build a picture of what’s happening on your farm and help preserve the efficacy of all wormers.”

Now in its tenth year, farmers, SQPs/RAMAs and vets can use Parasite Watch, the UK’s most comprehensive parasite tracking service, for free and sign up to receive alerts at www.parasitewatch. co.uk.

Figure 1 Adapted from Parasite Watch Data 2020-2024

STRENGTHEN ROOTS TO REDUCE DROUGHT DAMAGE

FOLLOWING the driest March for 60 years, the average rainfall for the first quarter of 2025 is almost half that of 2024, which has raised concern for farmers and growers. Agronomist Mike Stoker, from bio stimulant specialist Orion FT, suggests the threat of drought and heat stress can be mitigated by strengthening crops to grow longer, deeper seeking roots.

“Plants that accumulate more silicon have been shown to grow longer roots. In periods of drought this gives silicon treated plants a significant advantage. This is especially true for leafy plants like brassicas, and research published by Reading University shows plant mortality of a kale crop being halved through the use of silicon bio stimulants,” he explains.

The highest March temperature of 21.3 degrees is also a warning

sign that plants will be experiencing heat stress.

“Silicon boosts the strength of cells and, once it is absorbed, it becomes permanently deposited into cell walls within a matter of hours. The deposits form a strong silica-cellulose framework that is created quickly so the plant develops faster and can grow stronger with greater tolerance to stress,” says Mr Stoker.

Photosynthetic efficiency is a key determiner of how plants manage drought and heat stress. In trials, spinach crops treated with silicon showed an increase in chlorophyll content and improved photosynthetic efficiency when subjected to temperatures of 42 degrees for 24 hours.

“Silicon applications under drought conditions maintain plant nutrient balance and improve the uptake of nitrogen, phosphate, potassium, calcium, magnesium, iron, copper and manganese. This makes silicon

applications a viable option to improve plant water status and maintain plant water balance under drought stress conditions,” adds Mr Stoker.

For farmers in the UK, cereal crops will be threatened by the potential drought conditions faced this year. AHDB figures show that, on average, 10 percent of wheat yield is lost due to insufficient soil moisture. A figure that grows significantly in the driest years.

30 percent of the UK’s wheat acreage is grown on drought-prone soils and, as a result, crops can frequently fail when water supply does not keep pace with crop demand, especially during the critical stages of yield formation.

“Cereal crops can benefit from an application of silicon in spring to help root development when the crop

needs water the most. Silicon can be added to an existing tank mix and could be the added ingredient that helps crops during this period of particularly dry weather,” concludes Mr Stoker.

Crops are at risk of drought stress.

Agronomist, Mike Stoker.

PULLING TOGETHER IS HOW THE ROPERS DO IT

Chris Berry talks with Mark Roper of Golden Hill Farm, Wansford

PULLING teeth might be a better expression of how Mark Roper and many others feel about the current situation in farming over the Chancellor’s new Inheritance Tax proposals, far less pleasurable than the other pulling that he and his brother Andrew enjoy taking part in during

summer when they compete in tractor pulling all around the country.

Mark and Andrew farm together with their parents Steve and Linda, run an agricultural contracting business and an expanding mobile mill and mix enterprise from Golden Hill Farm in Wansford, near Driffield.

Mark has the bit firmly between his teeth right now over Rachel Reeves’ budget announcement in late October.

“Rachel from accounts has got it wrong. She has no idea of business, no idea of farms. Any farmer can tell her we are asset rich and cash poor. The £1m being talked about as a threshold doesn’t get most farms kitted up with machinery.

“I’ve been out with our

tractor on the protests in York, across the Humber Bridge and in Beverley. We’ve got to, to show this government that they are wrong. My wife Nicola has been down in London protesting. This is about thinking of the next generation.

“We’ve not worked out exactly what it will cost us, but we know it is going to be

DB AGRICULTURE LTD

a lot of money as we carry so much kit, as well as the land we have. To be honest, we don’t want to scare ourselves. We will cross that bridge when we come to it. We just know there’ll be a problem and a bill to pay.

“With all our farm machinery, that includes our own farming equipment for the farm and contracting, plus three and soon to be four mill & mix wagons we reach the best part of £1.5m before you put on the value of our livestock and the land we own on top. We are well over the other £3m threshold being talked about too.

“The government have got their head buried in the sand. I think they realise they’ve made a mistake but they just don’t want to admit it, especially when they are spending millions of pounds abroad. Surely charity should start at home.

“It’s not rocket science. They’ve got it very wrong and it is going to affect the farming community. That’s why the protests are as strong as they are, like when 1400 tractors were in London demonstrating recently. If they’re not going to start listening things are going to have to be taken further for

them to start doing so. Mark says that he and Andrew are always looking at how they can improve and expand their farming business.

“You’ve got to be thinking about what can be done differently, what you can do better. We all want to pass on the baton to the kids in the best possible way, so that they

have a good shot at it and not have some massive debt that needs to be paid that will stop them from being viable when they eventually take over.

“Our children, mine and Andrew’s, are not too far away from being involved if they want to be in future.

The Ropers have never been shy of changing location over the years, but Mark and Andrew are now well settled in East Yorkshire, having farmed in Canada for ten years before coming back to the UK ten years ago. They also previously farmed in the south-west of England and in Wales.

“We’re totally rooted here,” says Mark. “We thoroughly enjoy being in East Yorkshire and working with great farmers.

“Our farming enterprise runs to 450 acres of which we rent 100 acres and sees us with arable crops across 300 acres

growing winter wheat, barley, stubble turnip seed and grass seed; and a herd of suckler cattle.

“We normally grow between 150-180 acres of winter wheat, which is mainly Crusoe this year, on grade 2 to 3 arable land that averages 3 to 4 tonnes per acre.

“Fortunately, last year’s harvest didn’t come out too bad, at around 3.5 tonnes. Our establishment wasn’t as challenging as some had

experienced in 2023, but the good old Environment Agency didn’t help by not looking after the River Hull and we did lose some of our crops due to flooding. Our wheat goes to Bradshaw’s in Driffield.

“Establishment this last autumn was good, we got drilled early and it is generally looking quite promising for this year. Our barley is mainly winter barley, we’re growing Caravelle and Capitol across just shy of 50 acres and we

have 16 acres of spring barley, Cassia. It’s all grown to feed the cattle.

Growing stubble turnip seed and grass seed have been recent additions to the rotation.

“We have about 40 acres of stubble turnip seed, which we combine and take right through to seed. We also do grass seed across about 32 acres. Also grown for seed.

“We’ve gone into those because it’s something

different and they are good break crops. We were growing good stubble turnips for grazing, so we thought why not grow them for combining, for seed and we managed to get a contract for them, so it’s working very well.

“We also have some simple SFI arrangements. They’re nothing major. Field corners, boundaries, and we put in herbal leys.

Mark says that one of the latest developments at Golden

Hill has been the sale of beef direct from the farm, from their herd.

“Our cattle are mainly Limousin oriented. We have 35 suckler cows, and with their followers plus a few others we have a herd of around 100. We have a few pure Limousins now, most are Limousin X put back to the Limousin, We have a few Dairy X Limousins, Blue X Limousins and Charolais as well. We’re looking to improve the sucklers to get better shape and better growth.

“What is born on the farm is taken right through to finishing at 16-18 months. We started selling the beef direct from the farm last summer and it means we have better control over the price we get. We use Mounfield butchers in Bubwith. We calve from mid-February to the end of April and try to keep it fairly tight.

“Andrew and I do most of the

farming-side and contracting together but Andrew pretty much runs the mobile mill and mix side of the business. We have one other team member who’s involved with the mill and mix and the contracting, and another who comes in on seasonal help with the contracting.

The mobile mill and mix business is something that Andrew had been involved with prior to the Ropers going over to Canada and he found a way back into it when they returned to the UK.

