NESS HALL 45
• FEB/MAR 2018
70264 - JRFirbyLtd - 16TH.pdf 1 02/02/2018 10:23:10
J R FIRBY LTD
Agricultural Machinery Dealers & Farmers | Machinery Sales & Hire
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www.jrfirby.co.uk
J R Firby Ltd are proud to be suppliers to Richard Murray Wells
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We always have a large range of tractors, combines,
Balers, forklifts and all other agricultural machinery
from grassland to arable for sale or looking to buy.
Call us today on 01653 628614 or
07960 013019 Mob: 07831 776752
Carr House Farm, Green Dyke Lane, Slingsby, York, North Yorkshire, England, YO62 4AX
and Graham with an average yield of
around 4 tonnes per acre on land that var-
ies from limestone to heavy clay and two
types of red and black sand. A reasonable
quantity of Mulika spring milling wheat is
also grown.
Feed barley is grown across 300-500
acres dependent on the season with
hybrids Belfry and Bazooka. Last harvest
provided exceptional yields for Ness land of
just under 4 tonnes per acre. Oilseed rape is
also grown across 300-500 acres coming in
at around 1.75 tonnes per acre.
New for the 2018 harvest are sugar beet
and 50 acres of peas through JE Hartley of
Selby that make up part of the convention-
al 5-6-year cropping rotation. Autotrack
on tractors, satellite imagery using the N
sensor and variable fertiliser application
through SOYL are all in regular use.
Where possible Max tries to ensure
cultivation is dealt with in one pass using
a Sumo, but he also has a Rexus Twin and
Vaderstad. Harvest starts in mid-July with
barley, followed by rape and wheat finish-
ing in September. Combines used include
the farm’s own New Holland CR980 and a
hired in Claas Lexion 570.
‘Climate change has certainly brought
about extremes,’ says Max. ‘The trend is
that it is either dry or wet for longer with no
happy medium.’
Fertiliser purchased for the next year
comes in before Christmas when storage
space is freed up by the sale of corn. Straw
is exchanged with local livestock farmers
on straw for muck contracts. Grain drying
is handled by an Allmet continuous flow
dryer and includes on floor drying. Sub-
stantial amounts of grain go into the Vivergo
plant in Hull with feed barley going to local
feed mills.
Richard is determined to find the right
mix of arable cropping and environmental
measures and he’s positive about his farm
enterprise’s future but he’s looking for the
government to give him the heads up over
what that mix will work best in future.
‘Potentially we are in a time of enormous
change and it’s not clear to me exactly
which way we are heading. We are all an-
ticipating going head to head on the world
stage. We will adapt of course but it would
be very helpful to see where the target is.’
World leaders in one pass seedbed
preparation and drilling technology
www.russells.uk.com
PROUD TO WORK WITH NESS HALL
RICHARD MURRAY WELLS
Richard is married to Harriette with two
children. His great grandmother Doris
Gillam (nee Homfray) purchased Ness Hall
in 1949 for Richard’s grandmother Cynthia
who married Sledmere Estate land agent
Hugh Murray Wells. They built up the farm-
ing operation that Richard’s father David
Murray Wells expanded further.
MAX WARD
Max grew up on his parents’ John and
Sue’s family farm at Oswaldkirk. He worked
on local farms for 14 years before coming
to Ness.
Branches throughout Yorkshire
Please contact our head office on:
01653 698000
[email protected]