52 Ha Arable Land at Tithe Barn Farm/Brodsworth Quarry Farm/ Woodlands Farm

SWOT  ANALYSIS DATA AND FARM/SFI ACTIONS NOTES

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1. Key Objective: Maintain cereal cropping potential and rotation for national food security and target breakeven output of 250 tonnes of cereals.  Tenant to farm primary cereal crops Winter wheat 52 ha and Spring Barley 25ha beans/Oats 27ha.  Maintain engagement and contact with Police, Council officers and Councillors to improve understanding of key objective and urban fringe issues. 

2.  Income and profitability.  Target Rent £15,000 pa and tenant retains cropping gross margin.  Support tenant sharecropper/contractor with capex and professional input.

3. Identify and dispose of redundant assets.  Key opportunity to dispose of 22 acres of woodland and land on quarry rim and redundant farm buildings at Tithe Barn for Live/Work use. Good support from the Local Authority with this objective with planning guidance issued.  Progress - Farmyard and 2 acres now sold in 2023 to improve Roman Ridge security and nuisance issues and provide funding for agricultural capex to improve yield.

4. Economic circumstances favouring agriculture. Key opportunity to benefit from high Wheat and Barley commodity prices following disruption of Russian and Ukraine grain exports and improve soil quality and soil resiliance and maintain cereal rotation.

5.  Output for viability.  Breakeven yield target.  Average harvest prices are £150 per tonne so if the farm was at the efficiency achieved at Woodlands Farm, Shepshed (see model business plan) 8.7tph of Winter wheat and Spring Barley etc would yield £67,860 over 52ha.  Assuming contractor and seed inputs and own labour charges of £40,0000 that implies a breakeven yield of 5tph for the cereal activity to be viable over the 5 year rotation. 

6. Challenges impeding the key agriculture and food security objective identified below.  Farm Pests and weed control.  In particular

6.1 Assess drainage.  Existing drainage running well today site visit 2/1/2024.  Site could be traversed from B6422 access to Roman Ridge despite recent persistent rain and severe flooding elsewhere.  Traverse site with central roadway to Roman Ridge and view fields and plantations to left and right

6.2  Local Authority policy over site allocation impeding capex, flytipping (NFU - charges on DIY tipping now dropped but flytipping remains an issue), access maintenance (obvious that we need access) and security. Barn Application by B6422 Documents for reference 23/02540/AGR: Public Access (doncaster.gov.uk)

6.3  Urban fringe issues damaging farm machinery indirectly as metal on the fields, and directly metal thieves removing gates/barriers and dismantling the plough (direct drilling into stubble now), impeding work, damaging tenant commitment and yields. 

6.4 Consider farm practices and subsidiary environmental objectives in the light of changing Government and local authority policy as times and climate environment changes.  Maintain winter cover. Direct drilling rather than tillage.  Forage and herbal leys in the rotation.    

7.  Knowledge.  Testing.  Soil testing baseline on arable land will direct additional lime/chalk if necessary and guide nitrogen fertiliser.  Input - Keith Mount Liming Ltd.

8.  Crops.  Winter wheat and spring barley.  Clay soil type is suitable for wheat/barley with improved drainage, organic matter and yields.  Good access to nutrients in the clay but waterlogging will impede root access.  Use experience of cropping Northamptonshire/Leicestershire clay soils.  Establish baseline and target yields.

9.  Yields.  Dependent on arable yields and capital improvements. 

10.  Capex.  Capital expenditure on 40m drainage mole drain system to existing drains to improve yields.  Input - Sweeting Bros.

11.  Pests and weed control.  Rotation for Control of pests and black grass.  Hand weeding and spraying.

12.  Wetlands. Forage on central 4.7ha (former lagoons) with high water table. Potential for wetlands.  Grazing of herbal leys. Sheep/Llamas preferred.

13. Winter cover.  Assess winter cover and Canada Grass cover.  May need replacing with frost susceptible winter cover to break cereal pest life cycles.