“Andrew was involved with it 30 years ago,” says Mark. “When we came back to the UK we were looking to diversify and we managed to buy a local mobile mill and mix business from Roger Williams of Barthorpe which has gone strength to strength.

“We started off with one mill and currently have three. We generally operate within a two hour radius of Driffield, with a catchment area from south of Lincoln to Northallerton and over into West Yorkshire. Our

farmer customers tell us what they want in their mix and we deal with the rest.

“We get a lot of work through word of mouth, farmers talking to farmers, and because of the kit we have and our knowledge and expertise we can go in and do the volume required quickly and efficiently.

“We use Superior Mobile Mill & Mix machines, manufactured by Theakston’s of Fridaythorpe. We’ve a Superior 22 and two Superior 16s, and we have another Superior 22 on order.

Mark and Andrew’s other string to their farming bow is agricultural contracting.

“We do spring cultivations for two potato producers,” says Mark. “One tractor goes destoning and another helps lead potatoes on seed or fertiliser. In Autumn we lead potatoes. It’s another different income stream.

Mark, Nicola and her sister Carly also organise Wolds Festive Illuminated Truck and Tractor Run each year for charity and at Christmas 2024 they raised £12,000.

WHEN DESERT ORCHID CAME TO GILLAMOOR

Chris Berry talks with muchtravelled farmer and horse transporter

Adam Gibson

SOME farmers hardly ever leave their local area but Adam Gibson of Manor Farm, Gillamoor thinks nothing of travelling 3000-plus miles on journeys to and from the European mainland nearly every month.

Horse transportation has been part of his farm business income now for many years, including such equine dignitaries as Desert Orchid at one time, and although he says he’s doing less than he was around five years ago he’s also still very much enjoying where the enterprise takes him in delivering horses to and from such destinations as far flung as Croatia and Poland.

Back home at Gillamoor Adam runs his traditional mixed farming business with his son Will who works for Paxton’s at Kirkbymoorside.

“We have pigs on a bed and breakfast arrangement for Ian Mosey. When I took over the farm in 1989 we had 18,000 chickens in two chicken sheds but we gradually reduced numbers and never made any money out of them no matter how many we had.

“We then moved into turkeys when the company Farmer’s Glory came along and we built another shed. They had their highs and lows, but at least we didn’t lose any money. When we came out of turkeys we went along with Ian Mosey and 20 years on we’re still with him and it’s now a big part of our enterprise.

“We also have about 40 cattle that we get at about three weeks old from Andrew Potter in Farndale. They’re British Blue X and are nice to work with, friendly cattle. We take them through until 19-20 months and then take them to Ruswarp Market or sometimes to a farmer in the next village.

“We like to get them out for 6 months and that’s why we take additional grazing on top of our existing acreage. They’ll have 5-6 months out at grass. They aren’t finished cattle when they leave, but we find we get a good price if we take them to 20 months. They’ll be between 500-550 kilos and go as strong stores.

Livestock and arable land makes up the overall farming enterprise at Manor Farm.

“We have 30 acres of winter wheat, 10 acres of spring barley and 10 acres of potatoes. Tim Rooke of Stonegrave rents the land for potatoes and they do our spraying and fertilising. We have the same agronomist as well. That way we don’t have a cross over of blackgrass. We swap muck for straw with them, so nearly all our pig muck goes on to Rooke’s land, with a proportion on to our own.

“Last year, as everybody knows, was a difficult year particularly for establishment in autumn 2023 but we didn’t have a bad harvest in 2024. Our Dawsum wheat did well and we did a little over 3.5 tonnes to the acre.

“I was away driving when they lifted potatoes on 2 November 2023 and Will had the wheat in by 6 o’clock that

day. It was never dry after that until late spring last year. If Will hadn’t got it in then we never would have got it in.

Adam says he and Will work well together, or apart when he’s travelling.

“Will and I share the work. I like to give him his head. Will is now the third generation and he has two sons George and Edward (4 and 1). He’s a salesman for Paxton’s. We also have a daughter Beth and she is a helicopter electronics engineer in Somerset, working for Leonardo now, the company that used to be Westland.

Adam’s wife Sue has been operating a bed and breakfast establishment for 34 years. Adam says it must be one of the few traditional farmhouse bed and breakfast businesses left in the area.

“We have three rooms. We converted the old dairy into a couple of rooms, so we have two annexed rooms and one inside the farmhouse. We have

quite a lot of repeat customers. It’s all done through the Internet now, booking.com.

“People like that we are a working farm, that they can look out of the window and see the calves. If I’m about I’ll take our visitors for a ride about, show them the animals. I think it does a lot of good, showing people what we do and what farming’s all about.

“Our village doesn’t have a lot of facilities and it is still very rustic, but we are lucky to still have a pub, The Royal Oak owned by local landowner Peter Wilkinson.

Adam says horse transportation came about through Desert Orchid and because Sue ran a livery at the farm for 8 horses at one time.

“Richard Burridge who owned Desert Orchid always had a couple of horses that he owned in livery here, and when Desie retired he asked us

whether we would we like to have him for part of the year. We were over the moon. He came in a truck that was like a biscuit tin on wheels 25 years ago.

“We would take him to Cheltenham for racing fans to get a glimpse of him and had a lovely time.

“In 2006 I got a farm diversification grant which paid half of a new two staller horsebox, so that we could move him about properly. Desie was a good age, 26, when he died.

“As a result of having Desie and the new horsebox I joined a website called Horse Transport Search and my business built from there. I don’t advertise now. I’ve had and have a lot of good customers who are repeat business and I’ve just built from there.

“I go to Europe twice a

month carrying anything from miniature horses to Shire horses and anything in between. We have all the right certification and a good reputation. I’ve a lot of good friends and customers in Europe and I’m on my sixth horse transporter now.

“I don’t do as many miles as I did 4 years ago. I do 65,000 and was doing 100,000. I go to Denmark, Belgium, Holland, Germany and France regularly and have been as far as Zagreb in Croatia, Seville in Spain and Krakow in Poland. I love the travel and have seen a lot of different places and if I get a little time I’ll go around a different town I’ve not visited before on my trip.

Horses play another role in Adam’s life as he is also Clerk of the Course at Helmsley Races organised by the Sinnington Hunt and which celebrated 50 years at Duncombe Park earlier

this year.

“This year was my 40th year with Duncombe Park Point to Point. It was Mark Rooke, who I’ve known since young farmers club days, who got me involved. He was the then Clerk of the Course. Because I worked at home and for myself I was able to go up to the course whenever Mark called.

“My first involvement came when he and I went through to see Robert Wilson who was having an operation on his back in hospital and we had got lost somewhere in Leeds General Infirmary. On the way back Mark said I’d be just the man to help him on the Point to Point.

“When Mark started Beadlam Farm Shop we swapped roles, that would be 15-20 years ago. I do it mainly because the people that run horses don’t win any money. They do it because they love Point to Pointing. Today the team of

myself, Mark and Dave Johnson see to the setting out and layout of the course. We all have our jobs.

“Over the years we’ve had three different courses. The course used to come over the concrete road, but we don’t now. The course is situated in the bottom half of the park right in front of the house. It’s a great track and there’s a great view.

“We’ve two lads from Bishop Auckland, Bill Gardner and his son-in-law Dec who look after the jumps and do a cracking job using new birch. The week beforehand we’re there nearly every day and the day after. We also have lads and lasses who look after the jumps on the day – some have done it as long as I have. They come every year and are brilliant.

Adam says they’re always looking for more help.

“We have two or three more youngsters on the committee now, but it’s like everything, we haven’t enough. We’re very grateful to the Duncombe family. Jake is brilliant with us, as is James Hare the agent.

“I’ve never ridden, but Sue used to ride Desie around the farm, not in Point to Point though. Our daughter Beth still rides but not one of us have been that brave to ride in Point to Point. It takes a certain

person to ride in these races.

