Arable Innovator of the Year
2020 Finalists
Sponsored by Arable Farming
Highlighting arable farmers who have embraced technology, innovation and challenging conventional thinking.
Richard Anthony, R. & L. Anthony, Glamorgan
Richard Anthony operates a diverse, progressive arable farming enterprise which integrates livestock and renewable energy, with a primary focus on soil health. The 1,200 hectares of owned, rented and contract farmed land is predominantly arable growing winter wheat, oilseed rape, maize and barley, plus 265ha grassland and 800 breeding ewes. Recently introduced key investments include a biomass boiler and a 65kW organic rankine cycle, and a specially adapted Mzuri drill which has allowed three different crops to be established in one pass.
Charles Antrobus, Brockhall Farms, Warwickshire
Charles Antrobus moved to a more regenerative approach four years ago on his family’s mixed 470-hectare farming business. He follows three key principals: no soil inversion; always having living roots in the soil; and a wide crop rotation to promote soil health. The rotation has moved from being two wheat crops and oilseed rape to including wheat, barley, spring barley, beans, winter and spring oats, herbal leys, OSR and lucerne. The farm has reduced its use of nitrogen, fungicides and eliminated the use of insecticides, without detriment to yield.
Edward Burman, Hemp Whole Foods, Warwickshire
Edward Burman began growing industrial hemp for cooking oil and animal feed on his family’s arable and livestock enterprise in Warwickshire last year. The crop is cold-pressed to create a cooking oil sold through local farmshops, health food stores and online. The high protein by-product of the bottled hemp oil is fed to the farm’s sheep flock as a complete nutritional animal feed. Edward and his father have used their vast engineering experience to fabricate a specialist combine header to manage the harvesting process of hemp more efficiently.
George Young, A.G. Young & Sons, Essex
George Young has taken on an agroecological approach to growing crops including heritage wheat, oilseed rape, winter beans, spring beans, spring peas, buckwheat, lentils, hemp and herbal leys on the family 485-hectare farm. He sends YQ Wakelyns population wheat to a local bakery and has recently purchased a mill with plans to create a ‘food hub’ on-farm where consumers can buy local produce. George plans to plant 2,000 trees this year to kickstart his agroforestry and rewilding plans, as well as creating areas of the farm for the public to enjoy.