farmers cooperating right first time lowres.pdf · farmers cooperating “this is ‘one-chance’...

farmers cooperating

“This is ‘one-chance’ land. If you don’tget on it at the right time and do thejob right first time then you’ve basicallyhad it for the season,” states Suffolkfarmer Andrew Maddever, who in April2012 took delivery of the UK’s first CaseIH Quadtrac 600 to help him do just that.

Replacing a previous Quadtrac 450 whichhad completed more than 4500 hours infive years, the Quadtrac 600 didn’t turn atrack in anger until July. But between the11th of that month and mid-October whenmost of the autumn workload was finishedit clocked up more than 1000 hours, anamazing tally for such a powerful tractorwith an incredible appetite for work. Duringthat time the 600 has been exemplary in itsperformance and reliability.

RH Maddever Farms, a partnershipbetween Andrew, his father Hugh andmother Ann, has been a Member ofAtlasFram since 1960 and now purchasesall fuel, seed, fertiliser agrochemicals andother inputs through the Group, as well asutilising the Marketing Department’s poolsto market oilseed rape and wheat. It wasthrough the AtlasFram Machinery Schemethat the Maddevers purchased the newQuadtrac, using it to obtain a significant

additional manufacturer’s rebate over andabove the discount from dealer Doe Powerin Sudbury.

Since July, this powerhouse has proved itsworth on the heavy land which the familyfarms on eight units within a 10-mile radiusof their Hall Farm at Whepstead,encompassing a mix of owner-occupiedand contract-farmed land together with asmall acreage of stubble-to-stubblecontracting. All field operations are carriedout by Maddever Contracting Limited, whichworks solely for RH Maddever Farms.

New conceptThe Maddever’s first Quadtrac experiencecame in 2006 with a demonstration, byDoe Power, of a 450hp version, which they

liked because its four-track design avoidedthe ‘scuffing’ which occurred on headlandswith their existing Challenger 55 and 95E,as well as giving better traction.

Their decision to purchase the machinedirectly from the United States was madepurely on the back of a favourableexchange rate, $US1.95 to the Pound,which produced a large enough saving topay for a new Vaderstad drill to go behindthe tractor. Although Case IH dealer, DoePower at Sudbury, missed out on the salethey looked after the tractor ‘in exemplaryfashion’, according to Andrew Maddaver.

In 2011, when the time came to replace thefive-year-old 450, the Maddevers would nothave looked to buy from anyone else.

Rightfirst time

6 9 15

What’s in this issue:6. Olympic history for Shropshire Member

9. Agrigen’s unique Biogas project

15. Amazone – Focusing on progressive farms

Continued on page 5

Issue26 AW.e$S:Layout 1 03/12/2012 11:51 Page 2

www.whitingandpartners.co.uk

Tax

Greenwood House, Greenwood Court,Skyliner Way, Bury St Edmunds IP32 7GY

Founded over 80 years ago, Whiting & Partners now have eight

offices across East Anglia with 15 partners and 130 staff.

An independent firm, we offertraditional accountancy practice

alongside many specialistand niche services.

For more information call01284 752313

Registered to carry on audit work and regulated for a range ofinvestment business activities by the Institute of CharteredAccountants in England and Wales.

Do Clouds haveSilver Linings?

2012 has been well documented as ayear where clouds or more specificallythe rain they have brought has had asignificant influence on farm outputs.Strong crop prices will mitigate some ofthe impact on revenues but high inputcosts are likely to result in an overalldecline in farm profitability.

On the back of that, is it likely that thoseclouds do in fact have a silver lining whichsurprisingly could come via the tax system?

For the unincorporated farmers a taxpayment is due on January 31, 2013. Part of this will be a Payment on Account(POA) based on the 2011-12 tax year. This was generally a healthy year for farmprofitability and it is therefore likely that asizable tax liability existed. As 50% of thisliability forms the basis for determining thePOA, this is also likely to have a significantbearing on this payment.

Faced with lower taxable profits resultingfrom the 2012 harvest reducing 2012-13tax liabilities, it may be possible to defersome or all of this tax due at the end ofJanuary.