Adam farms across 85 acres with a mix of owned and rented land including summer grazing. The farm used to be larger but changes have come over the years. Adam tells the extraordinary story of how his father came to Manor Farm.

“Dad came here in 1950 as a tenant from The Marishes. He came to Yorkshire from Stockport when his mother couldn’t look after him and put an advert in The Lady magazine. A family from Cropton answered and his board and lodgings, at just 9 years old, was half a crown a week. He left school at 14 and went to work on The Marishes.

“The man at Cropton, who wasn’t my actual granddad but who we always called granddad sold a bit of land to a man who owned Drury Lane Theatre in London and then sold it and invested in a farm. He said to granddad ‘I’ll see your lad right one day’. That’s what he did. He bought Manor Farm and put my dad in. In 1969 he gave him the chance to buy it.

“Dad never went back to Stockport. His mother said he could go back, but dad said, ‘You didn’t want me when I was 9, I’m not going back now’.

“I was born and bred here at Manor Farm. I went to Pocklington School and at 16 I came back to work at home. The farm was about 120 acres. My brother got some acreage. When I started on the farm in 1989, we had the yard at home and 30 acres of land. We’ve gathered up bits and pieces of

land, buying 20 acres.

“Sue came from Wakefield and was working for Lady Henrietta at Thirsk, the Marquis of Normanby’s daughter, who in those days was riding event horses. We met through Young Farmers. I was a member at Helmsley YFC. Sue would be wherever there was a do.

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PADELS ALL SET TO VOLLEY FARM’S FUTURE

Chris Berry talks with Callum Stark of Fridlington Farms, Sutton on the Forest

SATURDAY morning juniors, players of all ages and ability, and a completely different enterprise for farmer Callum Stark of Fridlington Farms and now Padel Farm of Sutton on the Forest. That’s what’s new for the man who is more used to growing potatoes than smashing volleys.

“It’s been amazing already,” says Callum. “We went into this because we’d picked up on the rise of Padel tennis and it really has caught the attention of people around here. I’d seen it elsewhere and how another farm had used their barns for it and I thought we’d give it a go.

It’s the world’s fastest growing sport right now and we’ve had a great reaction.

“We’ve two Padel courts and if demand keeps up we may even add more, but I’ve also ideas for something like a wellness centre if we can keep encouraging people to come here. And quite different to that I’ve also an idea of putting in fast charging EV chargers for cars, fully charged in just 20 minutes.

Callum says he’s had to look at other forms of income after struggling with last year’s crops.

“The margins on potatoes are becoming tighter all the time. If you want to know why I’m

doing Padel tennis or any other new enterprise all you have to do is look at what happened with last year’s potato harvest. I calculated my growing cost per tonne at £264, but my sales amounted to £256 per tonne and that was on an average yielding crop. Potatoes are still the best crop to grow on our sandy land but using those figures the store made a loss of £12,800. Padel tennis is hopefully going to get my batting average up a little.

Fridlington runs to 3000 acres owned and with other land rented for potatoes Callum farms around 4000 acres, which is primarily arable cropping but with 600 acres of grassland a flock of 2500 Highlandercrossed ewes. There is also a pig breeding unit of 1000 sows run in conjunction with Ian Mosey.

“We grow 850 acres of potatoes,” says Callum. “Ninety per cent of our crop goes for crisping to Walkers and KP with the rest going to chipping. Our potato varieties currently are

Taurus, Brook, VR808 (a Walkers variety), Arsenal, King Russett, Triple 7 and we are trialling Sagitta this year and another crisper Cinderella. Our crisping crop is 60 per cent for Walkers; and 40 per cent for KP.

“Our next biggest crop is winter wheat which we grow across 500-600 acres. Because we are on largely light blow away sand our wheat yield will average just over 3 tonnes, but where it’s grown on heavier land it might get to 4 tonnes. That’s why we’re more into potatoes. Our wheat varieties are currently Extase, Dawsum and Skyfall.

“Last year’s harvest wasn’t good. It was just that wet last year and was wet for so long that the best way I can put it is that if you or I were stood out in the cold for that amount of time, I don’t think we’d grow very well either. In contrast to others we’d had good drilling and establishment conditions. It was just that after October the heaven’s opened, and it wouldn’t

Proud to support Fridlington Farm, wishing them continued success.

stop raining. We farm on top of clay and that means the rain just holds and doesn’t go anywhere. Our crops were consequently stood there with wet feet until springtime and late into spring too. We were well below average yield last year and the quality was down too. We look towards Skyfall and Extase to go for milling but they didn’t make the protein levels.

Callum tells of how he’s trying to deal with his oilseed rape crop.

“We’ve reduced our oilseed rape acreage substantially and we are now at 120-150 acres. On what was our larger acreage it was just too high a cost to put in and then see it wiped out with flea beetle, so we’ve cut it back. Now, if we do get a loss on it it’s not a massive hit on the farm.

“Our logic over what we put in now is from when we harvest it the season before. If we see flea beetle jumping out of the trailer, because you can see it when you harvest it, because they keep jumping out, then we won’t put as much in the next season

or we won’t put anything in. But, if it doesn’t look like they’re about we’ll go with it. Hopefully, we might get it right. It’s such a worrying crop that you end up chucking a lot of money at before Christmas.

The reason Callum grows winter barley is so that he can get his oilseed rape in early enough, hopefully again avoiding flea beetle in late August.

“We grow winter barley across 250-300 acres. It’s all Tardis feed barley which we trade with local farmers as well as sending it into Mosey’s. Our spring barley is across 200 acres and all Laureate which we try to get away for malting. Our spring barley does better than our winter barley because we’re on blow away sand.

“Our other crops are linseed across 150 acres which goes to Premium Crops and is destined for France to feed cattle; and fodder beet, which is strip grazed by our sheep in winter. We also rent a bit of land to Hartley’s for peas.

Fridlington’s arable team is

headed up by Simon Clark, of whom Callum is in little doubt of his worth.

“Simon is the farm foreman. He is quite seriously an absolute workaholic and this place would not run as well as it does without him. The rest of the team are all

experienced guys who give their all - Dave Hatfield, Andy Powell, Brian Hern, Merv Fosdyke, Chris Morley, Jamie Knaggs and Rob Johnson. We also have the incredible Emma Cook who is farm secretary and does an amazing job in the office.

“ We’re offering bookings on an app called Playtonic and it has been going crazy since we started. It’s great to see all the children here every Saturday too. Hopefully that will continue. ”

Sheep and pigs make up the rest of the farm and there have been changes over more recent times.

“Our new shepherdess is Becky, Brian’s partner, and she’s doing a very good job,” says Callum. “Rachel, who was with us previously has gone on to work in Wales. She did really well in a shepherding competition and has gone on to bigger and better things so we’re all really pleased for her. Rachel’s dad Ian has recently retired.

“Our Highlander ewes all lamb outdoors. They are really good mothers. We’ve started crossing them back with the Texel and Suffolk because they give us the conformation that we need. They all go to Dawn Meats.

“We’ve gone later lambing in April, because we’re all outdoor. We were caught out by lambing earlier than that.

“We went into them because my dad saw 10,000 ewes all outdoor lambing in New Zealand about 20 years ago and we’ve just had to get used to the right timing for lambing.

Pigs were always a large part of the Fridlington operation until a few years ago with breeding sows on the farm. Fridlington went out of their own enterprise but are now back in through a venture with Ian Mosey of Gilling.

“It’s a joint venture,” says Callum. “We found that we really could do with the slurry to keep our

fertiliser

prices down, and

so we’re now back as a breeding unit, run by Glen Dam. Callum has enough on his plate already at this time of year – keeping track of all springtime farming endeavours but he’s excited about the Padel courts and how they’re already doing.

“We’re offering bookings on an app called Playtonic and it has been going crazy since we started. It’s great to see all the children here every Saturday too. Hopefully that will continue.”

