58 NEW GRANGE FARM DEC / JAN 2021 • farmers-mart . co . uk
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‘ I ’ ve had a load of drills on demo this year as I ’ m trying to move away from the plough because I totally agree it is not good for soil health and carbon sequestration . It ’ s a big step but in 10 years ’ time I don ’ t think anybody will be ploughing . We are going mintill to start off our move and I ’ m looking at a Horsch or Vaderstad at the moment , but with machinery not cheap I want a plan properly in place rather than rushing in . We ’ re on RTK autosteer and we use section shut-off for the sprayer , with the same coming for the spreader . We also have satellite mapping and yield mapping on the combine – we now just need the combine driver , who is a bit of a fossil ( this is said in jest about his dad !) to use it properly !’
‘ I ’ m trying cover crops . We ’ ve had a few on-farm trials using a mix that includes black oats and phacelia and it ’ s looking really well . I ’ m going to try and direct drill the maize into the cover crop .’
‘ The only crop that leaves the farm is 500-600 tonnes of wheat . When it is down at £ 120 per tonne we may as well feed it to the cattle but when it is pushing £ 200 as it has been recently it ’ s worth selling .’
The cattle make up 90 + per cent of the livestock operation at New Grange Farm , the sheep make up the rest .
‘ The sheep make us a little busier ,’ says Mark . ‘ They usually come in when we ’ re a bit slacker after harvest . We start with them in September . We buy them out of the same marts we visit for the cattle and auctioneer Andrew Maughan at Penrith will buy for us because he knows what we ’ re looking for . It ’ s myself and dad that do the buying . The sheep come in when we have the time , when we ’ re not drilling or harvesting . Like the cattle , the sheep go to be sold at Selby with the rest going through Dunbia . We take them all to around 45 kilos although that is market driven too and some years they want big lambs and other times they want small .’
‘ We sell between December and April as hoggs . When the teeth start coming up we really want to be out of them . We graze them on grass and turnips .’
Both Mark and Matt studied at college . Mark at Bishop Burton and then Harper Adams . Matt at Askham Bryan .
New Grange Farm is tenanted from the Fitzwilliam Estate .