Start of Soil Structure Survey

August 26, 2009

Whilst not the top of the list of topics to talk about in the pub or at the dinner table, soil structure and organic matter content are vital parts of successful arable farm.  For hundreds of years this farm has used the plough to turn over soil prior to establishing a crop and it has proved highly successful.  Ploughing buries crop residue and weed seeds, removes ruts and compaction and releases nitrates which help the new crop to grow.  However with the rise of the price of diesel and steel, ploughing is now quite an expensive option so many farmers have moved to, or experimented with, ‘min-till‘ or ‘no-till‘ techniques.  As I have mentioned in a previous blog we bought a Claydon Direct Drill last year so have exactly one years experience of not ploughing but drilling directly into stubble.  One claimed benefit is that yields should not drop or possibly even increase.

I will post the results at the end of the harvest ! In addition non inversion tillage (not turning soil over) should increase surface organic matter and worm numbers.  Organic Matter levels are hard to measure so I thought it would be easier to monitor worm type and levels.  Dr Nancy Oakes has kindly agreed to do an informal study and visited the combine on August 14th to see how things were going and talk about how to start studying soil structure and worm levels when drilling starts in a few weeks.  We will also compare the results with fields that have been planting after the plough.

New Hawthorns Brochure

August 21, 2009

We got our new Media pack for The Hawthorns today, which we are very pleased with. You can download it here The Hawthorns Offices To Let Brochure (right click and select ’save as’)

We would love to know what you think.

First Year of Claydon Drill

August 16, 2009

In Autumn2008 we took the plunge and purchased a Claydon Drill.  The move from using a plough and powerharrow/drill combination to Direct Drilling was quite a radical step not least because the previous attempt at Direct Drilling in the 1970’s was not successful (as my father has pointed out on more than one occasion).  The move to Direct Drilling was partly due to reduce the number of field operations and thereby lowering costs but also an attempt to improve soil structure.  The farm is predominately heavy clay and any machinery passing over the soil will cause compaction.  Compaction will often lead to water logged soils and poor root penetration and result in a loss of yield.  The theory is that by avoiding ploughing and breaking down the soil with a power harrow, the Direct Drill will allow the soil to ’self structure’. However I don’t know if that theory works in practice.  I hope to monitor the soil structure and compare it with fields prepared under the old system to see if there is a difference. Ultimately the test will be crop yield.  If the yield of wheat harvested in lower under the Direct Drill system then the benefits of a reduced number of machinery passes or improved soil structure will not be sustainable.

We started the wheat harvest yesterday and have combined 2 fields, one established by Direct Drilling and one by ploughing and then using a powerharrow / combination drill.  Both fields were planted to a wheat variety called ‘Battalion’, both were second wheats and both yielded 3.3 tonnes / acre.  Clearly not a scientific study but an encouraging result!!

Celebrating more than two decades at The Hawthorns

August 16, 2009

Gilbert Crawford has run his bespoke joinery business from The Hawthorns since the first phase of workshops were completed in 1987.  He crafts exclusive kitchens and furniture for the home and office in carefully selected native and European hardwoods.  Gilbert works form a converted cider barn which retains many of the original features. Gilbert’s work is well known on the farm and he has been commissioned to make several pieces of furniture including wardrobes, beds and dressers including my own kitchen!

Gilbert outside his workshop

note: Gilbert’s work can be seen in the new kitchen of The Old Dairy.

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