F

I
Pioneering UK wheat trials
n June, it was a great time to visit and report on both days, there was a lot of exciting and important subject matter
two wheat farms in six days: BASF East Midlands to see, touch and understand.
Agronomy and Sustainability Farm at The Grange, At Top House Farm, Graham and Paul were joined by John
Mears Ashby and BASF Yorkshire Agronomy and Peck, head of technical management and stewardship, North
Sustainability Farm at Tophouse Farm, Rawcliffe Europe, BASF plc; Louis Wells, agronomy manager, BASF plc;
Bridge. In the UK, wheat is a vital commodity that and Rose Riby, variety specialist (north) from KWS. The farm
traditionally faired well in these arable regions owners were also there to assist with information and share their
for centuries. Innovative work and research is own perspective. Regarding the farms, a minority of the land
now undertaken to farm wheat in new ways. It
shows how effective land, resources and nature can be created in
harmony with each other to provide sustainable environment and
wheat for food.
Top House farm joined in partnership with BASF in 1996. This
farm was a trailblazer, ahead of its time for agronomy trials.
Biodiversity monitoring was introduced in 2002-2003 as part of
the Voluntary Initiative (The Voluntary Initiative is a UK-based
programme sponsored by the crop and farming industry which
works with the UK government to promote responsible pesticide
use). With co-operation and support from the Hinchliffe family,
owners and farmers of Top House farm, a remarkable story has
been developing. There have been successes such as increasing
farmland bird numbers through simple measures alongside
informative agronomy work this has delivered excellent
informative data for farmers.
The Grange joined with BASF in 2008 with biodiversity
monitoring, in the words of Andrew Pitts, “to provide for my
children’s future.” With fantastic guides at both sites such as
Graham Hartwell, environmental stewardship manager, BASF
plc and Paul Goddard, stewardship value manager, BASF plc, on

48 | Milling and Grain

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is for the trial partnership. Graham said, “for

great biodiversity on a site, only 2 percent of
the land is required. This proves that the simple
steps taken at both sites is possible without
impacting the amount of land required to add
this value. Records are made at the start and
then regularly through the farm’s lifespan
over many years.” An important point that
Graham and his colleagues were keen to stress
was that the data is gathered and recorded by
independent third parties so the whole value
chain has reliable, unbiased and trustworthy
information.
Firstly, travelling over to the East Midlands
was a very pleasant affair from the Milling
and Grain offices. With a timetable set for
the London and South East Millers Society
(LSEMS) to stick to, plenty of time was
allocated for travelling. There was time for
a quick call to Graham Hartwell before the
LSEMS programme got under way, it gave a
taster of what was to come later in the day and
discussion of another site BASF plc ran and
whether the opportunity to visit there could
be possible. It would make this article an exclusive as no other The tours of the farms generally followed a pattern of an
journalist had yet visited both trial sites to report. introductory talk and walking tours of what creates the right
Attendees numbered around 30 for the The Moor and 22 balance for success in wheat and success in biodiversity. We
at Rawcliffe Bridge. There was a strong representation of learnt of the crop rotation patterns, a three-year cycle at The
the milling community, even though numbers were small. Grange and a five year cycle at Top House farm (Table1).
Representatives from a wide range of companies such as Bühler, These open days at the farms were hosted by BASF plc, the
Allied Mills and nabim joined the tours. world’s largest chemical company. An ironic fact was that

August 2015 | 49
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there were no chemicals or chemical products being promoted.
The promotion at both sites was of wheat farming. There is a
Biodiversity Action Plan in place and constant monitoring by
independent conservationists of the production of data. Over
time, both farms were proven to increase biodiversity as well as
increasing wheat volumes. Positively thriving nature relies and
assists positively thriving wheat crops.
Table1
Farm site Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5
The Grange Wheat Wheat Bean - -
Top House farm Wheat Wheat Rapeseed Wheat Wheat
During the The Grange visit the group of around 35 was
introduced to the concepts and reasons for the site. This lay in
seeking best practice, quality data and quality food; whilst using
fewer resources to meet the sustainability challenges, increasing
wheat production and biodiversity. Countering uninformed public
perceptions was also a key factor at the site. Since its inception,
all sections of society in the UK have visited these two sites each
year - school groups right up to governmental policy decision
makers.
Flour milling relies on good quality wheat. This is where the
Top House Farm site excelled in showing the groups winter
wheat from the current nabim recommended lists and trialing
future wheat varieties. This takes place in a matrix of 30
differently treated wheat varieties. Treatments and fertilisers
are applied in precise amounts to gain understanding Solstice,
Skyfall, Crusoe, KWS Trinity, Gallant and RAGT Illustrious from
Group 1; Cordiale, KWS Lili and Butler from Group 2; Zulu,
50 | Milling and Grain
Britannia, Energise, Conversion and KWS Barrell from Group 3.
There were many more in the Group 4 varieties but as these are
commonly used in animal feed, not food milling wheats.
In many ways, the superior amount of wheat at Top House
farm within its 142-hectare site gave more detail and depth to
the attendees. The 2014 - 2015 cropping of wheat reflected the
current economic conditions, recovery from the very wet preceding
seasons and the relationship within the group. The plots of wheat
at Top House sat as a checker-board pattern across a large field
categorised into five stages of treatments from the trials. Louis
Wells was able to provide a lot of discussion about the untreated
and treated wheat and the cost benefits in the data from the 2014
trials. At its most effective, normal treatment to wheat added more
tonnes to the harvest from the same amount of land of 6 tonnes
per hectare with the Conquerer variety of wheat. Providing more
return on investment is about being sustainable and more secure in
providing reliable harvests to meet or exceed expectations.
The biodiversity is created and nurtured through drilling seeds
of specific plants which provide habitable food stores for birds
and wildlife to thrive, installing bird boxes in strategic places
assists the best practice management for wildlife.
My final thoughts are that the overlying theme was about
making the right choice for the site. The vast number of
variables depend on where the site it is located. The complexity
is simplified with the experience and broad vision of the
partnerships between farmers, agronomists, breeders and
environmental stewards. It seems that we are all responsible for
the environment and of wheat it produces, which we all depend
upon. These tours are highly recommended for flour millers
and members of the cereal industry, they provide a deeper
comprehension of how beneficial our industry can be to the
environment.