Farmers should be congratulated for continuing to produce food at low prices by constantly fine-tuning their businesses and keeping updated with the latest machinery, plant breeding developments and precision management techniques, says Jeff Claydon. The inventor of the Opti-Till® direct seeding system contemplates the challenges for UK farming and provides an update on the Claydon family’s arable farm in Suffolk.
Since the start of 2024 it has become evident that farmers all over the world have been pushed to the point where rising costs, increasing legislation and governmental pressures have left them with little choice but to make their feelings known to politicians in no uncertain terms. As I write this, it seems as if farmers everywhere are protesting. In the UK, throughout Europe and as far afield as the USA, Canada and Australia, the slogan ‘No Farmers, No Food, No Future’ is being seen everywhere.
This year’s numerous challenges continued into autumn on the Claydon family’s arable farm in Suffolk, writes Jeff Claydon, who invented the Opti-Till® direct strip seeding system. Date: 27 November 2023.      What a difference a year makes! I started my last article for Direct Driller, written on 29 August, by suggesting that further agronomic, meteorological, …
Catchy harvest brings numerous challenges Harvest was a real snatch and grab affair with numerous challenges for Jeff Claydon, Suffolk arable farmer and inventor of the Claydon Opti-Till® direct strip seeding system. In my last article for Direct Driller, written 27 May, I reflected on the dramatic contrasts between this season and last, both in …
Coping with the ups and downs of the farming industry necessitates being as efficient as possible, says Jeff Claydon, Suffolk arable crop producer and inventor of the Claydon Opti-Till® direct strip seeding system. The contrast between this season and last is dramatic, not just in terms of the weather but also the finances of farming. …
Written by Jeff Claydon April 2023 Issue Spring is the ideal time to check your soils and consider how to improve them, says Jeff Claydon, Suffolk arable farmer and inventor of the Claydon Opti-Till® direct strip seeding system. Spring is an excellent time to focus on soil health and how to improve it, because regardless …
Excellent soil health is fundamental for maximum farm productivity With autumn drilling on the Claydon farm completed and crops developing well, Jeff Claydon, inventor of the Opti-Till® direct strip seeding system, discusses the importance of excellent soil health and the role of effective stubble management in achieving it. 30 November 2022 Excellent soil health is a …
DIRECT DRILLER MAGAZINE – AUTUMN 2022 Excellent results from the 2022 harvest, but what next? With the harvest safely gathered in Jeff Claydon, Suffolk arable farmer and inventor of the Opti-Till® direct strip seeding system, discusses the results and looks ahead to next season. ——————————————————————————————————————————— 18 August 2022 It has been a very strange year …
Excellent results from the 2022 harvest, but what next? Read More »
TIME TO CHECK YOUR SOILS TO SEE WHERE IMPROVEMENTS CAN BE MADE. Spring is the ideal time to take stock of your soils, test how good they are, look for signs of compaction and check that drainage is operating correctly, says Jeff Claydon. In this article the Suffolk farmer and inventor of the Opti-Till® direct …
CHALLENGING AUTUMN WEATHER UNDERLINES THE NEED TO TAILOR CROP ESTABLISHMENTAPPROACH TO PREVAILING CONDITIONS Despite a stop-start harvest and the very changeable weather which followed, Suffolk farmer Jeff Claydon was able to establish all the planned area of winter crops. But, he says, this autumn highlighted the necessity of having a flexible approach and the ability …