SETTING THEIR LIVESTOCK AND PRODUCE APART

Chris Berry talks with Megan Mulholland of Tunstall Road Farm

TUNSTALL Road Farm located at Tunstall and Newton le Willows and Tunstall Meat Co in Richmond located just five miles from the livestock operation is what many may deem the perfect mix of from farm to fork.

That’s exactly how John and Helen Bell saw it when they started and how their farm

manager Megan Mulholland and TMC’s Robert Hendrix both see it today and Megan is convinced their Pasture for Life accreditation now sets them apart from most of the rest.

“The last time we spoke with Farmers Mart we wouldn’t have been Pasture for Life ,” says Megan. “At that time we would have been dipping our toes into more regenerative

agricultural practices.

“We decided to go Pasture For Life certified, which is very similar to an organic certification. We had been looking for something that set our produce and livestock apart and we were not wildly enthused by the Red Tractor any more. We weren’t quite at the standard of organic but when we read the PFL standards we realised we were pretty much already there.

“The only thing we had to change was that we weren’t

allowed to feed fodder beet to sheep and cows in the winter, which we didn’t do much of anyway. Otherwise, we were already meeting all the standards and so we decided we’d go PFL. It basically means that none of your livestock are fed anything other than grass and conserved grass/silage throughout their lives. There is no hard feed, nothing bought in, and you’re not allowed to feed masses of molasses, it’s very much grass, silage, hay, and a little bit of mineral licks.

Tunstall Road Farm has a grazing platform of 250 acres and a further 250 acres of arable cropping that is managed by agricultural contractors of which 40 acres is taken from the arable rotation each year which helps improve the arable in rotation by putting a cover crop in and grazing stock across it.

Megan’s current livestock numbers include 200 head of cattle, predominantly split around 50/50 with pedigree Herefords and

Belted Galloways with a small percentage being crosses of the two; 70 pedigree Hampshire Down ewes, and another 50 whitefaces that the pedigree ram runs with; and 14 pedigree Berkshire sows, all outdoor reared, with all produce going to the shop, and generally finishing between 200-250 pigs per year.

“Everything that comes off the farm goes through Tunstall Meat Company,” says Megan.

“That’s unless it is being kept as a breeding replacement or in

the case of any excess we have, that we may then want to sell into other herds and flocks.

Megan says the change in their beef herd from originally being 80 per cent Herefords is down to the weather and hardiness.

“We’ve gone more 50/50 with the Belted Galloways being increased in number just because they are hardier and outwinter easily. The Belties will manage with a couple of twigs and a good view.

“Five years ago every cow on the farm would have been housed but now the Belted Galloway herd stays out all year and the Herefords are only housed just prior to calving. All cows have stayed out this year and we put in 40 acres of cover crop and bale grazed them, no silage only hay.

“We calve the majority of the herd from the middle of March. We’ve tightened up on calving in the last couple of years. The bulls are only in for about 6-7 weeks. Anything that is not in calf for March now goes into the autumn calving block, which helps us manage.

“Prior to that we were only having 40-50 calves born in spring and when

we were done with those the age difference for the shop was really noticeable in the quality of meat.

Megan uses the Beltie bull for first calving on the Hereford heifers.

“We bull our Herefords at 12 months old and putting them to a Beltie bull is a bit of a kindness. I worry about Hereford heifers on their first calving of great big Herefords but they can spit out the Beltie-crosses easily.

“We are also phasing out our small percentage of Hereford X dairy cows. I’m retaining some Hereford X Beltie heifers that I can put back to the Hereford if I’m looking for a bigger carcase and cows that are hardy enough to stop out.

“We buy a Hereford bull every two to three years, and a Belted Galloway bull every three to four. We go to Castle Douglas for our Beltie bulls, but we have to be careful with what we buy now because of our Pasture for Life accreditation. Our cattle also have to work very hard for us, and if I buy anything that’s gone to a sale absolutely pumped up with feed all it’s going to do is melt when it gets

to me, because it won’t get that here, so I buy something from a similar system, that is already conditioned that way.

“What we’re aiming for generally, to go through TMC is a 300-kilo carcase, but it is a lot more to do with demand than what we can grow them to, as we aim for age as much as weight and will take them as long as we can. That’s what makes the difference to Robert and TMC. He’s after beef aged between 24-30 months.

Megan has also overseen another major change, this time in her sheep flock.

“We’ve changed from indoor lambing to outdoor, and our lambing is now from 1 April. It used to be January. Since going this way my appreciation for the Hampshire Down breed has really gone up. For a while the pedigrees were a smaller percentage of the flock but in the last couple of years we’ve retained all the gimmers.

“As soon as we were treating then once or twice a day in the

field my lambing difficulties went down from 50 per cent to 3 per cent. I don’t have to deal with bacterial issues or illness inside, because they’re all out on grass. March 2024 was a real test because their lambs were all born into six weeks of pure rain, but they

all managed really well.

“We still have some white faced sheep, Cheviots and now Cheviot X Hampshire Downs from a flock we inherited. I don’t mind the white faced crosses and won’t get rid of them. We like the hybrid vigour they bring. We’ve got our

pedigrees as our core focus, but I do think the hybrids give you something extra.

“Finding Hampshire Down tups that now fit to our Pasture for Life system is now a similar story to finding the right bulls. It’s hard to find Hampshire Down tups that haven’t been

caked heavily going into sales, but we do have a couple of very good local breeders that run similar systems to ourselves who we’ve bought from lately.

“We aim for our lambs and hoggs to achieve slightly higher than average sheep carcases and that means that by the time my new season lambs are on the ground Robert is getting decent size hoggs for TMC.

Tunstall Road Farm has Berkshire pigs and Megan says that what they have been doing has been recognised by the breed, where before it wasn’t.

“Everything we keep has to work for TMC that’s where we’re at and we now work pretty well with the breed society. I believe that hobby showing of the breed is never going to save the breed as it doesn’t show what the breed can really do.

“I find the pigs on the show circuit tend to be too small for what we need, so we’ve always retained our bigger

gilts and up until recently have been considered too big for the breed standard, but the society has now come back around and have said they are worried about how small the pigs are getting.

“We’ve recently been getting an influx of society members wanting to buy the bigger pigs we have, as we now have the genetics wanted.

“We currently have 10 pedigree Berkshires and 3-4 crossbreds which are all crossed back to the Berkshire and have worked really closely with the Berkshire Society with regards to boar lines.

“Boars are not as highly valued as sows, so the genetics can get lost, but a couple of years ago we ended up with a Freight Train Berkshire boar and when the national survey came it found there were only two of that bloodline left in the country. We had loads of people coming to buy. Fortunately, there are now

“We are proud to have worked alongside CB Farms and Tunstall Meat Company for over 7 years supplying them with local quality meat products and providing a private slaughter service of their own superb quality farmed cattle, sheep and pigs.”

about 20 in the country.

Tunstall Road Farm went into a countryside stewardship scheme last year and Megan was heading towards going into the SFI in the early part of the year and is hoping it will still happen.

“The changes Labour has made to our BPS in the last couple of months and now the pausing of the SFI has certainly not made life any easier, but we’ll just have to get on with what we do regardless. I have a good team and John and Helen are always keen to hear any new ideas I have.

Megan came over from South Africa with her family seven years ago, seeking greater security.

“We were at the point where we had a young son and if we’d stayed any longer we would have been putting down more roots in a country we weren’t 100 per cent sure of. I started with John and Helen in an equine capacity, looking after their daughter’s competition horse. I’d been involved with horses in South Africa. I began filling in on the farm.

“I’m very surprised that I enjoy farming more than horses. I enjoy the practicality and versatility of livestock. Horses don’t really have a function in the same way.

I’m really proud of all of our livestock and undertaking a system that works better and runs better with this great product coming out at the end. That’s where a lot of my pleasure comes from.

