Oakley Farms Posted January 3, 2016 Author Share Posted January 3, 2016 Right lets kick 2016 into action, first up Happy New Year everyone, hope you all had a lovely Christmas and didn't eat too much! The plan for this year then, there will be no big machinery purchases this year, more or less got the kit we need now after 2-3 years of heavy investment into CTF we now are seeing the benefits with soils and economies of scale and the shear amount of ground we can now cover. Instead attention is turned to maximising efficiency with small additions to streamline the business. For example, trailers are on order, bigger to save time, money and a logical size to go with the chaser bin which is also on order. Silage sides coming to make use of quieter times over the spring and to help out with maize and Orchards ever expanding dairy and AD plant. Been over to Germany and brought back ideas for logistics of fertilisers, both liquid and solids, AD waste and sprayer logistics to make better use of staff and the unimog. Possibility of the sprayer turning up too but as for base kit we are done! Lately down on farm it's quiet time, things will kick off this week with all new ground taken on last year being ditched and trees limbed up, kit will go through the workshop ready for next season, at the mo the destoner is nearly done and the Unimog is having a complete overhaul, respray the lot, she is going to be busy this year! Some boxes have found there way back from Branston's pre Christmas rush and trailer 3 is back from rw after being tipped over. Brought back the new de mount bowser made by local fabrication company Mike Costigan, complete with induction hopper, wash down rinse kit and spray lance, very happy with it and is bigger and more versitile than the old one. Also a rare chance to take a fleet pic of the lorries with them off over the festive period, they have been busy running into portbury docks. Bristol. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tractorboyjules1977 Posted January 3, 2016 Share Posted January 3, 2016 Thought I'd been under water down there ! Liking the update !! They chaps on a t break ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oakley Farms Posted January 16, 2016 Author Share Posted January 16, 2016 This week at Oakley HQ has been pretty productive for winter, 15 loads of spuds out up to Branston, 12 loads of wheat out to Langport, widening gateways, cutting trees, and ditching at Clarkes, along with heaping up sludge cake, cutting road hedges at Camelot and Bondip completes the roads now some field hedges just as well now it's beginning to dry up. This week I have sensed things are on the change with a colder fresher dry air, evenings now drawing out I think Spring is on the way so prep starts now with the fert spinner in the workshop for tlc, Unimog has now had its engine referb and complete re spray in Oakley colours, this will be put to use in the coming weeks on the bowser and compost hauling from Dimmer. Silage sides have arrived and where assembled ready for the compost job, Chris and Phil made a start servicing the bunker maus along with collecting the Horstine avadex applicator for added blackgrass armoury! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
0025 Posted January 16, 2016 Share Posted January 16, 2016 nice silage sides, did u know tkmaxx are selling unimogs at 10 quid? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oakley Farms Posted January 17, 2016 Author Share Posted January 17, 2016 I did not no, not too worried as the ones I bought were dam cheap, ideal base model for tarting up! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tractorman810 Posted January 17, 2016 Share Posted January 17, 2016 What's the hopper on the ropa for then Alex?? Something to do with the maize and digester plant I am guessing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oakley Farms Posted January 17, 2016 Author Share Posted January 17, 2016 (edited) That's correct, we use it to load field feedstocks. We decided jointly myself and Julian from Orchard to run 2 triple axle ejector trailers in field to keep compaction to a minimum and eventually run on CTF, this keeps mud in field and with blocks of land further apart allows us to load into bulkers keeping costs down and efficiency up, and as some of you will have read in this weeks farmers weekly we have a notorious copper in Somerset in which the article features myself on the wrong side of the law! I shall say no more! We have just applied for planning permission for a digestate lagoon, the location is a small field at the top of the Oakley block, access by road via Park Lane for lorries and a track runs right down to the back of the farm. We should be able to access over 800 acres from here, and eventually tap into the underground irrigation lines to apply all over the estate. I'm keen to make use of the benefits from Orchards AD plant through returning organic matter to the soil and upping bio microbial activity and more worms! Edited January 17, 2016 by Oakley Farms Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tractorman810 Posted January 18, 2016 Share Posted January 18, 2016 Oh not not the law ne na ne na we can get you even here Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
0025 Posted January 18, 2016 Share Posted January 18, 2016 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oakley Farms Posted January 31, 2016 Author Share Posted January 31, 2016 Same old story at Oakley over the last few weeks, potatoes moving off farm which is good at £160/t, wheat still outgoing to Llyod's and the occasional load to Riverside. Orchard's contract tonnage is now complete along with Speak's, and House's, beans will start to move in Feb. Things have been looking towards spring with fertiliser deliveries both liquid and granular compounds and this coming week we kick off hauling compost back to Blackdown, some 1,800t, I believe there is chicken litter out of Frogmary later in the week and Lopen site on Monday. If only things would dry out so we could prep some land for Spring Beans and spray some rape! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oakley Farms Posted February 17, 2016 Author Share Posted February 17, 2016 Things are gearing up for Spring down here, we are raring to go. The lads have hauled 860t of compost up to Blackdown so far, another 1000 to go. Spreaders are booked in next week weather depending. We can then top down cover crops and incorporate along with the compost ready for drilling Spring beans as soon as we can. Urea needs to start going on the rape also so work is beginning to back up slightly. On Tuesday we cleared 100t of chicken litter from Devon Poultry Ltd's Egwood site and delivered to Orchards ground at Dinnington for their grass ground. Toying with a couple of new ideas to push CTF a little further which is exciting along with developments on the AD front, food for thought. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smithy Posted February 17, 2016 Share Posted February 17, 2016 13 minutes ago, Oakley Farms said: Things are gearing up for Spring down here, we are raring to go. The lads have hauled 860t of compost up to Blackdown so far, another 1000 to go. Spreaders are booked in next week weather depending. We can then top down cover crops and incorporate along with the compost ready for drilling Spring beans as soon as we can. Urea needs to start going on the rape also so work is beginning to back up slightly. On Tuesday we cleared 100t of chicken litter from Devon Poultry Ltd's Egwood site and delivered to Orchards ground at Dinnington for their grass ground. Toying with a couple of new ideas to push CTF a little further which is exciting along with developments on the AD front, food for thought. Well down good to here what you are up to at moment I to am planning on getting some N on the rape soon but are land is wet at the moment and bit more rain forecast for next few days maybe next week will be dryer 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luke190 Posted February 19, 2016 Share Posted February 19, 2016 I really like your workshop with mini posters. Does the Unimog come with a trailer hitch? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
0025 Posted February 19, 2016 Share Posted February 19, 2016 1 hour ago, Luke190 said: I really like your workshop with mini posters. Does the Unimog come with a trailer hitch? no the standard one doesn't have one, you have to build one yourself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stabliofarmer Posted February 19, 2016 Share Posted February 19, 2016 Depends on the unimog, the orange one in the set with a low loader and liebherr excavator has a small crude version of a britains linkage suitable for carrying a trailer, ones in a box on there own don't as far as I'm aware 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
0025 Posted February 20, 2016 Share Posted February 20, 2016 5 hours ago, Stabliofarmer said: Depends on the unimog, the orange one in the set with a low loader and liebherr excavator has a small crude version of a britains linkage suitable for carrying a trailer, ones in a box on there own don't as far as I'm aware interesting didn't know about a set? Could you post a photo of it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luke190 Posted February 20, 2016 Share Posted February 20, 2016 Thanks for the info guys. Tidy models those Unimogs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
0025 Posted February 20, 2016 Share Posted February 20, 2016 7 hours ago, MadMark said: Here you go Jack cheers! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whincebros Posted February 20, 2016 Share Posted February 20, 2016 Where did you get those silage sides from? Three oaks? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oakley Farms Posted February 20, 2016 Author Share Posted February 20, 2016 5 hours ago, Luke190 said: Thanks for the info guys. Tidy models those Unimogs I love the Unimog, a very versatile piece of kit to have on farm! I fitted parts of the Wiking linkage on my Unimog to tow trailers with Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oakley Farms Posted February 20, 2016 Author Share Posted February 20, 2016 39 minutes ago, whincebros said: Where did you get those silage sides from? Three oaks? Made them myself from plastruct 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oakley Farms Posted February 28, 2016 Author Share Posted February 28, 2016 It's been a cracking week for progress, lovely Spring like weather has allowed the 2016 season to kick off with the ground drying out nicely. We started the week applying sulphur to the rape which was completed in 6 days, the new Horsch demount fert chaser really speeding up the operation and coupled to the Unimog makes a nippy outfit. Orchard contractors have been in all week spreading compost at Blackdown and Chicken litter at houses and have now moved on to bio solids at Bondip, our man Webby loading with the scorpion. This meant we could follow in behind with the topper to mulch up the cover crop and Chris has incorporated with the subsoiler so this first block is ready for the topdown on Monday. The bowser is busy this weekend keeping the sprayer going which is getting the final herbicide applications on the rape now we can travel. It won't be long now before it will be used to put some N on the wheats. We are going to try some uncharted territory at Bondip and direct drill some Spring beans straight into standing cover crop that has been sprayed off the day before to see how the new drill copes, just an experiment to compare on 100 acres or so. Meanwhile back in the yard a new machinery shed is starting to go up which will house most of the equipment used for AD work with a new incorporated spray shed and filling area. Hope to be drilling this time next week fingers crossed. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
COWBOY Posted February 28, 2016 Share Posted February 28, 2016 Excellent layout and the updates are fantastic, keep them coming 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oakley Farms Posted February 28, 2016 Author Share Posted February 28, 2016 Thanks chap! Updates are sure to keep coming now the farming season is kicking off Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jdeere6910 Posted February 28, 2016 Share Posted February 28, 2016 Brilliant as always Alex, the mog and the chaser look the business 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.