Over the last few years we have established an extensive owl box scheme across our farms in Lincolnshire.  For three years, we have been collecting data on the successes and failures of the boxes and keeping track of where the locations work best.

The results gathered and analysed so far have shown that the most fruitful boxes are those that link location to the wider environment, where establishment and management of our environmental stewardship and voluntary features have provided suitable hunting and feeding areas.

Barn owls are a great indicator of activity in the wider environment demonstrating the success of the local biodiversity within the farmed wildlife corridors, which is a key factor to their breeding and survival.

In the last week, we have revisited 11 of our owl boxes from which there has been 45 chicks recorded, all of which are second broods.

A fantastic and very encouraging result that has accentuated that the wider ecosystem is providing enough support for the barn owls to breed successfully for the second time this season.

An icon of the British countryside, the Barn Owl can flourish in a balanced landscape of environmental management and sustainable food production.

2019 Harvest has been a good year for crops generally.  However BDFL, like others, has faced extreme weather events, the most notable being the significant amount of rain falling in Lincolnshire which damaged a large area of the vining pea crop. We continue to invest in our soils with a renewed focus on cover cropping, utilisation of organic manures as well as making advancement in precision technology to maintain output at a lesser cost, and with a lower impact on the wider environment. Cultural control of pernicious weeds such as blackgrass continues with levels of this weed low, and in the main controllable by rotation and rogueing. The company was forward sold on cereals but undersold on oilseeds prior to harvest. Some observations on the yields below:

Summer forage yields are pleasing with digestate utilisation and land choice helping average yields.

Despite losing a considerable area of vining peas to flooding, the company exceeded its contract for the crop, although quality was difficult to maintain in a summer with large variations in temperature.

OSR crops are below our budget. Crop area lost to flea beetle is too high, with some crops written off in spring. In the south of England the crop has been significantly reduced or phased out.

Spring Barley yields in Lincolnshire are good with crops further south faring less well but are still close to budget. Quality is good, although delayed harvest as a result of wet weather means some samples are a bit “scruffy”.

Wheat yields are above budget for the season but some yield was lost to shedding of grain in certain varieties and a delayed harvest.  50% of the crop is grown for milling and seed the remainder feed varieties.

Attention now turns to potatoes, sugar beet and maize and these results will be posted after harvest.

Whilst the sun has been shining, we have been pollinator surveying! Our established wildflower and pollinator mixes across the Estate have been flourishing, so we have been investigating what benefits they are providing for the wider environment.

The surveys were carried out by sweep netting across three sites on our Lincolnshire Estate. The sweep nets collect invertebrates from vegetation and flower heads, enabling specific identification of the different species found within our environmental plots & margins.

The results are in and from the surveys that were taken across our environmental features, over 930 records were made, recording 370 different species. Over 10 of these species have been recognised as nationally rare, including the Large Garden Bumblebee which is a priority species due to a nationally significant decline in numbers over the last 100 years.

Of the species that were found 50% are frequent pollinators which form a vital component to our wider ecosystem. Many crops that are grown for human consumption rely on pollination where the plants are fertilised by the pollinator to enable the production of seeds that become the next generation of plants. In addition, pollinators create and maintain habitats and ecosystems that many animals rely on for food and shelter.

The environmental plots and margins that have been established across the Estate have a significant role in encouraging pollinator production.  By creating and managing them in a practical way alongside our farming activities we strive to deliver, and record further benefits across the landscape.

Significant business contribution made by Harper Adams Placement Student

Dyson Farming is pleased to announce that a key recommendation from a research project completed by placement student Rob Harris is now in operation. Dyson Farming is proud to give significant opportunities to all members of the team and always encourages staff to come forward with suggestions which, if viable, will be implemented.

Carrington AD plant was commissioned in January 2016 and BDFL soon recognised that there was an opportunity for the gas that had not been utilised to be captured, stored and used at a future date. This recognition coincided with the arrival of Rob Harris, who joined BDFL on his placement year whilst studying for a FdSc in Agriculture with Harper Adams University. Part of Rob’s degree involved the completion of a Professional Project and so, with a clear business challenge identified, Rob set out to understand the potential and present the business with a range of practical recommendations.

Rob produced an insightful report into the engine and gas flare usage at the anaerobic digestion plant at Carrington and alongside methods for gas storage to allow for deferred AD usage he went further to explore alternative end uses including fuel for transport, central heating and hot water for domestic properties.

James Thompson, Head of Farming at BDFL, recognised the value of Rob’s report and, following Farm Board approval for this significant investment, works commenced on the construction of a secondary digester with increased gas storage in summer 2018.  This investment is now returning a double-digit payback and will allow further development of the activity at Carrington. This is likely to have a significant and positive impact on fuel use in the business.

This week Rob, Jim Hayes (Farm Manager) and Paul Corbridge (AD Plant Manager) were delighted to be able to mark the completion of the works at a recent ceremony.

BDFL continues to explore ways of working in an eco-efficient manner and the potential to operate tractors on bio-methane is currently under investigation.

Whilst catching a quick breath between cereal harvest and maize harvest the Farming team have been lending a hand to the Estate team who are responsible for managing our extensive environmental schemes.

 The utilisation of modern machinery ordinarily used for the harvesting of commercial crops can also deliver environmental benefits. Forage harvesters allow for the efficient removal of herbage from Countryside Stewardship margins to encourage regrowth and lower fertility by removing the cuttings which are then used to produce green energy. Lower nutrient levels in the soil ensures that more fragile wildflowers are not out competed by strong growing grasses.

