New Hereford Monitor Farm harnesses county’s farming diversity

Harnessing Herefordshire’s diverse farming landscape and preparing for the future are the key drivers as four farmers unite to jointly host AHDB’s new Hereford Monitor Farm as part of the Farm Excellence programme.

Based in north Herefordshire, Adam Lewis, Jack Hopkins, Martin Carr and Rob Beaumont are all within a 15-mile radius of each other. Collectively, they farm around 851 hectares of combinable crops, plus a wide variety of other non-arable enterprises, including beef, sheep, soft fruit and contracting. They have all been part of the Hereford Monitor Farm group since its inception in 2014.

Through working together, Adam, Jack, Martin and Rob are looking to draw on the diverse nature of their farms to develop their businesses through learning from each other. They also hope to increase the resilience of their businesses for the future against the technical, economic and legislative uncertainties which farmers are facing.

They therefore feel that the expected challenges of the next three years provide the perfect opportunity to host the Hereford Monitor Farm role together. They believe that opening their doors and having their business and management decisions scrutinised is a great opportunity to strengthen their farms for the future.

In order to achieve their aims, the farmers also acknowledge that they will have to open their minds. They are therefore preparing to share experiences, accept criticism and consider new ideas as they make plans to move forward in uncertain times.

Richard Meredith, AHDB Cereals & Oilseeds Knowledge Exchange Manager for the West and Wales, said: “It’s great to have Adam, Jack, Martin and Rob on board for the next three years.

“Hereford Monitor Farm has a proud history of breaking new ground in the Farm Excellence programme, with previous incumbents Martin Williams and Russell Price being the first joint hosts of a Monitor Farm.

“Martin and Russell were fantastic ambassadors for the region and have created a real legacy for farming in Herefordshire. They are big boots to fill but I know that Adam, Jack, Martin and Rob will do a great job of ensuring that farmers continue to have access to independent expertise and the opportunity to discuss solutions to shared challenges.”

Part of AHDB’s Farm Excellence programme, Monitor Farms bring together groups of farmers interested in improving their businesses by sharing best practice around a nationwide network of host farms.

Although there are no meetings at Hereford Monitor Farm in the short term due to coronavirus, there is a free West and Wales arable update webinar taking place on Tuesday 23 June at 7pm. For more information on this webinar, Hereford Monitor Farm or the Farm Excellence network in the West and Wales, contact Richard Meredith.

At a glance: Hereford Monitor Farm’s joint hosts

Adam Lewis

Adam Lewis operates a family farm, in Docklow, north Herefordshire. Over recent years, Adam has made the move to a strip-till system in an effort to improve soil health and lower his establishment costs. Adam predominantly farms combinable crops on part-owned and part-rented land, with the main farm located in Docklow, a few miles East of Leominster.

Adam said: “I’m looking forward to being a monitor farmer and with a mixture of, family-owned, estate, tenanted and contracting setups between us, we operate four very different businesses. Although we often approach farming from very different angles, the challenges that we are facing are broadly the same.”

Jack Hopkins

Jack Hopkins is assistant manager at Lower Hope Farms, in Ullingswick, north Herefordshire, a diverse business consisting of many farming enterprises, including arable land, a herd of pedigree Hereford cattle, a pedigree Suffolk flock and a commercial ewe flock. The farm also produces cherries, raspberries and apples for supermarkets and wholesale markets.

Jack said: “I’m looking forward to drilling down further into my benchmarking figures. Benchmarking has been one of the most valuable activities of the Monitor Farm programme for me. Knowing your own costs is important but comparing them with others gives us the most value.’’

Martin Carr

Martin Carr runs Bush Farm, near Colwall on the Herefordshire-Worcestershire border, with his daughter and wife. The farm is a mixed arable and sheep unit with a rotation consisting of winter wheat, winter oats, spring oats and oilseed rape. Spring crops have recently been added to the rotation in an attempt to combat black-grass.

Martin Carr said: “I have wanted to become a monitor farmer to push our business forward. I don’t know where the journey will take me, but I’m looking forward to seeing what we will discover over the next three years.”

Rob Beaumont

Rob Beaumont runs AE Beaumont & Son, a thriving family farm on the Herefordshire-Worcestershire border, alongside his father Paul. The farm’s crop rotation consists of winter wheat, winter and spring barley, oats, oilseed rape, pulses and maize, and BASIS-qualified Rob also offers cereals and grassland contracting services, from single jobs right through to stubble-to-stubble contracts.

Rob said: “I think farmers are, in general, not as good as they should be at collaborating and sharing knowledge; we have a lot to learn from each other. Nobody does it the right way and nobody does it the wrong way; we all do what suits our system best. This is why I wanted to get involved in the Monitor Farm programme.”