Oakley Farms Posted December 18, 2014 Author Share Posted December 18, 2014 (edited) In the background we have been fighting the planning department for the permission of another 70,000t grain store directly alongside our existing store to increase capacity for 2015's extra acres and new customers as well as offering ourselves flexibility. To cut a long story short we were denighed after appeal to build on anymore green land as its not with in the village plan and locals are concerned at the rate in which the farm has grown in recent times. However i am not one to be taken on and beaten so came up with the brain wave of taking down 3 potato cold stores as trade is abysmal and have lay empty the last 2 years as we relied on Cornish growers storing with us and their spuds destined for the Branston factory up the road. We wont be needing this ourselves with the move to processing potatoes straight from field to factory freeing up space snd saving storage cost. Planning have accepted this new proposal as it is within our farmyard boundary but left us with not enough floor space for the capcity required. A month of thinking how to overcome this problem serveal times scrapping the project but i have come up with the answer that will revolutionise our storage and tick all the boxes on the brief of being carbon neutral, flexible, fast handling, ability to handle 3 crops for CAP Reform as well as different customers crops at the same time. The plan is in two stages, first involves the construction of a 2 bay shed that will see grain stored pretty much right up the the eaves, this way we gain capitcity with restricted floor space by going up and will require clever construction, this way we will be making full benefit of our Z tec probes and automated dryer allowing grain to be stored at serious depth, something i felt we could improve on. The second stage will be the relocation of the dryer, wet bins and not one but two new 60t tip pits to accomodate load from Oakley and customers grain turning up at once. The final piece of the second stage is the retro fit of our existing store, stripping out the internal walls and contruction of panels up to the roof to allow the whole shed to be filled with grain to the eaves. Taking our total capicity to near 155,000 tons. Companys have been bidding for the work and S&A Fabrications have won the contract, work was due to start after Xmas but teams turned up on site today, completion date is May. The land i spoke about last week at Dorchester was unsuccessful but Brymton was accepted and have since learned its already drilled up with hybrid winter barley Hyvido from Syngenta. Its looking well and just in the process of transferring the Cashback Yeild Garentee Scheme over. Looking like none of the tramlines match up so requires some Oakley attention but should be interesting, never grown Barley before! Edited December 18, 2014 by Oakley Farms 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Light Land Posted December 22, 2014 Share Posted December 22, 2014 You'd just run with a few boom sections off or the like wouldn't you since barley is such a sod for regrowth if you go off the tramlines. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oakley Farms Posted December 22, 2014 Author Share Posted December 22, 2014 You'd just run with a few boom sections off or the like wouldn't you since barley is such a sod for regrowth if you go off the tramlines. Its looking a little more complicated than that, i have only seen from over the hedge but who ever drilled it needs to go back to school, double tramlines next to each other and different sized gaps sime 24 meters apart some 18, it looks a mess but i think we will draw in our own a-b line and put a new set in at 36, the following year they will be right! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oakley Farms Posted January 1, 2015 Author Share Posted January 1, 2015 Happy New Year from Oakley Farms. 2014 was a good year all in all, record on farm yields, no major disasters on farm, contract farming went extremely well leaving inspiration for expansion, networking with Frontier worked a treat and this contract will contine for a further 2 years. Quiet period at the moment allowed me to get around and look at all the crops. Rape is looking very well and so is the winter wheat all apart from the latter drilled on ex potato ground where we will recieve yeild penalties not doubt, learnt my lesson there! On farm the last 2 loads of Jelly are loaded on wheels for delivery to Floods Ferry Cambridge tomorrow, we have kit going through the workshop for the once over before spring, Bedtiller has been done and now we have the destoner and fert spreader in, next up will be the sprayer reader for the intense spring spraying program. New staff are starting on Monday along with the team from S&M to start construction of the new grainstore. Since its the festive period i thought id share some older pictures of the real farm Oakley is mainly based upon and where its roots lie. You will notice some similarities in kit and how i have followed the developments of this farm which is where i spent my childhood growing up, hours of school holidays spent in field eagerly watching and riding around in there machinery, a place close to my heart, enjoy! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Palmer Posted January 1, 2015 Share Posted January 1, 2015 so do you work there? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SPN Posted January 1, 2015 Share Posted January 1, 2015 Smashing photos Alex. How did the trailer come to tumble, and did it damage the header on the combine? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tractorboy Posted January 1, 2015 Share Posted January 1, 2015 Really good read Alex , we have a good few big farms up here but nothing on Oakleys scale , that's for sure - any news on them Masseys taking over I ve got 2 of them 7624 s here in the model room Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oakley Farms Posted January 1, 2015 Author Share Posted January 1, 2015 so do you work there? No Paul i work nextdoor, i did my middle year of college with them though and harvest student back in 2005 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Palmer Posted January 1, 2015 Share Posted January 1, 2015 any plans to do a layout on where you do work Alex? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oakley Farms Posted January 1, 2015 Author Share Posted January 1, 2015 Smashing photos Alex. How did the trailer come to tumble, and did it damage the header on the combine? Thanks SPN, the trailer went over on some pretty steep ground, the pic doesn't do it justice but the field is a bowl shaped and the combine was on its final round of the headland and tried to unload in a dodgy spot, grain shifted to one side and was enough to flop it over onto the header, caught the end of the reel and drive, a new header came the next day and they had to have a new chassis for the trailer as it twisted bad. The next year they upgraded to the Lexion 760 from the 580. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oakley Farms Posted January 1, 2015 Author Share Posted January 1, 2015 any plans to do a layout on where you do work Alex? I have thought about it Paul but 1 i don't have the space and 2 its not really where my passions lie but if my boss approached me to make one for him i certainly would, he maybe interested to put one in a glass cabinet for Open Farm Sunday Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Palmer Posted January 1, 2015 Share Posted January 1, 2015 what gear do run then Alex? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oakley Farms Posted January 2, 2015 Author Share Posted January 2, 2015 Take a look at Alex's Antics in Farm Talk Paul for all the pics but main movers are 3 Fendts, 939,828,724, cat handler, grimme Varitron 220, x2 george moate tillerstars 2 row, structural planter, tong peal grader, vaderstad RD800S, sumo trio 4.5, x3 aw 16 t trailers, strautmann spreader, amazon mounted sprayer and front tank, x4 cold stores, weighbridge, office units, cookery school, meeting rooms, workshop, accommodation for staff, 800kw biomass boiler setup, x6 broiler chicken houses across 3 sites, website is www.frogmarygreenfarm.co.uk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Light Land Posted January 2, 2015 Share Posted January 2, 2015 Good up date Alex, just relooked over a few pages with my wife who was most impressed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oakley Farms Posted January 2, 2015 Author Share Posted January 2, 2015 (edited) Thank you very much, Happy New Year to you both down there! Edited January 2, 2015 by Oakley Farms Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Light Land Posted January 14, 2015 Share Posted January 14, 2015 So Alex................I've 180ha in Somerset. I Claydon drill purple wheat,osr and grow a few dry peas and abit of barley and rent land out for a root crop of some kind to give the ground a good stir up once in a blue moon. The farm is a one man band in fact I work part time and have my wife/friends help me at harvest time. Assuming I'm servicing my debt and run a modest fleet with just 1 tractor and an older combine why would I let Oakley take over my land ? I'm to young to do nothing and the local flour mill that takes my wheat every year is happy with my product and pay a bit more for purple wheat so wouldn't want me to pull out. The veggie man is much the same and takes a paddock of his pick every year the rest of the crops just fill in the land really and help control weeds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Niels Posted January 14, 2015 Share Posted January 14, 2015 I'm not Alex but why you should contract the land out to Oakley: -Purple wheat is wrong. Wheat is green or yellow. If it's purple you need to put some phosphate on. -Paddocks are small patches of grass. Wheat grows in fields. (and a kissing smiley) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oakley Farms Posted January 15, 2015 Author Share Posted January 15, 2015 (edited) So Alex................I've 180ha in Somerset. I Claydon drill purple wheat,osr and grow a few dry peas and abit of barley and rent land out for a root crop of some kind to give the ground a good stir up once in a blue moon. The farm is a one man band in fact I work part time and have my wife/friends help me at harvest time.Assuming I'm servicing my debt and run a modest fleet with just 1 tractor and an older combine why would I let Oakley take over my land ? I'm to young to do nothing and the local flour mill that takes my wheat every year is happy with my product and pay a bit more for purple wheat so wouldn't want me to pull out. The veggie man is much the same and takes a paddock of his pick every year the rest of the crops just fill in the land really and help control weeds. Thank you for your question Olly, Oakley Farms is a service farming business to look after the people we farm for, managed by a perfectionist where accuracy, efficiency, timeliness and attention to detail delivers results across scale. At the