14.  Assess cereal cropping.  Wheat, barley, oats. Steel barn may be retained for future potato storage

15. RPA payments and capex.  Align to SFI actions and policies to maintain rotation. Winter wheat/Herbal leys.

16.  Biosolid management with Yorkshire Water to improve yield.  Input - Robinson Contract Services 

17.  RPA.  Herbal Leys 3 years SFI agreement,

18.  RPA.  Consider 3 years Winter Bird Feed SFI Agreement with winter wheat/spring barley/oats to retain arable cropping and weed control as a fine seed bed needs preparation for herbal leys anyway and the site is suited to winter wheat/spring barley.

19.  Urban fringe problems.  Improve liaison with Doncaster Council to tackle urban fringe problems and access funds for access security improvements 

20.  Improve Doncaster Council appreciation impeding capex on modern farm buildings that the land is 1. Land is arable land (condition of the mineral consent and present cropping and Farm Business Tenancy in the last 5 years). 2.  Not contaminated (British Coal/RPS warranty that the land is not contaminated.   I was a bit concerned when Officers mentioned colleagues view that the site was contaminated.  I certainly wouldnt put

that past British Coal.  However the 1996 aerial picture shows the quarrying extent by the B6422 access and it looks like a pristine layer of limestone so the visual evidence is of no contamination besides the warranty and the Groundsure and Wardell Armstrong environmental reports.

21.  Appeal any Farm Notification refusal to improve Doncaster Council appreciation and allow capital expenditure in modern farm buildings to protect plant and access for daily tasks. Diverts funds and energy but use NFU Legal Services and Jones & Co to recover costs.

22.  Labour and manning.  Cannot rely on drilling/harvesting contractors to do all daily tasks which need tenant own labour or local labour.  Avoid DIY work in favour of professionals where possible.

23. NFU.  Rural security, flytipping and access control.

24.  ADAS reports and farming plan.

25.  Soil Association Organic licencee potential input into herbal leys.

26.  Herbicides.  Choice of Cover crops to maintain winter cover but minimise glyphosphate application to control rank weeds

27.  Model business plan.  P B Tolley & Son Woodlands Farm Hallamford Road Shepshed Loughborough, Leicestershire LE12 9GY by T Batchelor and others including James Drysdale

https://www.thefarmersclub.com/media/979/979.pdf

28.  Hedgerows are few saving labour in trimming.  Existing hedgerows require curation.

KEY CHALLENGES TO ADDRESS

Key 2024 Challenges impeding agriculture

29.  Local Authority policy impeding capex.  Cross contamination of alternative land allocation and agricultural activity requires attention.  Local Authority justification for not allocating land in favour of competing sites is OBVIOUS Green Belt (which is true) NOT OBVIOUS Uncertain ground conditions and contamination (which is not true) NOT OBVIOUS Lack of agricultural activity (which is not true).  Appeal to resolve Local Authority policy towards land impeding capex.

30.  Non Human pests.  Cereal pest management with rotation.  Hand weeding and spraying.

31.  Urban fringe.  Restrain locals from fly tipping, taunting Police into chases and driving stolen vehicles onto the land and burning them out.  Metal on land damages farm machinery impeding cropping. 

32.  Legal.  Restrain gypsy activity to encroach onto the land. 2008 Gypsy invasion and possession order.  2017 illegal meat pony grazing.  Tresspass with vehicles.

33.  Consider farm branding to strengthen sense of place and restrain encroachment eg Woodlands Farm for land near new housing, Tithe Barn Farm on Roman Ridge.  Campsite on land to rear of Little Canada.  Quarry Farm for access to Green Lane.

THIRD PARTY

34. Third Party.  Consider nursery cropping with Markham Grange Garden Centre on land near Keepmoat housing.  Consider "Woodlands farm" branding.  Land is southfacing with good sunlight.  

Third party. Livery enterprise possible on quarry rim given adjoining community woodlands however grazing of land will harm arable land given soil conditions.  