Further tax planning opportunities exist forthe unincorporated farmer through beingable to average out farm profits from oneyear to the next. Potentially this averagingprocess offers a way to shift those profits,possibly taxed at higher rates, to a yearwhere only a basic rate liability exists sosaving 20% tax in the process.

For those unfortunate enough to actuallyincur losses then there are even moreoptions available. Some individuals mayhave other income streams and thosetrading losses can be offset against otherincome generated in the same year.However, it is more likely a better taxadvantage can be obtained by carryingthose losses back to earlier years. In thisway it is possible to obtain a tax refund atthe same rate as the tax was paid in thatearlier year - 40% or for a few, even higher.This may also affect the timing ofPayments on Account for later years,helping cash flow. It is a matter of planningcorrectly and reacting at the appropriatetime because, ultimately, this tax will bepayable.

For those structured through limitedcompanies the POA regime does not existbut the ability to carry back trading lossesdoes. These organisations will also be ableto obtain tax refunds but only at the rateapplied when their Corporation Tax waspaid.

Is this really a silver lining? No one wants to experience reduced profitlevels or worse still, losses. However, thereduced cash outflows or possibly evencash inflows that can be obtained from thetax system, when factored into farmbudgets may allow sufficient surplus for apurchase of some of the new equipmenton display at LAMMA’s 2013 show.

Asks Andrew Band,as he offers a ray ofwinter sunshine.

Andrew BandWhiting & Partners Farming GroupT: 01354 652304 E: [email protected]


As we approach the end of 2012 I ampleased to report that AtlasFramcontinues to go from strength to strength.

Members who read our annual report willsee that, despite significant challenges fromthe weather and volatile markets, we hadanother very successful year. The businessturned over £169 million, an increase of £17million, purchasing turnover increased by9.2% and our financial reserves rose to over£2.5 million, the highest in the Group’shistory and an excellent sign to suppliers ofour financial strength.

Our success reflects the fact that we are atrue cooperative which operates purely inthe best interests of our Members and in anentirely transparent manner. Our uniquearea-based funding scheme means that,unlike many competitors, we do not makeextra profit from Members as input pricesrise, while our structure rewards those whohave a strong commitment to the Group,thereby maximising the profitability of theirindividual businesses.

We remain committed to being the UK’sforemost farmer-owned purchasing andmarketing cooperative, delivering the bestservice and information supported by thebest value and advice to our Members.Going forward, I believe that duringincreasingly challenging times for ourindustry, membership of AtlasFram willbecome even more attractive to forward-thinking farmers.

Fascinating researchSaying that leads me nicely on to talkingabout a fascinating piece of quantitativeresearch commissioned by SaturnAgriculture, in which AtlasFram partners withDengie Crops and Woldmarsh Producers.With the purpose of investigating the futurepotential for Saturn, researchers questioned297 farmers throughout England, of which91 are members of Saturn, 79 belong toanother buying group in the same regionand 127 are not part of any buying group.

Its objectives were to:• Quantify the factors driving cooperative

membership• Identify the current needs of a cooperative

buying group and the services used• Assess views regarding current services

offered and levels of satisfaction• Examine the requirements of a

cooperative/buying group andopportunities for Saturn Agriculture

Whilst over 85% of those who took partregarded the dominant benefit of cooperativemembership as harnessing collective buyingpower to obtain lower prices, a significantnumber of Members appreciated theadditional benefits of group membership,most notably convenience, time saving, easeof payment and accounting.

What I find interesting is that the surveyrevealed that Saturn Members purchase amuch higher percentage of their keyrequirements through their respectivecooperatives compared with other buyinggroups. This includes the majority of theirfertiliser, crop protection and fuelrequirements, together with a much higherpercentage of inputs such as seed,machinery spares and other items.

In addition to best prices, the key factorsthat encourage continued membership ofthe group are efficiency, trusted staff, long-term relationships and access to a widerange of products and services. This is reallyencouraging to see, demonstrating the valueof our Member services and closerelationships in addition to buying well onbehalf of Members. Confirming our strategyof providing individual service with a personaltouch, is the fact that 97% of AtlasFram

Members prefer to contacta specialist buyer as opposedto a generalist who may know the farm butnot specialise in a specific input. Anencouraging 40% of AtlasFram Members arevery interested in marketing their cropsthrough the Group, underpinning ourstrategy and the success of the relationshipwith ADM, as well as giving us lots ofheadroom for growth in this department.

