Peter Knight

NFU Combinable Crops Baord Appointee, East

Peter runs Burgate Farms Limited, based south of Guildford in Surrey. Looking after 1200 ha of cereals and stewardship schemes, he grows winter and spring wheat, barley, beans, winter rye, OSR and fodder beet as a cash crop.

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.