start of a farming agreement we soil map each field collecting 20 core samples/ha. This gives us the exact nutrients in the soil from the start, we guarantee those soils will never be depleated in the time we farm them, only improved year after year. Oakley Farms will come in a farm stubble to stubble looking after cultivations, drilling, fertilising, agronomy and rotation planning, harvest, storage and marketing - working with one of the UK's major leading arable companies we can offer storage second to none along with marketing to achieve the very best possible prices for that land owner. We believe in a combiable crop model where scale is the future, to do this we are farming for other people delivering that benefit they simply couldnt achieve on their own, be it being held back by capital, machinery, infrastructure etc. To help us achieve this efficiency and timeliness we need to use the very best kit on the market and keep it regularly replaced and maintained combined with some of the best staff in the industry to confidently deliver. So why why go down the contract farming route with Oakley Farms...so far our business has picked up customers who simply cannot physically farm the land, due to lack of infrastructure i.e. they have no stroage facilities or have not invested in machinery to stay competitive in todays volatile marketplace. You have to stay one step ahead of the game driven by reducing costs, increasing efficiency and we can offer a taylor made contract to suit the particular land owner, with heavy investment to build our business up we are incredibly efficient at what we do. Other customers include existing farmers looking for practical help, investors looking to maximise tax benefits and trustees looking for management of large estates. We have examples of sucess stories, 3 land owners, one in crisis due to family debt settlement, we took on his 330 acres allowing him to sell off assets such as machinery tied up to get out of a whole while still receiving a return from his land. He has now built up a sucessful contract pig rearing enterprise making use of the farm buildings. Another case study was a family inheriting some land with no clue about farming and turned to us, now recieving a handsome retern. Finally a land owner was looking for an easier life, got to an age where interest was lacking with nobody to inherit turned to Oakley whilst still wanting involvment in the business. Typically thr land owner pays for the variable costs e.g. Fertiliser and seed, reason being they have to be seen as still 'actively farming' to claim single farm payment so these go down as outgoings aswell as a fixed cost for Oakley to carry out the work, profits are then split. We can reduce these variable cost further by being members of a buying group dealing in bulk therefore having greater buying power, we saved a farmer with 600 acres £18,000 of input costs last year. Other benefits include -potential capital release to re invest -time release for other ventures such as diversification or livestock -retaining occupation of the holding resulting in taxation benefits -ensures a fair return in a highly volatile market, working with us and our partners takes and element of risk out of this -take advantage of the economies of scale e.g. Your 180ha is just 2 days combining for us -variable rate fertiliser application saves £20/ha -reduced storage cost -marketing advantage -improved cash flow -overhead cost reduced -independant benefits on offer exculsive to Oakley Farms i will explain later To increase the returns to our clients we have embraced controlled traffic farming which house many many benefits such as up to an 18% yield increase just by controlling where you drive which we maximise further with the use of 2 rubber track Challengers and 2 Terra Trac Lexion combines and being able to drill fertiliser down the spout just below the seed reduces the need for applications from the top. Other benefits of CTF -increased profit -lower energy required for cultivation -reduction in fuel usage typically 50%/ton of crop harvested -better seedbeds (less cloddy) -less water run off -greater field efficiency -increased field access in less favourable weather conditions - greater accuracy with RTK GPS -improved fertiliser and chemical efficiency, fertiliser uptake typically improved by 15% With soil maps we can reduce costs by using variable seed and fertiliser rates for a more even yeild. We also now have the technology to work out from yeild maps what nutrients came off per hectare so we can translate that to the spreader to put back exactly what the offtake was that year. Yeilds have platoed in the last decade, i am passionate about soil health and plant genetics and i believe improving our soils hokds the key to increasing yeilds above the UK 8t/ha average by rotation, CTF, orgainic matter and the use of cover crops we will see results and so will you in your pocket! Agriculture is facing a huge challenge in the coming years to feed a growing global population. We as farmers have to produce the same amount of food in the next 40 years as we have done in the last 10,000, with another 200,000 mouths to feed every morning you wake up. With Oakley we can work together to embrace this challenge unlike some who bury their heads in the sand and scale gets their backs up but with ideas of direct drilling and zero tillage the future is bright. UK Agriculture has fallen behind our overseas competitors with our over cultivation techniques lising valuable organic matter which is the engine room for plants. The gap