In early autumn 2022, we began feverishly ‘drilling’ our new crops for the coming year. While the vines at Lokkelebery are a long term crop (they will remain in the ground for 30-40 years), our other crops are rotational, annual crops, which need to be planted yearly.

Drilling is the act of sowing seeds into the ground for next year’s crop. The drill, which is pulled by a tractor, acts as a giant funnel with tubes feeding the seeds down into the ground. For us to sow the seeds, the ground and weather have to be just right. Too much sun and the ground risks being dry and unwelcoming to our seeds which may simply shrivel and die. Too wet and the seeds may be washed away, rot or worse still, we might get our tractor stuck!

Find more farming definitions here

Arable Cropping

Some farms plant their crops in spring, and others in winter, depending on what works best for their land. In our case, due to increasingly dry springs, we find it best to plant winter crops which can establish and take up moisture in the winter, before a dry spring hits. This year we are growing Winter Wheat, Winter Barley and Winter Beans. We will not know the outcome of these crops until we harvest them next year, such is the gamble of farming. Throughout the year we are at the mercy of the weather to feed and nourish our crops, and we have to adapt as best we can to help our crops survive and flourish.

A Risky Business: Grain Trading

At the end of the growing year (summer time), we prepare to harvest our crops. By this time we will have a rough gauge as to the quality of the grains simply by analysing them ourselves. However, we will not know the yield or exact quality until the combine harvester is on its way out and the grain is in the barn. Only then will we find out the destination of our years work, whether that be for human consumption or for animal feed, and how much we will be earning. There are some exceptions to this rule; some farmers try to sell ahead to secure their income, but this carries the risk of missing out on premium prices if there is a sudden shortage later on, or if their crop is of particularly high quality. Waiting until after harvest means you have greater flexibility in terms of perhaps holding out for a higher price (if it was a poor harvest for example), however, this also means storing the grain which costs money, or worse still getting a poorer crop than others and risking a lower price. No-one said farming was easy, but few realise it is a game of such risk, where you have to be a stocks trader on a daily basis.

New Crops

So back to our growing crops. At present, a blanket of green shoots is spread across the Hertfordshire hills, and this year we have a few new crops which have been added to our usual rotation around the farm and in the new vineyard.

Countryside Stewardship: biodiversity strips

In 2022 we planted biodiversity strips for Countryside Stewardship. These areas are zones dedicated to particular wildlife, for example wild birds or bees, with the suitable flowers and grasses to match. These zones have been positioned in such a way to create ‘wildlife corridors’ across the farm: safe zones and habitats which wildlife can move along without crossing paths with agricultural practices. This marries with our current forestry practices whereby we open the canopy to allow light to create life on the woodland floor, which in turn connects to our new wildlife corridors.

Vineyard Grass Crops

Another area of new drilling took place in the Vineyard. In October 2022, vineyard contractor Sam Barnes brought two mini vineyard drills to plant two grass crops in our vineyard.

The first grass crop, which covers around two-thirds of the area, is a simple grass mix with shallow roots but a firm, grippy surface, much like you might find on a golf course. This is drilled around the headlands (outer edges where we turn the tractors) and every other alleyway between the vines, so that we have a grippy surface to drive on.

The second grass crop we have planted is a vineyard pollinator mix. This mix has multiple benefits and is drilled in alternate alleyways to the sturdy, simple grass mix. The pollinators first obvious benefit is that it attracts pollinators to the vineyard. While vines are self-pollinating, we do not wish for the whole vineyard to be void of biodiversity, so these channels should add a welcome boost. These grasses also have the added benefit of nitrogen fixing qualities. Clover once cut, for example, releases nitrogen into the soil. Nitrogen is an essential nutrient in the growth of many plants, including vines. By using grasses such as clover in alternate alleyways, we can naturally boost this nutrient without having to add this physically ourselves, which would involve time, money, diesel and additions. While additions such as phosphate can be an essential boost to plant growth, much like we take vitamins in the morning, if possible we like to get involved as little as possible and let nature do the work. The vineyard pollinator mix is a good example of this.

growing in 2023

So, as we enter this new year, there is lots of growth taking place across the farm, from grain to grass. We also look forward to a year of growing our vineyard, and connecting visitors with the vineyard and farm not only this year, but for many years to come.