Real Results Grower: Colin Woodward
The Great Tew Estate, Banbury Road, Great Tew, Chipping Norton
The Great Tew Estate has a rotation of winter wheat, winter and spring barley, OSR, winter and spring beans, spring peas and spring oats over three main soil types, Cotswold Brash, Clay and Ironstone loam. The wide rotation is very much geared towards the control of blackgrass. Annual rainfall is 650 mm and inhouse drainage operations have been carried out over the last 15 years.
The Real Results Demo site means a range of varieties are grown on the estate which Colin can monitor throughout the year and allow him to assess their potential to be included into his own rotation. BASF monitoring of disease at the Demo site also gives Colin an awareness of the disease risks his crops may be facing.
The estate is farmed to protect and enhance the environment; all arable fields have a 6m margin and more trees and hedgerows are being planted. Organic matter is added to the soil with compost, biosolids, cattle muck and cover cropping. Colin is passionate about improving soil health and growing the best crops that he can in a sustainable manner.
Farm size: 1650ha (including 300ha contract farmed)
Sustainability at Great Tew Estate
What are you doing to ensure your farming operation remains sustainable and resilient for the future?
- Wide rotation
- Reduced cultivation
- Increasing O.M.
- Improving soil health
- Growing different varieties to increase the resistance profile of crops and reduce the amount of fungicide used.
How is IPM integrated into your farming operation?
6m margins around arable fields encourage natural predators and crops are planted later to try and avoid BYDV sprays, all helping to reduce the amount of insecticide used. A range of varieties are grown.
Why farming is the Biggest Job on Earth?
“We all have to eat and as farmers we are producing the food for the nation.”