between genetic yeild potential and average yeild is getting wider as well as stripping topsoil with these cultivations estimated at 2.2 million tonnes lost every year, thats 1.5 inches of the top in all fields, nutrients stripped, increases compaction, destroys soil structure, disrupting soil biology, a negative effect on the plants ability to uptake water which caps potential. With our techniques we can increae water infiltration resulting in better drainage and less water logging, improve moisture retention, higher nutrient holding capacity resulting in higher yields, crop establishment costs and time halved, more earthworm activity, widen rotations to include cover crops, grass and maize (for local AD Plant) prevents disease build up, reduction of the regularity of identical chemical groups being applied lowering resistance, with forecasted rising gobal temperatures, periods of intense rainfall which is more apparent and increasing so using a cover crop where conventionally the land would be left fallow will help combat soil erosion and also fix nitrogen. The use of compost, chicken litter and digestate to improve % organic matter. We thrive to make a good job of our customers farms, its in the interest of both parties driven by somebody who is a perfectionist and things have to be done right. We can maintain premium not only by segregation of crop in store to keep premium quality grain separate to deliver that premium to that land owner but also by working with Frontier to find additional premiums and markets we couldnt do ourselves. Investment in the state of the art temperature controlled grain store to bring grain temp down to single figures, typically >6•c which stops infestations espically at the depth of grain we are storing at around 15m high. Reduced risk of weight loss during drying grain with the purchase of the Kentra automated continous flow dryer which automatically speeds up or slows down depending on grain mousture so we get an exact 15% out regardless of incoming %, this is very helpful for us with so many loads turning up at harvest from all over the south west but also for you as a customer as you should end up with more weight to sell with no over dried light grain. It also saves us £40,000 a year another saving we can pass onto you, which other storage facilities simply cannot do coupled together with the current installation of commercial solar pv trackers which follow the sun during the day to run the storage setup making it carbon neutral. Oakley Farms currently has a substantial storage capacity and is designed to manage over 1,000 tonnes a day during the harvest period and 60 tonnes an hour drying. We also have a weighbridge and sampling facilities. In 2013 Oakley Farms completed the fantastic new addition to our grain storage – the Frontier Store located on Farm. It is equipped with a Kentra dryer at the side, which can process 60 tonnes of wet grain per hour. We have incorporated a high-tech computer system which monitors, cools and aerates the grain automatically and consistently maintains the temperature This grain store process includes: The weighbridge A grain lorry pulls onto our new Griffith-Elder Weighbridge, where the automatic CS90 Spear is waiting to take five samples The passport is checked to make sure there is a valid accreditation sticker in the top right-hand corner and that the mycotoxin and GM Statements are clearly defined. The haulage details, signatures and dates all have to be legible so that there is a comprehensive audit trail The operator uses a ‘wizard’ to complete the weighbridge ticket Full details of Customer, Haulier, Contract No., Registration No., Store, Description of Goods, Delivery or Collection, Weigh Person and Driver are all clearly defined The wizard gives prompts to make sure the information being put on the ticket is right The weighbridge is integrated with our computer system so that the weight is immediately visible (top right hand corner) and can be added to the Weighbridge ticket, by pressing a button. This minimises the risk of human error and means weights cannot be tampered with. Sampling We then sample every delivery and collection using the CS90 Samplex System. This automatically takes five samples from every trailer Using a high power suction system, the grain is sent to the reception chamber in the Weighbridge Office The sample is then analysed by a Dickey-John GAC 2100 for moisture content, density (or bushel weight) and temperature. This machine is calibrated daily and ring tested by Frontier Laboratories The analysis is linked to the Ton-Tel Weighbridge Management System and can be added to the Weighbridge ticket by the press of a button. Again minimising human intervention or error As the grain is tipped into the pit, the grain store manager can either deposit dry grain into Store, or wet grain by passing it through our Kentra drying facility Whilst this is happening, the sample (with its unique number) is bagged, labelled and stored in batches of 10. Samples for Salmonella testing are also collected for later analysis. Unloading We have a 48 tonne bulk out bin to unload the store quickly and easily. Sample and paperwork storage Once all the paperwork is finalised, the samples, passports and copies of the signed weighbridge tickets are stored in a bespoke facility with deliveries on one side and collections on the other. They will remain available until 1st July of the following year. Drying For monitoring temperatures, The store has three zones each containing over 20 probes The probes monitor the temperatures