He writes:
On 22 November the 2016 Cereals Development Programme visited Bristol. In the morning we all met at The Bristol Port Company head office. We were greeted by James Reeson who is trade manager for agricultural products.
He gave a very informative presentation on the history and operation of Portbury and Avonmouth docks. In 1991 the docks were bought off the council by two businessmen and since then they have invested £475 million in making them into a modern and thriving business. Portbury Docks can handle 130,000 T vessels with a depth of 14.5m. There are only three ports in the UK that can handle this size of vessel. Avonmouth is smaller and can handle 30,000 T ships.
On our bus tour around the 2,600 acre site we were able to see the 100,000 T feed shed where all of the grain gets stored by Openfield before being exported.
This shed is used for imports and exports, with the main import being soya. Visiting the docks, from a farmers' point of view, really showed how important is that the grain we produce and move off farm is in the required specification for the particular contract.
We then headed over to Warburtons Bakery for some lunch, which obviously consisted of lots of Warburtons bread! After a quick talk about the company and their history we then had a fascinating behind the scenes tour of the bakery and dispatch depot.
Interestingly, Warburtons is the second biggest brand in the UK after Coca Cola.
Half of the milling wheat for Warburtons comes in from Canada and the other half is supplied by Openfield who have the contract to currently supply 150,000 T of milling wheat.
This is sourced from 300 growers on contract, with the wheat being sent to eight mills around the country. The growers on contract have a protocol to follow so that the wheat going into the mills is of consistent quality.
In the past I have generally grown feed wheat but I am sure the farmers in our group who currently grow milling wheat will now have a lot better understanding of the end user requirements. Overall, it was a brilliant day, full of interesting and informative discussions and was enjoyed by everyone.
What's the Cereals Development Programme?
Want to know the arable sector from seed to shop shelf?
The 2016 Cereals Development Programme is a joint initiative by the NFU and grain cooperative Openfield. It offers a fantastic opportunity for anyone interested in combinable crops to improve their understanding of how the industry works, and how they can get the most from it.
The scheme is aimed at the next generation and participants are usually aged between 25 and 35 years old, but there is flexibility depending on individual circumstances. Find out more here.