FW Awards 2009: Young Farmer of the Year finalist – Edward Clark
Technical know-how is something arable grower Edward Clark takes very seriously, from producing the best combinable crops through to benchmarking costs and profitability.
The 34-year-old sees continuous learning as a vital part of his own professional development and key to success at Decoy Farm, Upper Winchendon, Buckinghamshire.
Edward runs the farm with his parents, Michael and Leah Clark, and one full-time employee, which is no mean feat given the mix of combinable crops, a suckler herd and beef finishing unit set in two blocks six miles apart. They have been tenants at Decoy Farm for many years, but acquired Tythrop Park Farm at Kingsay 10 years ago.
The soil type varies considerably between loamy sand on one farm to heavy Oxford clay on the other. There is no significant diversification other than property lets, but environmental stewardship was taken up at the earliest opportunity.
Edward’s focus has been on the arable side while his father has controlled the livestock. He admits this is something he needs to address for the future. “As they say with corn and horn, when one is up the other is down. They balance each other nicely. But I need to get more involved in the beef side and I need to learn,” he said.
Together they handle 400ha, of which half is owned and the rest tenanted, rented or contract farmed. Edward is a firm believer in handling all his own grain marketing. He makes good use of Glencore’s buying power for all input purchases and relies on their web-based grain marketing tool, Grainman, for pricing data. He is an active member of the Vale Arable Group and works with the HGCA to share information with other farmers online. Benchmarking has convinced him that his fertiliser costs are low in comparison with other farm businesses, but his other variable costs are still too high.
“I believe this to be an invaluable exercise and our quarterly meetings are always lively and thought provoking,” he said. “It’s sometimes very easy as a farmer to not think outside the box, as it’s not an industry that lends itself to facts and figures. I am now able to know my exact cost of production per tonne and even forecast more accurately, which is imperative given the market volatility and fluctuation in input costs.”
Feed wheat is grown on one site and milling wheat on the other as well as barley, oilseed rape and beans on a five-year rotation. Edward enjoys doing the forward selling himself and has achieved good wheat prices at £125/t for this harvest. In the past year he became FACTS and BASIS qualified, but still employs an independent agronomist because, he says, “the more you know, the better”.
Edward is keen to improve the livestock side of the farm, as he is in charge of calving 100 Simmental cross cows and admits he is a beginner. The fattening work is done at Tythrop Park Farm, where he and an employee have just built an 8000sq ft finishing shed entirely on their own. All cattle are sold through Thame Auction Mart.
The future for Edward will be to expand through buying more land, but only if it lifts farm profitability. He describes himself as a “forward thinker, but with a certain amount of caution”.
Farm facts
- 400ha, half owned and rest tenanted, rented or contract farmed
- Combinable crops, plus suckler herd and beef finishing unit
- One full-time member of staff
- Turnover £500,000, profits £112,000
- Pioneering spirit: James (seen with judges Adrian Ivory and Jane King) has expanded fast.
What the judges liked
Paul Davies, vice-principal, RAC, Cirencester:
- “Edward is a very good, knowledgeable arable farmer with high-yielding modern crop varieties. He enjoys and does particularly well at personally marketing his grain.”
Adrian Ivory, Scottish beef producer and FW Farmer of the Year 2008:
- “I was very impressed with his knowledge and his dedication to selling his own crop.”
Three achievements
- Strong on agronomy and benchmarking
- Keen to learn all aspects of business management
- Forward thinker