every 15 minutes Information from the probes is linked to the Robydome computer which analyses the data, recognises when the ambient ˚C and RH% are at the right levels, then automatically aerates the grain by switching the fans on The ˚C and RH% information is used to manually switch on the aeration systems in the other zones. Manual temperature checks are carried out weekly between Harvest and Christmas, then every 10 days until the store is emptied. With our new grainstore, we also built a dedicated grainstore office and laboratory allowing us to provide a more complete solution for our clients. When the grain arrives at Oakley Farms, the load is weighed and a sample is taken for analysis from each load. It is then tested for moisture and bushel weight. Once analysed, the laboratory determine whether the grain needs to be dryed or can be stored directly. The Public Weighbridge is open from 7.30am to 4.00pm Monday to Friday. We also offer services from our office such ss VAT, ELS, single farm payment, cross compliance, and farm assurance, monthly or quarterly. The standard and upkeep of our machinery and buildings is not only important to us as a reputation and company image but also for you as a customer we work for. Our commitment back to the enironment sees all our farms on ELS, replanting hedgerows around exterior boundies and gaps in field hedges. Straw is baled and chicken litter returned in contract with a local contractor. Functional biobed for safe and reduced environment impact of chemical washings along with rainwater harvesting for sprayer filling, washing and staff toilets. So what does the future hold, 10,000 to 25,000 acre farming business with distance no limitation. X3 artic lorries are in the pipeline for grain haulage further than 7 miles from HQ where tractor and trailers become uneconomical. Controlled fixed costs bring confidence into the relationship, our scale helps us pass down cost reduction with additional benefits of results, timeliness with attention to detail. Oakley Farms benchmarks itself year on year to improve, striving to do a better job every time and to be the best at what we do, making us the perfect partner to farm with in our transparent business. Edited January 15, 2015 by Oakley Farms 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oakley Farms Posted January 15, 2015 Author Share Posted January 15, 2015 I think in this day and age you cannot stand still, if you do your be left behind! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Palmer Posted January 15, 2015 Share Posted January 15, 2015 (edited) is this real life or what? Edited January 15, 2015 by paulali Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Light Land Posted January 17, 2015 Share Posted January 17, 2015 Bit of typing there Alex, thank you. It sounds ok in theory. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oakley Farms Posted January 17, 2015 Author Share Posted January 17, 2015 Bit of typing there Alex, thank you. It sounds ok in theory. Sorry Ol bit of an essay but wanted to cover all points so you could understand the contract farming concept and the benefits it brings 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oakley Farms Posted January 17, 2015 Author Share Posted January 17, 2015 A new year and another new start. Our new staff have settled in well and have had a range of jobs since starting. We have been going right through our fert spreader ahead of rape dressing next month, needs a fair bit doing to it this year, the de stoner is also in with Dan learning how this machine works since he will be taking on this job in the spring. Other jobs going on around the estate include putting in hard standings at each block of land for Julian to stack straw on so that fields can be cleared quickly and bale haulage can then be done at leisure. A German company have been over on site since New Year constructing our PV trackers, only 6 months late but all cables are in, plates are concreted in the ground, now its a case of craning the panels into position so by then end of the week we should be saving money! We have got round to putting up a fence at the entrance to make things a bit more secure. We have cancelled a order for 2 new tractors in March as cash flow is tight at the moment and our local John Deere dealers prices seem high this time around, this will be re addressed in the summer. The new grain store is progressing very well with the main steel frame up, friday saw work on fitting some of the contrete panels into postion along with a pre stressed wall in front of the dirt elevator by the grading shed. We have taken on a new customer for combining in the Martock area for 2015, this year is also seeing a planning application submitted for 330 homes to be built on land at the edge of Ilminster on some un productive small fields, around 40 acres, recieving a lot of local rejection but we need capital for the recent investment in the estate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Light Land Posted January 17, 2015 Share Posted January 17, 2015 All systems go at Oakley, always nice to see whats happening even if I don't understand/agree with bits of it good on you for keeping the topic going. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oakley Farms Posted January 17, 2015 Author Share Posted January 17, 2015 Thanks Olly, just out of complete interest which bits don't you agree/understand as things differ vastly between here and you? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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