Megan now also finds herself a believer in such as herbal leys and the difference they can make to livestock.

“One of my jobs in South Africa was working with a herbal company Honeyvale Herbs. I’d had no experience in the herbal approach and thought it might be a load of hogwash until I saw horses that vets had recommended to be put down for various ailments, such as bone chips, gastric ulcers, and

were on their last legs.

“Owners were asking if there was anything we could do and after using these herbal supplements their horses were bouncing back. That really made me sit up, pay attention and be lot more openminded. When herbal leys and a more holistic approach became more mainstream in the UK it made complete sense to me and I was really keen to try a lot of it.

“If horses and companion animals are going to do better from eating a dried herbal supplement that diversity in the grazing platform is also going to do good for cattle, sheep and pigs and I’ve been able to see a lot of that. Our medicine and vaccine usage has reduced on what we were doing 5 years prior thanks to such as herbal leys.

INVESTING IN YOUR AGRICULTURAL BUILDINGS IS A VALUABLE LONG-TERM INVESTMENT

AGRICULTURAL buildings

play a crucial role in the farming industry, serving as shelters for livestock, storage for equipment, and facilities for processing and packaging products. The integrity and functionality of these structures are vital for the overall efficiency and safety of farming operations. Therefore, it is essential for farmers to consider the importance of hiring

professionals when it comes to repairing, upgrading, or constructing new agricultural buildings.

One of the primary reasons farmers should rely on professionals is the expertise they bring to the table. Experienced builders and contractors understand the specific requirements and regulations that govern agricultural structures. They are familiar with local building codes and safety

standards, ensuring that any new construction or renovation complies with legal requirements. This knowledge can prevent costly fines and the need for retrofitting in the future.

Additionally, professional builders are skilled in using the right materials and techniques tailored for agricultural buildings. These structures often face unique challenges, such as exposure to harsh weather

conditions, the need for proper ventilation, and the requirement for durable flooring that can withstand heavy machinery and livestock traffic. Professionals can recommend and implement the best solutions to enhance the longevity and resilience of the buildings, ultimately saving farmers money on frequent repairs or replacements.

Another significant aspect is the protection of livestock.

Agricultural buildings are not just physical structures; they are environments where animals live and thrive. A poorly constructed or maintained building can lead to various issues, such as inadequate ventilation, which can cause respiratory problems in livestock, or insufficient insulation, leading to extreme temperatures that can stress animals. By hiring professionals, farmers can ensure that their buildings are designed with the welfare of their livestock in mind, creating a safe and comfortable environment

that promotes healthy growth and productivity. Moreover, engaging professionals can lead to better project management. Construction and renovation projects can be complex, requiring careful planning and coordination of various tasks and timelines. Experienced builders have the skills to manage these projects efficiently, minimizing downtime and disruptions to the farming operation. This efficiency can translate into cost savings, as delays and mismanagement can lead to increased labor

Whole farms to small agricultural extensions

costs and lost productivity. What is also for the wellbeing of livestock and birds is the cleaning of buildings, this not only controls health but also reduces poor quality .It is not a corner to be cut Farmers need to either hire in professional contractors to do the job or invest in proper high quality equipment ,always talk to professionals who will advise on the best equipment for the job, cutting corners will not save you money it will cost you in both time and stock numbers.

In the long run, investing

in professional services for agricultural building projects is not merely an expense; it is a strategic decision that can yield significant financial benefits. By ensuring that buildings are constructed or repaired correctly the first time, farmers can avoid the recurring costs associated with poor workmanship. Additionally, the enhanced protection of livestock can lead to improved health and productivity, further contributing to the farm’s profitability.

In conclusion, the importance of agricultural buildings cannot be overstated, and the decision to hire professionals for their construction or maintenance is one that can have lasting implications.

By leveraging the expertise, quality assurance, and project management skills of professionals, farmers can protect their investments, ensure the well-being of their livestock, and ultimately save money in the long run. Investing in professional services is not just a choice; it is a commitment to the success and sustainability of the farming operation.

7200GNS CORRICK PRESLEY SETS NEW SIMMENTAL SALE RECORD AT DUNGANNON

● Bulls average £5477.50, a new breed record, and up by £1,897 on the year

● Three bulls make 6000gns and over ● 75% clearance rate

IT was a record-breaking day for Cecil and Scott McIlwaine, Corrick, Newtonstewart, Co Tyrone who sold Corrick Presley for 7200gns at the British Simmental Cattle Society’s Sale held at Dungannon Farmers Mart on Friday 21st March. The top price is a new breed record for a Simmental bull at this fixture.

September 2023 born Corrick Presley had earlier in the day been tapped out as the Overall Supreme Champion by the pre-sale show judge Martin Cunningham, who runs a

commercial herd alongside his establishing Catcairn pedigree herd at Hannahstown, Belfast, and who commented: “My choice of Champion is just a fantastic modern Simmental bull. He has length, width, and power, and has all the qualities to be a breeder’s bull that anyone would be pleased to have.”

Corrick Presley is by Seafort Gill and is out of the Team Celtic daughter Corrick Matilda. With top growth figures this bull is in the breed’s top 1% for 400, & 600 day weight, and top 10% for 200 day weight. Carrying on the

theme his Terminal Production Index, and Self Replacing Index are both in the breed’s top 5%. Purchasing the top priced bull was local breeder William Ferguson who runs 80-90 Simmental x Limousin cows

alongside the Sperrin View herd of ten pedigree Simmentals, at Stewartstown, Dungannon. Commenting Mr Ferguson said: “We had seen Corrick Presley on Facebook prior to the sale and were impressed by the bull in

Photo: Willie McElroy

Champion Corrick Presley.

Photo: Willie McElroy

himself and also his performance figures. Seeing him at the market he was a bull with real length to him, full of character, style, and who walked very well. He was the colour we were looking for to breed replacements, had plenty of muscle, and right amount of bone for the type of cows that he’ll be used on.” Back in 2019, William Ferguson had previously purchased Corrick Justice from the McIlwaine’s and who was a bull ‘who had worked really well for us.’ Of the 7200gns price Mr Ferguson said: “We really wanted to get the bull of the quality and type that we were looking for as it’s such an important investment for the herd. Corrick Presley ticked the boxes we were looking for.”

Speaking after the sale a delighted Neil McIlwaine said: “Corrick Presley is a terrific bull, and going to the sale we thought he had the full package with his pedigree, performance figures and the looks. He’s a heifer’s calf who showed successfully in the NI Simmental National Show in 2024 at Antrim, and he comes from a good breeding line. Presley has gone to a good home and a repeat buyer in the shape of William Ferguson, and we look forward to see how he goes on and does.” Of setting a new Simmental breed record at Dungannon, Neil McIlwaine went on to say: “We are delighted to support and promote the breed at such sales as Dungannon, and it’s a thrill to set what is a record price along with a record sale

average. More generally there are a lot of quality Simmental bulls being bred and sold by NI breeders which is great to see.”

The sale saw six out of the eight bulls forward sell to an average of £5477.50, up by £1897 on the year and setting a new record average for this Simmental fixture. Following the bulls, four heifers sold to average a healthy £3438.75.

Two bulls made 6000gns and with the first of these being Knockreagh Popstar from Val & Conrad Fagan from Newry, County Down. November 2023 born, this bull who stood second in his class, is by the leading sire Saltire Impressive 17, and is out of

above average

Knockreagh Kitty (ET) VG 88, a Dermotstown Delboy (ET) EX 92 daughter. Knockreagh Popstar,

who carried

figures for Maternal (Milk), and also Terminal Production and Drumacritten Robbie 24 6000gns (ET). Photo: Willie McElroy

Knockreagh Popstar 23 6000gns. Photo: Willie McElroy

Champion with Judge and Buyer. Photo: Willie McElroy

Val , Conrad and sons Charlie and Jack. Photo: Willie McElroy

Self Replacing Indexes, sold to the Killyfaddy Farm pedigree herd of Robert Duncan, Magherafelt, Co Londonderry.

