Meet the NFU Combinable Crops Board

The joint venture has a mix of owned, tenanted and contract farming agreements, growing milling and feed wheat, milling oats, feed and malting barley, peas, beans and, for the time being, oilseed rape. 

Due to the complex nature of the soils in South Herts, ranging from heavy clays to gravel, Jamie and his colleagues cover a wide range of cultivation and drilling methods. However, a happy medium of min-till normally takes place on 50% of the land farmed. All grain is sold through Openfield going to homes relatively locally, usually within 50 miles.

At home, the family farm has diversified, with an 80-horse livery and riding school, with all hay and straw produced in house.

Having been involved in the NFU locally since returning home from Harper Adams in 2005 Jamie has gradually become more and more involved at a regional level and now, as well as being Hertfordshire NFU County chair, he is also East Anglia Combinable Crops Board chair. He is also an ex-Cereals Development Programme participant, and keen to get others involved in these types of initiatives.  

Jamie is passionate about achieving the best for cereal and oilseed producers, and proud to represent the cereals interests of East Anglia members.

Wheat is grown for the feed market, with a small area grown for seed. Winter barley is feed and spring barley is for malting. The farming partnership also runs a grain storage business with drying facilities and a soft fruit enterprise.

Matt served as NFU Combinable Crops Board chair from 2020-2024.

The business runs a diverse rotation consisting of winter sown wheat, OSR, barley and oats, and spring sown beans. The business has recently begun to grow potatoes in the rotation again after an absence of nearly 40 years.

The business also runs around 250 breeding ewes and has a biomass enterprise.

Having achieved an OND in agriculture, Peter has subsequently farmed a mix of owned and rented land of varying soil types growing predominantly winter cereals and oilseeds, and spring beans. He has represented the cereals policy interests of Nottinghamshire growers through many facets of the industry, including the NFU since 1981 and a six-year spell on NFU Council.

Focus has been on achieving high yields with attention to detail, operating as a sole trader with the assistance of contractors for specific tasks as required. Peter has had a grower representation role on AHDB’s Cereal and Oilseeds Research & KE Board for six years while overseeing significant levy investment for growers. Special areas of interest are IPM and PPPs.

Additionally, Peter has seats on the PGRO RL Pulse Committee and also on the AHDB RL Wheat Committee. Now chair of East Midlands Regional Combinable Crops Board, Peter currently has a role in the Red Tractor Technical Advisory Panel overseeing the standards review.

Having been at Burgate since leaving college in 1981, Peter fully took over the business in 2021.

His land is part tenanted, part contract farmed and part stubble to stubble contracted. Cultivations have been non inversion/min till for 15 years, recently moving towards direct drilling wherever possible.

There are a mix of variable soils, from weald clay, greensand to chalk. Being solely reliant on arable cropping, the aim is to be as efficient and lean as possible.

Peter is a past Surrey County chairman and currently Surrey NFU Council representative.

Charlotte studied Physical Geography and Geology at Royal Holloway, University of London.

She gained her Postgraduate Diploma in Agriculture at The Royal Agricultural University.

Not coming from a farming background, Charlotte started her career in farm management. She is now a Rural Business Consultant for Sentry, covering the Southeast, proving professional business support to clients including estate management, funding applications and environmental solutions.

In addition to this, she manages the Sentry Surrey farms, covering over 1000ac, across three sites of arable land, on a mixture of CFA and FBT agreements.

Growing mainly winter cereals, oilseeds and spring barley, Charlotte is an advocate for sustainable agricultural practices, that promote environmental stewardship and enhance the long-term viability of crop production.

James also farms in partnership with his wife on 300 acres in North Yorkshire, growing combinable crops and running a small flock of New Zealand Romneys. With a large ELS/HLS scheme, the farm is LEAF Marque accredited. 

James is a governor of Askham Bryan College and a director of its farming company as well as a council member of the Institute of Agricultural Management. Prior to moving to Yorkshire, James managed the Montreal Estate in Kent and has previously been a director of Southern Farmers and RAMSAK.  

Mike is also manager of CP Farming ltd, a 4,000 acre mixed estate in Wiltshire and Gloucestershire.

Previously, he studied Agriculture & Business Management at The Royal Agricultural University and also spent an additional year there as chair of the Students' Union.

His main passion in agriculture is a transition to more environmentally conscious farming, whilst maintaining food production.

Having taken great inspiration from the regenerative movement, he is reducing tillage, increasing cover cropping and incorporating livestock and herbal leys. 

He is looking to understand impacts on soil carbon from varying cropping and establishment techniques to optimise rotations to maximise and retain soil carbon. He is also increasing low input cropping, growing miscanthus and exploring agroforestry.

He strongly supports the NFU’s net zero target, but to achieve this he believes that in the need to focus on neutralising farming's internal emission and in-setting within our supply chains before selling our good work out of the industry.

He farms 900 acres of combinable crops, wheat, oilseed rape, oats, barley and beans.

Alongside this, he lets out some permanent pasture for sheep grazing and all the land he manages is covered by a HLS scheme. The business uses precision farming techniques extensively and is beginning the journey into conservation agriculture.

Andrew is also involved in a joint venture machinery sharing agreement with a neighbouring farmer.

Completing BASIS/FACTS has allowed Will to carry out the agronomy in house since 2013.

Utilising all resources available to him, such as poultry manure, Will has improved the business' performance and using grain maize to further utilise these products has enhanced the rotation considerably.

Allowing cover crops and sheep grazing to be brought into the system, along with on farm trials and monitoring, has led to soil health improving.

Will wants to give something back to the industry he so enjoys, and being involved with the National Crops Board is one of his ways of doing that.

As well as arable and poultry, the family business also consists of The Dandelion Hideaway, a successful glamping business and numerous lettings (commercial and residential).

As well as this, they also rent out several fishing lakes, a livery yard and a quarry. Will and his family proudly manage all the above in house to great affect.

Arable farming has always been the mainstay of Will's business for four generations, and is where his passions lie.

Wheat is predominantly grown for the feed market, spring barley for malting, OSR for Openfield, legumes for seed contracts, and grass for cattle; grazing and silage.

Heather splits her time between the family farm and Elsoms Seeds Business Development Department. Here she is tasked with looking at new potential markets, exploring developing ones and researching changing political, economic and industry ideas.

Heather previously developed and managed the Energy, Forage and Hybrid cereals portfolio for the business, following a successful career trading grain for local and national merchants.

Since joining the business in May 2022, Ryan has developed a diverse cropping rotation, set a new machinery strategy to suit a regenerative approach and is creating a forward-thinking team culture.

With a key focus on soil, air and water health, Ryan now operates a 12-year cropping rotation, integrating grazing livestock across arable land, moving to variable rate liquid
fertiliser, reduced tillage and a block of Wildfarmed Bi-cropping.

Ryan is BASIS and FACTS qualified and has a continued passion for data, innovation and technology.

Ryan achieved silver in the British Farming Awards, ‘Arable Innovation’ award in 2019.

A member of the 68th Worshipful Company of Farmers, Ryan completed his Advanced Business Management Course in 2018.

They run a herd of some 100 milking cows consisting of traditional breeds, principally British Friesian, Ayrshire and Dairy Shorthorn.

Milk is supplied to the local dairy (Rachel's) in Aberystwyth. 

Formerly representing NFU Cymru on the Organic Forum, he also chaired the Soil Association Farmers and Growers board. 

Matt's 210ha farm grows mainly wheat, oilseed rape and beans.

He also chairs the NAAC (National Association of Agricultural Contractors).

Nigel also works to support Herbage seed growers across England bringing a wealth of experience around seed production.