The survey reinforced Members’ high levelof satisfaction with the support servicesprovided by Saturn Agriculture and itsmember cooperatives. 91% of AtlasFramMembers were highly satisfied that weachieve best prices and that staff wereresponsive, with 96% rating us very highlyfor staff accessibility and knowledge of theproducts being sold. 93% of Members werevery satisfied with our invoicing andstatement process. This supportivefeedback is well deserved by my team ofprofessionals in the office who are absolutelyfocused on delivering the very best Memberservice and value that they can.

This fascinating piece of research reinforcesour belief that AtlasFram is heading alongthe right path and will be invaluable inshaping the future of Saturn Agriculture.

Richard AnscombeChief Executive

AtlasFram Group LimitedNew Road, FramlinghamWoodbridge, Suffolk IP13 9AT

Tel: 01728 727700E-mail: [email protected]: 01728 727701

Every precaution has been taken to ensure thatthe material published in Farmers First is accurateat the time of printing. For further details about anyof the information featured in this edition pleasecall Ashley Gilman at the AtlasFram Group on01728 727700, or Julian Cooksley at Kendalls PRon 01394 610022.

Takingstock

CEO Comment

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However, whilst a demonstration of a newQuadtrac 450 in November 2011 left them‘seriously impressed’ with the advanceswhich had been made since they boughttheir machine, and was the preferredchoice of the operators, they felt that morepower would not go amiss.

“The Quadtrac had obviously taken a hugestep forward since we purchased ouroriginal tractor,” Andrew explains. “It wasvery impressive and so we ordered a newQuadtrac 600.

Because all the work we intended to dowith the tractor was ‘on the drawbar’ wespecified it without a three-point linkage orPTO. We also declined the usual factory-installed AFS AccuGuide™ autoguidancesystem in favour of a Trimble FMX systembecause we wanted to use it with ourBateman RB35 and RB25 machines forvariable-rate spreading.”

Latest technologyThe Quadtrac 600’s 12.9-litre, six-cylinderdiesel has a rated power output of 649hpat 2100rpm and produces a maximum of670hp at 1900rpm, with up to 2848Nm oftorque and a 40% torque rise. Designed byCIH and built by Iveco to deliver maximumhorsepower smoothly and efficiently, it iselectronically controlled to ensure peakpower growth with low fuel consumption.The engine also features Case IH’sSelective Catalytic Reduction (SCR)technology, which improves horsepower,responsiveness, fuel economy and reliabilitywhilst lowering emissions. The SCR systemprovides up to 9% lower fuel consumptionon Tier 4A SCR engines compared withprevious Tier 3 power units.

Equipped with an 1820-litre fuel tank, whichcosts around £1300 to fill, this enormoustractor delivers its power through a 16-speed Steiger powershift transmission,which produces smooth shifting andreduces fatigue at the end of a long day inthe field. It accomplishes this by usingpulse-width modulation, which maximisesthe application of power.

Weighing 25 tonnes, the Quadtrac 600features four individually-driven oscillating76cm-wide tracks which enable the tractorto ‘float’ across fields, delivering optimalground pressure, superior flotation andbetter traction, combined with reducedcompaction. It’s an engineeringadvancement which offers versatilitycombined with maximum productivity.

Operators benefit from Case IH CabSuspension which incorporates shock-absorbing components at each corner tostabilise front-to-back, side-to-side and up-and-down movement, giving the operator asmooth ride regardless of the terrain. Acombination of springs, pads and mounts

fully isolates the cab from chassis-createdvibrations, thereby avoiding repeated jarringand bouncing, allowing the operator to focuson the job and have more control over thetractor, without the fatigue and soreness thatcomes at the end of a long shift.

Multiple applicationsSupplementing a Challenger 755B, as wellas three wheeled tractors, the Maddever’sQuadtrac 600 operates with a number ofimplements.

Having traditionally ploughed to controlblackgrass, Andrew Maddever says thatthere’s little evidence that levels of controlbenefited from this approach. Wherepossible, he therefore now prefers to useother methods, such as extended staleseedbeds and finer seedbeds to allow pre-emergence herbicides to work moreeffectively.

