Ruston Farm
We are pleased to be associated with David Shepherdson
and wish them continued success in the future
Hardwick Agricultural Engineers Ltd
Tel: 01723 859785 / 859698 Web: www.hardwickagricultural.co.uk
walls with. The soil is also thin.
It runs sandy in the bottom of
the valley but it gets thinner
as it runs up the hill. It’s mainly
Grade 3 land. We’ll never get
4.5 tonnes an acre for wheat.
The best we will get is around
3.75 tonnes in a really good
field and we grow mainly for
feed. This year’s varieties
across 196 acres of wheat are
Revelation, Leeds and Skyfall.
‘The thin soil keeps the
nitrogen count low and that
suits us for malting barley.
This year we have 174 acres of
winter barley variety SY Venture
that is hopefully all destined
for Muntons at Flamborough.
We will also be growing 40
acres of spring malting barley
variety Propino. We also have
spring oats planned for the
first time this year and I hope
they will go for porridge oats
through Frontier; plus 77 acres
of Vertigo spring beans. I’ve
become disillusioned with
oilseed rape and have dropped
it altogether this year owing
to the costs associated with
growing it and losing some
through neonicotinoids.’
The Shepherdsons have
grain storage on farm and by
selling the barley on contract
they are able to make way for
the wheat. David admits he is
concerned with current grain
prices.
‘It’s all just about viable at
the moment but needs to be
around £150/tonne to make it
really worthwhile. The trouble
with corn prices is that they
haven’t kept up with the prices
of the equipment you need to
grow the crops. We’re selling
corn at the same prices as
when I was at school and
yet in that time tractor prices
have probably trebled at
the very least and combine
harvester prices are ridiculous.
Agrochemical costs have
reached obscene levels too.’
Livestock has always played
its part at Ruston but David has
switched from sheep to cattle.
‘We’d had sheep until I
started taking an interest in
the management of the farm.
At one time we had a flock of
350 Suffolk X ewes but they’ve
gradually been dwindled off.
We started cutting down in
2000.’
It was David’s interest in
Highland cattle, alongside
his desire to relieve himself
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www.farmers-mart.co.uk Spring 2017 57