How Berks farm estate is preparing for a progressive future

Developing a sustainable and viable farming operation while keeping to the Welford Park Estate’s ethos of protecting the land is the task being undertaken by the host of the AHDB Monitor Farm near Newbury.

Farm facts – Welford Park Estate

  • 640ha combinable crops – winter wheat, spring barley, winter beans, spring oats, spring triticale
  • 224ha contract farming agreement
  • 120ha permanent pasture
  • Industrial, commercial and residential lettings
  • Syndicate shoot
  • Gardens and house – TV location and venue

Although it is described as a traditional farming estate, the Berkshire operation has always been prepared to embrace change, with soil health and biological approaches now seen as the central components of future success. 

See also: How new carbon offset scheme for regenerative ag works

With these starting to work well, farm manager Rob Waterston’s focus is on becoming a carbon-neutral operation to meet environmental and social responsibilities, while also hitting productivity targets.

New income streams are being assessed and collaborative ventures explored, with Mr Waterston keen to look at local and landscape nature recovery projects as well as how potential markets for carbon credits and biodiversity net gain can be exploited.

Changing rotation

On the 640ha farm, the wake-up call came six years ago in 2015, when blackgrass started to threaten the viability of the wheat crop, he recalls.

“That year, for the first time, I had to spray some wheat off. It made me realise that we needed to make some changes.”

Those changes started with the rotation, which had been based on winter cropping and majored on wheat, barley and oilseed rape, together with a high spend on artificial inputs.

Spring barley was introduced in the place of winter barley, which reduced growing costs and meant that cover crops could be grown in front of the spring crop – protecting the soil, recycling nutrients and preventing erosion.

Now extending to 400ha and grown on all the land that would otherwise be vulnerable over the winter, the covers are grazed with sheep and have provided valuable habitat.

Cover crop lessons

“Three years later, we are still tweaking the cover crop mixes,” says Mr Waterston. “We’ve learned that brassicas need to be avoided due to slugs, so tend to include species such as phacelia, oats, vetch, buckwheat and linseed.”

Where winter beans are planned, the preceding cover is usually based on mustard and white clover.

A trial will be carried out this year to see if a white clover understorey can be established where two consecutive spring breaks are grown, with the following winter wheat crop being direct drilled into it.

Double spring breaks have become a feature of the very flexible rotation, with spring triticale and spring oats making their first appearance last year. Both will be grown again – the triticale went for pig and poultry feed, while the spring oats all made the grade for human consumption.

“With herbicide performance slipping and costs rising, spring cropping is the only way to reduce our grassweed population significantly, save on inputs and get some diversity into the system.”

Winter break crops

Oilseed rape has been dropped from the rotation for now, after yields fell from 4t/ha to just over 2t/ha and the growing challenges mounted.

“We were probably growing it too frequently,” he admits. “Dropping it wasn’t a difficult decision – it was costing us too much to grow.”

A look-see at winter linseed this year as a possible replacement hasn’t been successful – the crop was killed by the very low February temperatures.

Winter wheat grown at Welford Park Estate averages 10t/ha, with Group 4 feed varieties Graham and Gleam in the ground this year. Hitting the protein levels needed for the milling specification is a struggle on the farm’s mixed soil types, which have a high stone content and include some gravel land.

Biological treatments

Efforts to further reduce the farm’s reliance on bagged nutrients and pesticides is a continual process, with Mr Waterston working closely with Edaphos agronomist Ben Harrington to bring in biological approaches to pest and disease control.

More trace elements are being used, to optimise plant health, while nitrogen fertiliser amendments are added to liquid fertiliser to improve nitrogen use efficiency.

Silicon is being applied to growing crops this year, to see whether its protective layer is effective, with microbes being added at drilling.

“We attempted to grow winter wheat with no fungicide inputs last year and very nearly succeeded,” recalls Mr Waterston. “Unfortunately some yellow rust came in, so we had to spray for that.”  

Soil health

The business is moving to a no-till approach, although he doesn’t believe that all the soils are quite ready for direct-drilling yet.

He uses a Mzuri strip-till drill to establish cover crops, going in right behind the combine, while a Weaving GD drill is used to establish autumn-sown crops if the conditions are suitable.

Most of the straw is chopped and incorporated, with farmyard manure also being used to help build soil organic matter and improve resilience. Sewage sludge has also been applied on a rotational basis, with Mr Waterston keeping a close eye on soil indices.

Other income streams

Rob Waterton

Rob Waterton © Jamie Santosh Photography

A Higher Tier Countryside Stewardship Scheme and a Mid Tier scheme are already in place at Welford Park Estate, while a Woodland Grant Scheme also exists.

The Higher Tier scheme mainly covers parkland and woodland, while the Mid Tier scheme is based on the cover crop area and includes flower and nectar mixes, beetle banks, flower-rich margins, winter bird food and hedgerow management.

A new woodland planting scheme is being considered for 10ha of marginal land, both for future generations to enjoy and for its ability to sequester carbon.

Rob Waterston is an early adopter of the UK’s first soil carbon offsetting scheme, having signed up to the Gentle Farming/Commodicarbon offer and, after carrying out some baseline assessments, is tracking soil carbon sequestration throughout the year with its specialist software.

Once the cropping year is completed, verified certificates will be issued, allowing him to either sell them himself or use the Gentle Farming service and pay commission.

“I’m all for it, if I can sell it,” says Mr Waterston. “The scheme recognises the impact that regenerative agriculture can have on soil carbon.”

The first meeting of the AHDB Newbury Monitor Farm will take place on the farm on the afternoon of Thursday 1 July. For more information and to register, go to www.ahdb.org.uk/cereals-oilseeds

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