One of the implements used with theQuadtrac is a 6m Simba SLD600, whichincorporates nine Pro-Lift hydraulic resettines working at up to 300mm, togetherwith a DD rear roller which leaves anexcellent level finish while also performingan effective loosening operation. One rowof serrated discs ahead of the tines andanother row following the tines ahead of theDD roller chop and mix the surface trash.The SLD600 is also operated incombination with a 6.6m, 7.2-tonne SimbaCultipress, which cultivates levels andconsolidates in one pass. Drilling is carriedout using an 8m Vaderstad Rapid behindthe Quadtrac.

The 600 has worked exceptionally hard,with cultivation operations being carried outby Simon Ranson and drilling by MatthewCamps. During the tractor’s first 800 hoursof operation meticulous records were keptof fuel usage, which averaged 72l/hr,including all field and road work. Covering50ha every 12 hours when pulling theSimba SLD600, the Quadtrac uses around1000 litres of fuel, equivalent to 20 litres perhectare. AdBlue is used at the rate of onelitre to every 16 litres of fuel and is suppliedfrom a 250-litre tank.

Prior to the 2012 harvest MaddeverContracting ordered 100,000 litres of reddiesel on a forward contract throughAtlasFram, which purchases 45 millionlitres of fuel annually on behalf of its 1250Members. This innovative initiative enabledMembers to forward-order a specificquantity of red diesel at aspecific price, 63.79 penceper litre, for delivery in July,August and September.Prices on the spot marketsubsequently increasedby 6ppl, saving thosewho participated almost10% on their fuel costs.

Summarising his view of the Quadtrac 600,Andrew Maddever comments:

“I don’t get much opportunity to drive ourlatest Quadtrac, but it doesn’t take long toappreciate just what an excellent piece ofequipment it is. Traction is superb and itsmanageable width makes it easy to moveon the road, which is important for us. Thetractor is fantastically comfortable, the cabis so quiet and the suspension system isjust remarkable.

“The other astonishing thing is that thetractor is so quiet that you can stand next toit in the field and hardly notice it pass by. Inthe past we’ve sometimes had complaintsfrom residents when working late at night,but despite its massive power you hardlyhear the Quadtrac. It glides over the fieldmaking very little noise, which is a big pluspoint as far as we are concerned. Theother big bonus is the Xenon lighting, whichis exceptional and makes working afterdark so much easier, less stressful and farless tiring.

“At the moment there is nothing else on themarket to touch the Quadtrac.”

Further details about the AtlasFramMachinery Scheme from Jon Fovargueon 01728 727700.

Right first time Continued from page 1

Andrew Maddever has been very impressedby the Case IH Quadtrac 600.

Four, wide, independent track sets allow theQuadtrac 600 to float over fields withremarkable agility.


Member Profile – J.M. Bubb

66

AtlasFram Member Jonathan Bubbtends a rather special crop of winterwheat on his family’s Shropshire farmwith meticulous, somewhat unusualcare, which is understandable becausethis year it featured at both the Olympicand Paralympics Games, together withthe Queen’s Jubilee ceremonies.

Chosen for its modest flag-leaf, the wheatis grown for floral displays and bouquets.Picked green before the ears have formed,it is then dried as part of the family’sShropshire Petals business, operatedalongside potato, wheat and oilseed rapeproduction on 1400 acres.

“The variety is JB Diego, the same as therest of the wheat acreage, which we buythrough AtlasFram,” explains Jonathanwho farms with his father Michael and

brother James as J.M. Bubb and Son. As well as the conventional crops hemasterminds the growing of 10 acres offlowers for natural confetti, plus the wheatwhich runs to four acres.

“We use this variety because the flag leafdoesn’t dominate. Appearance is soimportant that it has to be completelydisease-free, so it gets Rolls Roycetreatment and I generally have to use moresprays. It’s also sown in wider rows andpicked with an old leek harvester.”

As specialist growers the Bubbs wereasked to provide the wheat for the 4800bouquets handed to every Olympic andParalympic award winner at theceremonies.