 It is hoped that foraging vegetation from margins will reduce the dense bottom growth or “matting” that is sometimes seen after traditional mowing. Matting can inhibit the growth of less vigorous species thus lowering overall plant diversity. Taking steps to maximise the diversity of margins provides a range of habitats for different species. Whether mowing or indeed foraging, the creation of structural diversity (i.e. wildflower areas of different heights and growth stages) within stewardship margins encourages a greater range of farmland birds, small mammals and invertebrates.

 Field margins across the Estate have an important role in aiding the movement of species through the landscape. By taking an innovative approach to managing these areas with machinery designed for commercial purposes, we hope to support the wider ecological network.

Our combinable crop, vining pea and early forage crop harvest is now complete and our results are shown below. The year to date has been one of extremes with a cold winter being followed by a late wet spring and a very hot and dry summer. This weather pattern has inevitably created a range of crop yields and in the chart below we have shown the yield variance in each geographic area and crop type.

In general, better yields have been seen on soil types which are more moisture retentive or where organic manures have been used. We have continued to invest in soil by improving drainage; catch and cover cropping to protect and enhance soil structure; and employing new technology and wider rotation of our crops and livestock.

• The variation in yield within the wheat crop is huge, and almost directly related to soil type, our continued investment in soil has to some degree mitigated the effect of the dry summer weather. 53% of the area was dedicated to Group 1 and 2 varieties and seed with the remainder Group 4. The highest yielding varieties are Graham, Grafton and Kerrin.
• Spring barley is of malting quality with good specific weight and low retentions.
• In line with yields nationally, OSR yields are below expectation. Despite full establishment the crop came to maturity more quickly than normal with small seeds. In general OSR crops are grown on a wide rotation but where this was closer, crop yields were below 3.0t/ha
• Vining Peas were the crop most affected by the heat with some crops not receiving any rain from drilling to vining. Extreme heat reduced flowering and reduced pod numbers. Pea size was also correspondingly small.

BBC Countryfile visited the Nocton Farm at the end of May 2018 to interview Sir James Dyson and take a look at some of the technology and initiatives employed on our farms. Over the next few weeks we are going to take a more in-depth look at some of the topics that were discussed during the program:

• Environmental Stewardship and voluntary initiatives
• Data and automation
• High tech – low input farming

If there are other subjects you would like to know more about we would love to hear from you, please contact us at enquiries@beeswaxdyson.com

Each year a student studying agriculture is given the opportunity to complete a 12 month work placement at Dyson Farming.

“Spending a year at Dyson Farming has opened my eyes to a number of different aspects of farming. Having come from a family run 300ha arable farm in Dorset, it has certainly been a different experience getting to know the Lincolnshire landscape and the local area. Being brought up on a farm, I already had experience of cultivations, harvest operations and general farm work but I took the opportunity to spend 9 months traveling around Australia and New Zealand where I was able to gain further experience of combining and drilling on farm in Western Australia.

After returning from abroad, I joined Harper Adams University to study Agriculture for which I was required to undertake a middle year placement. I chose to spend my placement year at Dyson Farming because of the diverse nature of the company which continues to expand year on year. With so many specific areas of expertise and a wide range of crops, the placement has enabled me to gain many new experiences. With a relaxed and hardworking atmosphere, I felt very welcome and I was able to develop a great working relationship with the department managers and their teams.

The program included two and a half months working on the anaerobic digester (AD); three weeks with the property team; two weeks working with livestock; two weeks shadowing the agronomist and the remainder of the time with the arable team. The most enjoyable and interesting aspect of the placement was spending time with the AD team as it was an aspect of the business that was completely new to me. I also enjoyed the responsibility that I was given on the farm: driving the Ropa Maus for the forage crop harvest; relief chaser bin driver; and drilling 930ha out of the 1400ha of oilseed rape. There was no part of my year at Dyson Farming that I did not enjoy.

During the year I was able to undertake a range of additional qualifications including B+E trailer test, loading shovel and UTV certificates. These will hopefully open up new opportunities and experiences for me and also help with my future career.

I would highly recommend the Dyson Farming placement to anyone wanting to gain experience of a large commercial farming company. As the business continues to grow and developing a wide range of farming enterprises with highly skilled and experienced staff, it is a brilliant place to work and learn.”

Robert Harris, 2016-17 placement student.

Our combinable crop, pea and early forage crop harvest is complete and our results are shown below. 2017 has proved to be an interesting growing year with the early part of the season dry and the latter wet. Crops generally reached maturity date earlier than normal, but inclement weather prevented the timely harvest of some crops resulting in a decline in quality and yield – but overall a “good harvest”

Our thoughts on crop performance :

• A small area of winter barley performed badly with later planting to reduce the pressure of black grass the main reason for this.
• Forage rye and barley in line with budget. A wide range of yields to achieve the average with later planted barley performing less well than well-established rye.
• Pea vining was protracted reflecting the range of planting date, soil type and aspect. Result 10% over our expectation.
• OSR crops generally clean with even establishment, pre-planting digestate and placement fertiliser being the main contributors to yield.
• Wheat has performed well with the majority of the crop grown for either milling or seed. Some varieties will be dropped due to inconsistent performance over two years.

Crops still to be harvested include potatoes, sugar beet and maize.

Our 2017 pea harvesting campaign is now complete after 70 days with almost 4,500 tonnes delivered into the freezing facility at Boston.  As ever those involved have faced challenges including weather, logistics and crop variability across the various soil types.  Our team has worked tirelessly with Greenyard Foods to maximise both yield and quality and we are delighted with the results! Early harvested fields have received either manure or digestate before being sown with a cover crop as part of our soil improvement strategy.