Alan Ponder wins nabim/Crops milling wheat challenge

Essex grower Alan Ponder is the winner of the nabim/Crops Milling Wheat Challenge 2010, having impressed the judges with his in-depth knowledge of meeting the stringent quality requirements of the millers.

Milling wheat is the key crop, accounting for nearly 60% of the 1560ha he manages for Strutt and Parker Farms, near Burnham-on-Crouch. He also grows marrowfat combining peas for the Japanese snack market; linseed and oats for human consumption; and lucerne for the discerning equine market.

The focus on quality meant he extracted the best profits from crops grown on the heavy, silty clay soils at Deal Hall Farm on the Essex marshes.

Speaking to Farmers Weekly, nabim trade policy manager Martin Savage, who judged the three shortlisted finalists with former Farmers Weekly arable editor Robert Harris and Farmers Weekly Arable Farmer of the Year 2005 Mark Ireland, said he clearly understood the agronomy.

Despite heavy difficult land and a big blackgrass problem, he still produced high-quality wheat crops. “He was brimming with knowledge and had a clear vision for the crop, and particularly impressed us with his marketing.”

He seemed to be in good contact with millers, understood their requirements and how the grain was being used, said Mr Savage.

The two runners-up were Guy Smith, who farms 600ha at Wigboro Wick, Essex, and David White, who manages 400ha at Little Wilbraham, Cambridgeshire.

• Read the full profiles of the winner and the two runners up at www.fwi.co.uk/wheatchallenge