The flower business began 26 years ago,when Michael and Rosemary Bubb took

up the dried flower hobby of theirgrandmother Daisy and turned it into acommercial success, with 150 acres offlowers for drying.

“At that time dried flowers were infashion,” remembers Rosemary. “Butfashions change, so 10 years ago wereduced the acreage and turned to driedpetal confetti instead.

“We’ve always included wheat and sowhen the florist was sourcing materials forthe Olympic bouquets the wholesalercame to us. That was about 18 monthsbefore the event, but it all had to be keptsecret until well after the Games.”

Wheat has become very popular fordecorative use and the 30 workersemployed also make it into stooks forcountry weddings.

Playing their part inOlympic history

The Shropshire Petals team standing in a field of JB Diego winter wheat which was used in the Olympic bouquets. Jonathan is in the front row with his parents Michael and Rose. Brother Jim, who handles marketing, is on the extreme left.


Operatesglobally

Reachescustomers

locallyaround the

world

Managessignificantrisks acrossSyngenta

Has thelargest

number ofemployees(over 8,000)

Responsiblefor most ofcosts across

Syngenta

Manages themajority ofSyngenta’s

captial

Syngentacrop

protectionand seeds

supply chain

7

Supplier Profile - Syngenta

Supplying a crop protection product,particularly a new one such as Seguris,starts well before it arrives on farm. SueLightfoot, customer service and supplylead for Syngenta, explains howAtlasFram and Syngenta benefit fromworking together.

Dealing with a global company offersmultiple benefits. As well as knowing thatinvestment is going back into research toprovide new solutions - Syngenta invests$1b in R&D annually and it is increasinglychallenging to bring new products tomarket - you are also working with acompany that uses global purchasing toproduce the right product, of the rightquality, at the right time.

Providing these benefits is something wetake seriously. Producing a crop protectionproduct requires multiple steps – fromsourcing raw materials; manufacturingactive ingredients; formulation; packing;warehousing and finally distribution tocustomers. It’s similar with seed – withquality checked at every stage.

Both are highly involved processes.Especially when you realise that:

• We offer around 1200 product linesglobally (110 crop protection treatmentsplus 350 seed varieties in various packsize permutations in the UK alone)

• European production is coordinatedacross three active ingredients -manufacturing sites and six formulationand packing sites (e.g. Grangemouth,which produces azoxystrobin)

• Recipes are complex – e.g. approaching100 constituents in the potato blightfungicide Revus

• Products manufactured in one countrymight be used across Europe – soseveral markets may need them at thesame time

• Like farmers, we have to respond to thebiggest challenge – the weather – whichcan lead to sudden demand or toproduct no longer required

Managing all this to have a productdelivered to a particular location, on aparticular day takes huge planning. It’s thejob of the Syngenta global supply chainteam.

How we do it• We plan up to 36 months ahead. We

have to – the approximate lead-time for

a forecasted finished product is fourweeks, but for un-forecasted demand itcan be longer. For an active ingredient itcan be up to six months

• We base annual planning on an‘average’ year – but review monthly tohave flexibility for the highs and lows

• Planning starts at a country level andmoves up through to region all the wayto the global team and we review thisevery month

• To allow capacity at peak times, weproduce certain products ahead ofwhen needed. We also use seven day aweek production and tollmanufacture to meet demand

• For key products, wemanufacture every twoweeks rather than onceor twice a year

• We plan new productintroductions especiallycarefully – e.g. we hadBontima availablewithin weeks ofregistration beingreceived

How we both benefitby working togetherUltimately, the key toproduct availability isexcellence in forecasting.

Forecast earlyWe like forecasting to be two-way. Weshare our assumptions with customersand like them to give us feedback inreturn.

Challenges can arise when peopleforecast with several manufacturers tocover all possibilities, then don’t commit toforecasts or switch at the eleventh hour.

Feed back promptlyUpdate us monthly – so that we canrespond. For example, is that diseasepressure increasing or is anothermanufacturer running out? That way, wecan fine-tune supply.

One example was when we had tomassively increase Revus availability forpotato blight in 2012. We could do this

partly because wewere able toredeploy productfrom elsewhere.