Also at this mark was the final bull in the catalogue, Drumacritten Robbie 24 (ET), from Mr WE Nelson & Mr GE Nelson, Drummacritten, Rosslea, Enniskillen. First in his class, Drumacritten Robbie is by Dermotstown Delboy (ET) EX 92, and is out of Drumacritten Dianna GP 84, a Drumlone Anchor 09 9 daughter. Buying this bull,

who is in the breed’s top 5% for Calving Ease Daughters, was purchased by Ivan Henderson, Enniskillen, Co Fermanagh.

The Nelsons also sold the day’s Overall Reserve Champion, Drumacritten Paddy 23 for 4300gns. October 2023 born, this bull is another by Saltire Impressive, and is out of Drumacritten Julie a Curaheen Gunshot daughter. Drumacritten Paddy was knocked down to G McBurney, Annalong, Co Down.

At 4000gns was the first

in the ring in the shape of Craigy Prime from Mr WJ Dodd, Saintfield, Ballynahinch, Co Down. August 2023 born this bull, got by AI, is by Seafort Gill, the same sire as the day’s top price, and is out of Craigy Jessica L9, a Keeldrum Fabregas daughter. Another bull with above breed average Terminal Production and Self Replacing Indexes, Craigy Prime was bought by Norman Thompson, Kilaloo, Co Londonderry.

In the females, two December 2023 born heifers from Mr

DG Rooney, Newry, County Down, Veaghmore Pebble and Veaghmore Paris both made 3500gns and with both being purchased by James Porter, Dromore, Co Down. The stylish Veaghmore Pebble, got by AI, is a daughter of Clonagh Tiger Gallant, and is out of Cladymore Melody, a Curaheen Dickens daughter. Veaghmore Paris, again got by AI, is sired by the 16,000gns Ranfurly Limelight L11 20, and is out of Cladymore Jane, a Kilbride Farm Dragoon 12 daughter.

bull

Veaghmore Pebble 3500gns. Photo: Willie McElroy

Veaghmore Paris 16 3500gns. Photo: Willie McElroy

Drumacritten Paddy 23 res Champion 4300gns. Photo: Willie McElroy

Photo: Willie McElroy

Photos: Willie McElroy

FAMILY CONCERN CONTINUES ITS STRENGTH

I recently met up with Gavin Pell MD of Chandlers Farm Equipment who are one of the leading family agricultural machinery dealers in the UK. I met up with him on a sunny April day at their Belton depot near Grantham which is their centre of operations.

Chandlers has always been a family concern, with the Pell family originating from farming backgrounds in Leicestershire. Gavin’s grandfather and co-founder of the business, was a farmer’s son from Plungar in the Vale of Belvoir, and his grandmother’s family

were graziers and bakers moving to Grantham in 1912, subsequently supplying bread to the troops stationed at Belton Camp during WW1.

Chandlers have been serving the local farming community since 1935.

The company was started by Mr Desmond Chandler who

approached two of his old school friends with a proposition to assist him in his newly acquired venture of an ironmonger’s shop. He had recently purchased a property at 91/92 Westgate, Grantham, with help and encouragement from his father and the Midland Bank. One of the friends was Mr Joe Pell, who at that time

was employed at Garner’s Ironmonger’s shop in Melton Mowbray. The other, Mr Tom Caunt, was already employed by Mr Chandler at his Orston based Sectional Wooden Buildings Manufacturing Company, where he has been manufacturing and supplying the farm community with their building needs, the

premises backing straight onto the local railway yard which was very fortunate.

Both were enthusiastic and prepared to join Mr Chandler in his new venture. So the ironmonger’s shop D. E. Chandler opened, and in the 1940’s all three joined in partnership together, continuing to develop and expand the shop, branching into farm machinery (later to acquire the Massey-Harris distributorship for the Grantham area), also fire grates, bathrooms, kitchens, Aga cookers and light fittings.

The catch phrase was “We sell everything from a Tin Tack to a Tractor”. This phrase is still as pertinent today as it’s always been. Chandlers are still 100% focussed on the farmer and supply everything that they may need to keep their farm functioning at its optimum. Today technology has come to the fore in farming from equipment to animal management to precision crop farming. Technology now

helps govern the day to day running of the farm but also helps significantly with the tight process of making money and not wasting it. Although some farmers still leave their equipment in the cold and the rain and expect it to start first every time and complain bitterly if it doesn’t. Chandlers fully understand and recognise every type of farmer and are ready to support them all at the drop of a hat.

As Gavin said to me, “There are basically two main types of farmers, the livestock farmer – with their focus fully on the welfare and requirements of their livestock on a daily basis and the cropping farmer with quite different needs and products and seasons. Chandlers pride themselves on understanding fully the needs of all farmers and what they are likely to want quickly.

Chandlers has been servicing the needs of the agricultural, vehicle and grounds care industries for almost 90 years and are one of the largest AGCO dealers in the UK, representing the Mighty Massey Ferguson brand , the very prestigious Fendt and major name of Valtra and JCB, along with a full range of complementary machinery from leading manufacturers. They are always on the lookout

for new machinery to stock and are very keen to assess each machine before it gets on the Chandlers list.

From an ironmonger’s shop in Grantham, Chandlers now employs more than 425 staff at 16 strategically located depots across the UK at: Belton, Horncastle, Spilsby, Holbeach, Barnack, Lutterworth, Shefford, Wallingford, Cirencester, Devizes, Bristol, Southam, Ross-On-Wye, Martley, Raglan and Bridgnorth. They cover from the Severn estuary to the Hull estuary.

With over 50 agricultural sales specialists Chandlers has earned an enviable reputation for consistently supplying quality, value for money farm equipment complemented by expert advice, exemplary customer care and a dedicated after sales service.

In addition, with more than 100 professionally qualified manufacturer trained technicians, an industry leading parts department stocking the largest range of AGCO parts in the UK, fully equipped mobile service vans and 6 HGV’s, the Chandlers team are always on hand to serve our agricultural and grounds care customers. Chandlers Academy Manager, Andrew Silvester, is in charge of all the companies’ apprenticeships. Most of Chandlers technicians are trained

in-house and all regularly receive updated and new product training by the manufacturers.

“Chandlers is a familyowned Company that strives to retain the “family feel” of an organisation in

today’s fast-moving world. The Company’s policy of promoting staff from within and ensuring that managers and representatives all have grassroots experience has continued. We can feel

been instrumental in developing their list of country stores which follow the Arkwright principle for all aspect of farming and animals, If you don’t really need one of those, then Chandlers won’t have it but if you do need one we probably do have it. His cousin Heather manages the all-important HR dept which is integral to a big business, like Chandlers, and his father Howard is company Chairman.

Chandlers are producing a new book to celebrate their 90 years of serving the farming community. This is only their second, the first was after 45 years of service.

proud, when we look back at 90 years of service to the farming community, who we continue to serve today and into the future” says Gavin. Gavin is 3rd generation of the family. His sister Felicity has

Chandlers remain a constant support and font of experience and knowledge to both the farming and the country sports community. They strive to be “All things to all people”.

You get the feeling in talking to Gavin that farmers that deal with Chandlers are in very safest of hands.

MOULTON

BALE GRAB RANGE

BBG2, F8BB, F10BB

BBG2

Designed to handle 3 smaller high density bales up to 900mm wide, or 2 larger 1200mm bales. Bales may be handled in both directions relative to the back frame. 2,600mm overall length, 2,400mm wide (excluding gathering bar), 800mm high at back frame, 640kg weight.

F8BB

A fl at 8 sized bale grab of very heavy duty construction, fitted with larger claws. Suitable for handling flat 8 packs of conventional bales or up to 2 high density bales. 2m length, 1.6m width, 350kg weight.

