• AUG / SEP 2022 |
ECO-FRIENDLY FARMING 61 |
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willow . He looked at a couple of viable options , one was EC0 2 at Brigg who were looking for suppliers to cover the growing biomass market but it was at this point he met up with Neil Watkins who was then working for a Swedish company , Iggesund at Workington in Cumbria . They operated a paper mill and required heat to dry the paper pulp . In doing so they also generated enough surplus electricity to supply a town the size of Carlisle .
Ian was impressed with Neil ’ s knowledge and the system at Workington , his only reservation was that the distance from North Lincolnshire to Workington wasn ’ t a particularly ecofriendly journey to market the willow . However , this provided much needed stability in the world of willow production .
The next stage of development came about as a result of Neil Watkins leaving Iggesund .
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Neil set up Energy Crops Consultancy in 2020 along with his co-founder Jason Schofield from Wetherby . Jason farms 200 hectares near Wetherby , and has run a number of highly successful global businesses . Jason was hugely impressed by the expertise Neil had brought to his farm , helping him to establish 40 hectares of Willow .
Ian had an excellent relationship with Neil and it seemed the natural progression to move to Energy Crops Consultancy , particularly as Neil had secured markets for the willow much nearer to home which suited Ian ’ s preference to keep his produce as eco friendly and profitable as possible . Last year ’ s crop went just north of Scunthorpe , a distance of only about twenty miles . Right now there is more demand for , than supply of willow . Last year they planted another 10ha . The farm now has 30 ha of willow and 120 ha of grass ,
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winter wheat , beans and cover crops . The cover crops were linseed and oats but Ian is currently experimenting with vetch and clover planted in rotation to increase natural nitrogen levels for the wheat . The remainder of the land is now rented out or put to grass .
Ian and Daniel ’ s desire is to achieve more sustainable agriculture . Their relationship with Energy Crops Consultancy is now firmly in place with a strong minimal guarantee .
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Willow , despite some challenges has been a good for the farm because of the type of crop it is , it doesn ’ t demand as many hours which is great for Ian as he is now at the age where he would like to do less rather than more . It has provided Daniel with the opportunity to use his passion for electronics in designing and producing machinery that is not available elsewhere .
Willow Beetle is really the only troublesome parasite , it lays eggs on the leaf , the emerging
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caterpillars in turn devour the foliage . It is difficult to get into the willow crop to treat due to its height and density . Daniels ’ s project is developing a robot that will be able to traverse the rows and spray the leaves . There are numerous challenges around connectivity when using robots and the ability to manoeuvre in the dense growth . Suffice to say Daniel ’ s engineering brain is already well on with a potential solution . This gives him an ideal mix from the day-to-day world of farming and the head scratching , mind boggling trial and error world of Electronics development .
I asked Ian about the future “ Sitting on the fence ” was the reply . Ian is now just watching how things develop and will most probably increase the acreage of willow as time goes by . I am sure this shrewd team will mean their farm prospers well into future generations .
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