Be honestA key challenge isknowing when todecrease supply as well as increase it.Sometimes people switch into othertreatments on price. Product decisions

shouldn’t be all about price (factors suchas quality, technical back-up, packagingbenefits such as S-Pacs, and investmentin future research are all key). But ifcustomers are switching, we would ratherknow in good time.

Not telling us could mean we keepmanufacturing something that’s no longerneeded, leaving no production capacity fora product that desperately is.

Our aimOverall, our aim is that by working closelyand openly together, everybody gains.

Supply chaincooperation benefits all

Inboundsupply

Activeingredient

manufacture

Formulation,filling andpacking

Distribution/warehouse

Dealer/retailer

Customer(grower)

The crop protection supply chain

Sue Lightfoot, UK andIreland customer serviceand supply lead forSyngenta

Bontima®, Revus® and Seguris® are registered trademarks of a Syngenta Group company.Bontima (MAPP No. 14899) contains cyprodinil and isopyrazam, Revus (MAPP No. 13484) contains mandipropamid, Seguris (MAPP No. 15246) contains epoxiconazole and isopyrazam.Use plant protection products safely. Always read the label and product information before use. For further product information including warning phrases and symbols refer to www.syngenta-crop.co.uk

Syngenta cropprotection andseeds supply chain


8

‘TRAMLINE’, a new national scheme topromote the merits of independentagronomy, encourage new talent intothe sector and secure a sustainablefuture for independent agronomy, hasbeen launched by AtlasFram Group andthe Association of Independent CropConsultants (AICC).

Designed to create accessible pathwaysinto this vital sector by providingindividuals with the professional supportand advice they need, TRAMLINE is aimedat those who would have to meet therequirements for AICC membership. Theyinclude farm managers looking to changecareer, newly-qualified agronomists whowant to start their own business andexisting agronomists wishing to transfer tothe independent sector.

The scheme will offer discounted AICCMembership, access to independentregional trials data, contact with a networkof mentors, together with opportunities towork with established agronomy providers.It will also encompass a package ofbusiness support provided by theAtlasFram Group, including an overview ofthe sector, together with advice on arange of issues, from business registration,

telecommunications, email, websites andHR issues to guidance on tax and legalissues provided by external stakeholders.

“We believe that it is vital for farmers tohave access to a healthy, commercially-independent agronomy sector to ensurethat they receive a ‘fair deal’ whenpurchasing crop inputs, states RichardAnscombe, AtlasFram’s Chief Executive.“That depends on being able to separateagronomic advice from productpurchases, which is why the role of theindependent agronomist is so important.The problem currently facing theagricultural industry is that the averageage of independent agronomists is similarto that of farmers, namely in the mid-tolate-50s. It is therefore important thatAtlasFram helps to promote independentagronomy and attract new talent into theprofession to ensure the sector continuesto flourish.”

Mike Warner, Chairman of the AICC, adds:“We are delighted to be working alongsidethe AtlasFram Group to promote this newinitiative because as manufacturers anddistributors become larger andincreasingly global in their outlook so theinfluence and purchasing power of

individual farmers is diluted. It is vital thatthey have access to agronomic advicewhich is completely independent of anycommercial bias to enable them topurchase the products that are best suitedto their individual requirements, at the bestpossible prices through organisations suchas AtlasFram.”

Further details are available atwww.agronomytramline.co.uk orcontact:• Peter Waite, Crop Protection ProductsManager, AtlasFram Group T: 01728 727700 E: [email protected] • Mike Warner, Chairman, AICC T: 01730 823881 E: [email protected]

TRAMLINE scheme will promote independent agronomy

Mike Warner - AICC Chairman

Agronomy


9

Member Profile - Agrigen

Six AtlasFram Members in Suffolk havedeveloped a unique anaerobic digestion(AD) facility which will eventuallygenerate sufficient power to supply theirown crop marketing company and localbusinesses.

High and volatile energy prices were thecatalyst for the formation of Agrigen, aunique AD facility which has beendeveloped as a stand-alone business by3Ms, a produce marketing companyformed 12 years ago by AtlasFramMembers who farm adjoining land on theSuffolk Heritage Coast.