35. Third party Campsite possible/forest school and woodland enterprise on quarry rim.  "Tithe Barn Farm"

36.  Tithe Barn may be sold or refurbished to provide wedding venue/family home.

37.  Wetlands.  Consider Wetlands "Quarry Farm" branding from B6422 access.  Will require "eyes" and physical presence to sustain access.

ADDITIONAL NOTES

38.  Use contractors to avoid overnight urban fringe problems.  Maintain and expand contacts with local NAAC contractors.  Build team with lead contractor.

39.  Secure B6422 access and Tithe Barn Farmyard with aluminium gates for storage.  New 10m barn for tools, tractor/plough security and maintenance if permitted by B6422. Existing services from B6422 to old quarry weighbridge yard and office area.

40.  5 year history.  2018 Farm Business Tenancy.  Land ploughed and Canadian Wild Ryegrass sown as a ley. Seed Cost £20,000 Cropped for powerstation use. 2019 same cropped for forage.  2020 Same. Farm Business tenancy ends. Farmer then contracts as necessary. 2023 overwinter bird food and cover with ryegrass leys.

41.  2024 5 year Farm plan. Continue farmland birds encouragement.  3 year SFI agreement then review.

41.1.  Year one.  2024 Mow, Spray, Plough existing Leys and prepare Winter Wheat/Spring Barley seedbed.  Reestablish seed bed arable cropping initially with winter wheat/spring barley for overwinter bird feeding with 3 year SFI agreement. In 2024 with a following wind and a good sunshine year we should get 2 crops of arable barley before sowing the SFI action winter bird food in the autumn. Choose wheat variety for cover bearing in mind local high winds vs competition from grasses.  Consider best practice for yields "Grafton". Maintain fringe of 5ft high wild ryegrass cover for mice/vole/small creatures to support predator species fox and owls in Leys Hill Plantation woodland.

41.2 Year two. 2025 Measure yield.  Sow Winter Wheat/Spring Barley. Soil testing. Lime/Gypsum application as required. New Drainage at 40m intervals

41.3.  Year three. 2026 3 year SFI agreement ends Once seedbed commercially established and weedfree sow herbal leys.  Consider new SFI or equivalent agreement.  Consider local cooperative marketing agreement for output. 

Increase area of herbal leys as part of the rotation and Skylark/farm birds nesting area.

41.4  Year four.  2027 Secure forage bales/cereals with new barn if permitted.  Services/access from new housing area.  Consider Wetlands in former 4.7 ha lagoon area for Migratory Wetland Birds. 

41.5 Year five. 2028 Consider Nursery for neighbouring nursery business on field near new housing if required

42.  Online references ADHB

Herbal leys Winter Wheat Winter wheat Spring Barley

43.  3 year Winter bird food SFI actions. If you're doing this action on the same area of land for the 3-year duration of your SFI agreement, you must:

• establish the winter bird food blocks or strips within the first 12 months of your SFI agreement.

• maintain the area of winter bird food blocks or strips in each subsequent year of your 3-year SFI agreement.

• https://defrafarming.blog.gov.uk/sow-winter-bird-food-plots-in-autumn/

44.  Assess Forestry/woodland creatures in Tithe Barn Plantation and Leys Hill Plantation.  Forestry Commission consulted and consider soil too thin to establish trees.  Area set aside for self seeding but self seeding limited and vs drainage ditches.

45.  ​Spring Barley tasks and economics.  Theres a lot of local knowledge from the local farmers to tap into as to how to get the crop into the ground economically.  Drilling the Spring Barley generally starts as early as February in some places once the seedbed is established.

45.  Archeology.  

Archaeology find

In 1984, the South Yorkshire Archaeology Field and Research Unit were called in to investigate, when limestone quarrying began at Brodsworth quarry.

The archaeologists found evidence for a small farmstead. This comprised of two timber round houses and a droveway leading to fields. The earliest pottery found here was made just a few years before the Romans arrived. Other finds from the farmstead date to the 3rd century AD. This tells us that people were living here for at least 200 years. Find out more 

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