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.
Farmers using Claydon Opti-Till tell us they are saving tens of thousands of pounds every year on establishing their crops. But it’s the environment that also benefits.
Drilling direct and eliminating unnecessary cultivations can save you thousands in establishment costs every year, and the Claydon Opti-Till® system does just that.
Claydon Drills give us an update on the wash out during drilling and the importance of soil resilience.
See more of Claydon Drills at Direct Driller at Cereals in June 2024
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, …
12m Eco XL Joe Adams farms 2200 acres between Daventry and West Hadden in Northamptonshire. Thrupp Farms Limited are in the 5th year of growing continuous wheat and took delivery of the 12 meter Dale Drill Eco XL in 2021. Joe explains the reasons for moving away from a traditional plough based system to using …
New Machinery Tool provides in depth fixed cost analysis Improving financial performance on combinable crops relies on a true and accurate understanding of fixed costs, says Will Foyle farm business consultant with Hutchinsons. “Whilst a focus on yield is still important, understanding and being able to control overheads or fixed costs, is key to financial …
Agronomist in Focus – Drilling down into fixed costs Read More »
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. …