F10BB

A fl at 10 bale grab of very heavy duty construction, fitted with larger claws. Suitable for handling flat 10 packs of conventional bales, it has 5 rows of claws, this gives full cover on 2 high density bales. 2.5m length, 1.7m wide, 350kg weight.

BOSS ORV expands dealer network

BOSS ORV has announced the addition of two more Corvus Off-Road Vehicle dealers to their growing UK dealer network. Guy Machinery Ltd. of Gisburn, Lancashire and Used4Turf based in Colchester, Essex, have become part of the Corvus team. The Corvus Terrain DX4 diesel off-road utility vehicle was the first of its type manufactured in Europe, and the brand has grown from strength to strength with the addition of the EX4 all-electric version. The Terrain has found popularity in the agricultural, grounds care, amenity and estate sectors.

Guy Machinery was established at Skipton Auction Mart in 2005, taking over the former Gibsons. They moved to their Gisburn site in 2013 to bring their team

together under one roof to improve customer service and communications. They specialize in sales of new and used trailers, agricultural vehicles and machinery, ATVs and quad bikes, loaders and handlers. As Corvus dealers, they add side-by-side diesel and electric utility vehicles to their line-up.

Used4Turf has over thirty years of experience supplying equipment to turf growers, landscapers, local authorities, golf courses, sports clubs, private estate owners and more. Founded by Neil Peachey, Used4Turf supplies new and used equipment and Neil says they make it their business to gain a comprehensive understanding of customers’ requirements, budgets and long-term plans. He adds they pride themselves on exceptional

personal customer service and that they are proud to call clients their friends.

BOSS Off-Road Vehicles is the sole UK Corvus UTV distributor and National Sales Manager Neil Everett says they are delighted to welcome both dealers as part of the

team that sells and supports the brand.

For more information about BOSS ORV distributed machinery, you can call 01785 561046

E-mail: sales@bossorv.co.uk

Web: www.bossorv.co.uk

YORK MACHINERY SALES ACHIEVE PHENOMENAL INTEREST IN SPRING AUCTIONS

YORK Machinery Sales have experienced exceptional interest in their Spring auctions, driven by a strong market for second hand agricultural machinery with interest from around the world.

The success of these sales has been fuelled by the rising cost of new equipment, which has slowed new purchases and restricted supply. As a result, second hand machinery sales have become an increasingly popular and a cost-effective alternative.

York Machinery Sales, held at York Auction Centre, is one of the country’s largest and most well renowned auction houses for agricultural tractors, trailers and machinery, attracts buyers from across the UK, Europe and beyond. With a six figure database and some auctions surpassing one million views of their online catalogues, demand has been unprecedented this year.

In the first two sales of 2025, a total of 8,600 lots, equally split between the sales, were put forward achieving over a 90% sell rate with 3,177 registered active bidders from the UK, Europe, the Middle East and North Africa competing for equipment.

Richard Tasker, Partner at York Auction Centre, has over 35 years’ experience in machinery sales and is the driving force behind the success. He said “We have seen phenomenal interest and excellent prices in the first quarter of 2025. With fewer trade-ins feeding the second hand market and high prices for new equipment, demand for more affordable second hand options is increasing.

“The difference between

the cost of new and second hand machinery is making upgrades more expensive pushing buyers toward quicker second hand alternatives.”

There are nine sales in the year, each attracting between 3,500 and 4,500 lots of tractors, loaders, trailers, agricultural and commercial machinery, livestock requisites, plant and equipment, building materials and produce. The sales are currently conducted by timed online auction with viewing and collection of every lot at York Auction Centre based just outside the City of York in Murton.

Richard, who has been joined by Will Amos, Machinery Sales Manager, explained: “The success of our sales so far this year is not just about the general marketplace and the drop in new sales, but is more a reflection on the specialist expertise we offer in delivery of a sale.

“Having the right marketing

platform, ability to maximise the publicity, hit the right target audience, provide good service through every stage is important as well as offering the right infrastructure for loading, unloading and all the way through to export documentation and wash services.

“I have always maintained that the success of a sale and achieving optimum results is about getting it in front of the maximum number of people and giving them the maximum opportunity to bid.

“The York Machinery Sales timed online auctions does exactly that with a six figure database and proven numbers of views of the online catalogues reaching a staggering 1.4 million for one of the sales and then a three to five day bidding period”.

As well as the two collective York Machinery Sales, there have been three farm sales held last quarter in conjunction

with Stephensons Rural which saw widespread interest and strong demand from across UK and Europe. These include:

A dispersal sale on behalf of J E Coning & Son, North Yorkshire at the end of February, attracted a record 1.4 million views of the online catalogue. The sale held, following retirement, featured a strong selection of well-maintained modern equipment.

Also taking place at the end of February was an exceptional sale for MRC Greenmoor Ltd, West Yorkshire, which featured a lineup of eight modern JCB telehandlers and eight 2.4cum buckets, attracting strong interest from across the UK, Republic of Ireland and Poland. All the items were owned from new and well maintained. The machinery was displayed on-site at York Auction Centre, providing an impressive showcase that highlighted the quality and scale of the offering.

Check our up to date website with photographs: www.startintractors.co.uk

, 2008, latest bale count

John Deere 5115M c/w JD 543R loader, 2018, 4134 hours.

Amazone ZAV 2700 Profis control, Ama spread, V2 discs, weigh cell, cover.

NEW ISUZU DMAX Double cab Utility NEW ISUZU DMAX double cab V-Cross

ISUZU ARCTIC AT35 Automatic, available in Valencia Orange, Spinel Red & Obsidian Grey.

Spearhead S55 Verge / Hedgecutter 1.2m head, 2019, linkage mounted.

NEW Spearhead Sniper 270 flail mower hydraulic side shift.

JCB 8055 ( 5 ton ) Excavator c/w buckets, 2014, 3200 hours.

JCB 86c Eco ( 8 ton ) Excavator c/w buckets, 2016, 4500 hours.

Unused Opico 6m folding Grass harrow

Richard Western SF18 HS Plus silage trailer hydraulic lift over sheet.

Richard Western SF16 HS Plus Grain trailer air & hydraulic brakes.

CaseIH Axial Flow 6150 combine harvester c/w header & trolly, ready for work.

KRONE TC760 Twin Rotor Rake

AMAZONE Pantera 4502 36/24 metre boom New Holland T5.115 c/w loader ‘ 62 ’ reg 3500 hours, 420/85 x 38 tyres.

Valtra N141 c/w Front linkage, cab suspension, 2008, 6243 hours.

ISUZU DMAX ARCTIC AT35 truck 93000 miles, call for spec & price.

SPEARHEAD Multicut 650 Proline 2024 model, 6 blades per rotor.

Agroplus 95 4wd 4300 hours, 420/85 x 34 tyres.

Stuart Henry Re-Joins Merlo UK as Area Service Manager

MERLO UK is delighted to announce the return of Stuart Henry as Area Service Manager, covering the Northern England territory. With extensive experience in agricultural and heavy vehicle engineering, Stuart brings a deep understanding of service and aftersales support to the role. Stuart originally joined Merlo in December 2014. His career began with a strong foundation in farming, leading him to an apprenticeship in agricultural engineering with Oliver and Snowdon, now Carrs Billington. From there, he transitioned to HGV mechanics, obtained his HGV license, worked as a lorry driver before returning to agriculture- his true passion. He later advanced into the role

of Area Manager for SDF before initially joining Merlo. Committed to strengthening service operations, enhancing dealer relationships, and ensuring customer satisfaction, Stuart is excited to be back at Merlo. Sharing his enthusiasm, he said, “Over the last two years, the changes within the company inspired me to return, and I see an opportunity to make a real difference in the area. I am eager to support the dealer network and work closely with the rest of the Merlo team.”

