Booker set for name change
Booker set for name change
A NAME change is on the cards for one of the UKs largest farming companies.
Booker Farming is to be known as Broadoak Farming from next Monday (Feb 17). The move follows the management buy-out a year ago, when parent company Booker decided to sell the business which it no longer considered a core activity.
Broadoaks 20,000ha (50,000-acre) land portfolio, established under the Booker name, will be managed as before. Chief executive, Peter Johnson, expects that to grow by 1600-2000ha (4000-5000 acres) a year, mainly by expanding farming partnerships and contracting farming agreements.
"The company built a strong reputation supplying farm management services to pension companies," says Mr Johnson. "Those have been replaced by private clients with other business interests or who want to retire but not sell up."
Broadoaks 50 clients produced wheat for an average cost of about £85/t last year, he claims. *