Jan 2025 It’s been a while since I last wrote a Farmer focus article in Direct Driller magazine. Harvest 24’ Seems like a long time ago, yet we’re now closer to the next harvest than we were the last. 2024 On the farm was a year to forget for many reasons, even before the Autumn …
Written by Nick Adams, Wildlife Consultant, Lower Pertwood Farm The winds of change are blowing strongly through the Agricultural sector. Leading the charge is the word “wilding” with all its different permutations and options. Lower Pertwood Farm has always had a strong commitment to its wildlife and is fortunate in that it has many acres …
Balancing Wildlife and Farming at Lower Pertwood Farm Read More »
Another year, another set of problems? I can only feel at the time of writing that we are getting kicked yet again with what I can only describe as the worst budget I have ever seen in my life! Aside from what they are doing to farming; what on earth are they doing to the …
Dec 2024 Another tough year of compromises, setbacks and stress, all as a direct result of the not-so-great British weather. The lack of sunlight throughout the year coupled with the continuous and unprecedented rainfall events that we’ve been receiving really has made for a hard time, especially on the arable side of the business. Over …
Well, 2024 was a bit rubbish on the farm. We didn’t get all our planned cash crops planted, either autumn 2023 or spring 2024 and some of our summer cover crops (grown instead of profitless break crops) were disappointing, to say the least. The spring linseed was a bit patchy too, but the weather ensured …
Written by Nature Friendly Farming Network Under the stewardship of award-winning farmers James and Emma Loder-Symonds, Nonington Farms exemplifies how farming can embrace nature-friendly practices while maintaining profitability and producing high-quality crops. Their multi-generational farm serves as a vibrant showcase, welcoming everyone from school groups to farm clusters. In 2013, James and Emma Loder-Symonds made …
How an arable farming system in Kent is balancing nature and financial viability Read More »
September 2024 How one’s life can change between articles! You never think anything is ever going to happen to you! I can honestly say that it has been the worst year of my life so far! As somebody that has always taken health and safety seriously, you just never know what is around the corner …
September 2024 Alice and my pre harvest holiday was with Wild With Consent whose website promises ‘This is wild camping, but not as you know it’. I have always asked for Alice’s consent before going wild otherwise she would have me arrested. What the website actually meant that we could camp in a remote place …
September 2024 Another year has passed and although I am without doubt a bit older, hopefully I am a little wiser from all the errors that I have made. We have tried to devise a rotation based around predominantly first wheats, interrupted with break crops of grass seed (down for two and a half years …
September 2024 The deluge of the last few days, following the wettest winter since 1836 and the drought of the previous year, make it abundantly clear that we’re now farming in a fundamentally different water cycle. Improving the capacity of our soils to infiltrate and percolate heavy rainfall is going to be critical for a …