Robin Cooch, National Aftersales Manager at Merlo UK, commented: “We are pleased to welcome Stuart back to Merlo. His extensive technical knowledge, hands-on experience, commitment

to service excellence, and leadership skills will be instrumental in supporting and mentoring our service teams. Stuart’s expertise will help drive our service delivery and enhance customer satisfaction across Northern England.”

In the coming weeks, Stuart will be introducing himself and meeting with dealer teams across his territory. He looks forward to collaborating to achieve shared goals and further strengthen Merlo’s service network.

Siân Pritchard appointed new AEA President

KUHN Farm Machinery’s managing director, Siân Pritchard, will become the Agricultural Engineers Association’s (AEA) newly elected president on 1 April 2025. She has outlined her commitment to encouraging new people into the industry and engaging with social media to support the AEA’s campaign, ‘We are Land Based Engineering’.

Siân is from a farm machinery background and her family farms on the Welsh border, and, following various machinery manufacturing roles on the continent, she became managing director of KUHN Farm Machinery, based in Telford, Shropshire, in 2009. Alongside successfully leading the brand over the last 16 years, her passion for encouraging young people into the industry has always been

a key focus, and one that she hopes to develop further in her time as AEA president.

“Not enough young people know about our sector and many simply don’t see it as a career option – that must change. The AEA’s campaign is there to inspire the next generation and highlight the opportunities for young people in agriculture. No one else is going to tell our story for us, we have to show how great it is. Tools such as social media have a crucial role, as this is where our next engineers are taking their inspiration from. We need to be the ones to provide them with it.”

2025 is a landmark 150th year for the AEA, with Siân becoming the first ever female president, which she says is a huge privilege to lead at a crucial time for the sector.

“It’s a tremendous honour to serve as president in this

special anniversary year. It marks a century and a half of innovation, resilience, and contribution to UK farming, food production, land management and the wider economy. The sector faces some very acute challenges and by adapting, evolving, and leading, we’ll continue to flourish,” concludes Siân.

Siân addressed the AEA conference encouraging members to use social media to highlight opportunities in the sector

Siân began her new role on 1 April 2025 and is committed to inspiring the next generation of agricultural engineers.

MAKITA’S NEW TABLESS XGT BATTERY

DELIVERS IMPROVED PERFORMANCE FOR THE MOST DEMANDING TASKS

MAKITA has launched an innovative new battery for its 40VMax XGT range of high-performance tools.

The 4.0Ah BL4040F battery is the first Makita battery to include cutting-edge tabless technology, which allows more efficient power delivery, better runtimes, and cooler running. As the latest Makita F-Type battery, it is engineered for performance on the very highest demand applications.

The tabless lithium-ion cells in the new BL4040F eliminates the bottleneck caused by current concentration by connecting the entire end of the electrode to the end of the cell, instead of connecting to tabs at each end.

With a larger connection area inside the cell, heat generation is minimised. This means that even under high load, the cell temperature is reduced compared to standard designs, which has a positive effect on the overall service life of the battery. A further benefit is that the battery can be charged immediately after intense use, with no need for a cooling phase, meaning shorter overall charging times. The tabless 4.0Ah BL4040F battery delivers up to 36%

longer runtimes and operates 32% cooler compared to the standard 4.0Ah BL4040.

require. In fact, the BL4040F is

Like all Makita F-Type batteries, the BL4040F is a high-output battery designed for enhanced performance and better runtimes on higher drain tools such as chainsaws, breakers and demolition hammers. The new 4.0Ah BL4040F delivers the same 2.1kw maximum output as the 5.0Ah BL4050F. This means customers now have the choice of the larger, higher capacity 5.0Ah battery or the smaller, lighter 4.0Ah battery to achieve the high output that demanding tasks require. In fact, the BL4040F is 34% more compact and 28% lighter than the BL4050F.

As with all Makita’s XGT 40VMax batteries, the BL4040F is built for the toughest environments with an impact resistant and shock absorbing casing to protect the battery cells, as well as a triple layer structure to protect against water and dust ingress. XGT batteries also feature Makita’s digital communication system that connects the tool and battery to actively protect against overload, overdischarge and overheating.

The XGT range has over

40VMax batteries, the BL4040F

125 40VMax and 80VMax (2x 40VMax) products including drills, impact drivers and wrenches, angle grinders, nailers, dust extractors, and circular, mitre and reciprocating saws. There is also a wide range of XGT garden and grounds maintenance machines including mowers, chain saws, blowers, brush cutters, hedge trimmers and earth augers.

Kevin Brannigan, Marketing Manager at Makita said:

“The new tabless BL4040F is specifically designed for the

most demanding applications and will deliver superior performance and runtimes as well as the long service life that customers expect from Makita products. The launch of this cutting edge, next generation battery is just the latest part of our ongoing drive to ensure professionals have the high-performance products they need.”

To find out more about our tabless batteries and the XGT range visit www.makitauk. com/tabless-technology

www.alexstewartagriculture.com

RAPE KNIVES & CHAFF SPREADERS SUPPLIED Hilltop Farm, Danethorpe Hill, Newark, NG24 2PD 01636 702524 / 07976 696712 combinefabrications.co.uk

PRESTRESSED PANELS CAN BE USED FOR A WIDE VARIETY OF APPLICATIONS, INCLUDING:

· Agricultural (livestock, grain, roots, silage)

Depth 0.500, 0.600, 1m, 1.2m, 1.5m.

Thicknesses 100mm,150mm, 180mm, 225mm)

Warehouses Storage Soil retention Security QUALITY PRE STRESSED CONCRETE PANELS

Tel: 01325 718498 | 07876 491766 Austen Email: austen@lowgrangequarry.co.uk www.lowgrangequarryltd.co.uk

ALSO: POTATO PLANTING & LIFTING

Phil

Our Areas of Expertise Clifton Park Hospital

At Clifton Park Hospital we offer fast access to the highest standards of care, so patients know they can trust us to help them get better quickly.

Orthopaedic Surgery

Cosmetic Surgery

Upcoming Patient Events

Diagnostics

Our expert consultants are committed to offering excellent care as soon as you need it; that’s why they dedicate time to offer complimentary advice, with no obligation, so you can be sure before making a decision.

Suffering With Back Pain?

with Mr. Raman Kalyan, Orthopaedic Surgeon

Thursday 29th May, 6:00pm - 8:00pm York Sports Club, Shipton Rd, York, YO30 5RE

Understanding Arthitis - Hip & Knee Conditions

with Mr. Chris Lodge, Orthopaedic Surgeon

Monday 2nd June, 6:00pm - 8:00pm Clifton Park Hospital, Shipton Rd, Rawcliffe, YO30 5RA

Steven J Dresser - Covering Every Aspect of Agricultural Electrical Installations

Dresser ’s continues to be a thriving business with an established strong team

Based in Thirsk, North Yorkshire, D re sser ’s serve the farming community thro u ghout Yorkshire and the North East. The compan y consists of 15 qualified tradesmen and 4 full-time off i ce staf f.

• Intruder alarm installations and maintenance

• Fire alarm and emergency lighting installation and maintenance

Installing Solar PV Now!

Dresser’s s ervic e s include:

• Every aspect of agricultural electrical contracting

• Electrical condition reports for insurers

• Livestock alarm monitoring

• CCTV installations and maintenance

• IT and data installations

• Perimeter protection and security lighting

• Electric motor sales, repairs and rewinds

• Installation of standby generators & change over switch gear

• Solar PV installation and repairs

01845 574691 office@stevenjdresser.co.uk

STEVEN explains that despite the government’s decision to abolish feed in tariffs SOLAR PV still provides tremendous cost savings to clients given the ever-increasing cost of electricity and the demand for constant usage. A return of 10% upwards is still easily achievable without feed in tariffs. Steven said: “The company continues to install a wide range of Solar PV schemes, including installations at numerous dairy farms, pig fattening sites, poultry units and for manufacturing business’s .