Based at Bentwaters Park, the formerUnited States Air Force facility, thecompany came into being after Branston,one of the UK’s biggest potato buyers,packers, distributors and marketerscontacted the three original members -Peter Waring Ltd, A. W. Mortier (Farms) Ltdand P.R.C. & C.M. Westrope - regardingsupplies. Already friends, they decided toadopt a single supply position andcommitted to forming 3Ms.

The objective was to market potatoes andother root vegetables produced by thethree farming companies, whose principalsplayed golf together in a group nicknamed‘The Three Musketeers’, subsequentlyabbreviated to 3Ms. Peter Waring Ltdstopped producing root vegetables in 2002but Capel St Andrew Farms joined thefollowing year, Wantisden Hall Farms in2004, Mann Potatoes not long after,followed by R.H Paul.

Farming 12,000ha, they produce 120,000tonnes of fresh vegetables annually,including potatoes, onions, carrots,parsnips and turnips. 3Ms is managed byJohn Patrick who previously worked forWarings, and Graham Thorne whomanaged potato and root crop productionfor P.R.C. & C.M. Westrope.

“3Ms was formed by a group of veryprofessional farmers who have chosen to co-operate for mutual benefit and work entirely ontrust,” explains Graham Thorne. “We existsolely to market crops produced by Members,which are all family-owned businesses thattake a long-term outlook. We neither trade norspeculate in the market and have a very goodreputation for supplying high-qualityproduce on time. Our brief is also to seekexpansion and new profit opportunitieswhich are sympathetic to the long-terminterests of the individual farming businesses,for the benefit of future generations.

“Five years ago, the combination of relativelystatic prices for produce and rapidlyincreasing energy costs was squeezingmargins. High oil prices affect not only fuelcosts but everything else which uses energy,from the electricity used to dry and storeproduce to pesticides and fertilisers, so wedecided to investigate ways to make thebusiness more resilient to energy costfluctuations.

“Having considered all the options wefocused on developing an AD plant, using bi-products from our vegetable operationsand specifically-grown feedstock crops toproduce electricity and heat, as well asproviding the ability to recycle carbon andeven produce fuel for road vehicles.

“We studied the position in Germany, wherethey are much more advanced in renewableenergy, and identified an Austrian companywhich specialises in manufacturing plant tohandle high-energy waste, produces thecomplete system in-house and has installedaround 80 identical installations throughoutEurope. There was a very strong synergybetween our two businesses and we quicklydecided to work with them.

“Planning took a year to complete and wasboth costly and difficult. Government delaysin announcing the initial level of the feed-intariff meant it was February 2011 before wefound out that instead of the proposed11.5p/kW we had used to cost our proposed1.5mW plant the figure would actually be9.0p/kW, compared with 13p/kW forschemes of up to 499kW.

“We came very close to scrapping thewhole project, not just because theeconomics had changed but because ourconfidence in the Government’s long-termcommitment to renewable energy was

undermined. However, the higher tariff forsmaller AD plants and our long-term goal ofmaking the business more resilient to futureenergy price increases tipped the balance.We started by building a sub-0.5mW plantto qualify for the higher tariff but installedthe infrastructure for a 1.5mW plant.

“Getting to where we are today has notbeen helped by the banks, which are stillunwilling to lend money for new projects.Fortunately, we were able to raise capital tofund this project from the Members,together with John and myself. We weretherefore able to overcome what for manyothers would have been an insurmountablehurdle because we have all workedtogether for so long and built up a highlevel of trust.

“Funding from the East of EnglandDevelopment Agency (EEDA) allowed us toinstall a nutrient handling and recyclingsystem which enables clean water to bereturned to a reservoir and used for cropirrigation, while solid material is used toproduce compost which will eventuallymeet 5% to 6% of our member farms’nutrient requirements. This is very importantas they produce crops which are eatenraw, so slurry from livestock or processedhuman waste cannot be used. This meansthat fertiliser has to come from imported,

Innovative AD project will makebusiness more resilient

Graham Thorne, right, with a sample ofchopped maize

One of Agrigen’s three 26-metre digesters – each holds 3000m² of feedstock

Continued on page 10


Information Technology

The substantial investment in IT whichthe AtlasFram Board approved 18months ago is now entering its finalphase. It has been an enormousproject, impacting on all parts of thebusiness, but early next year AtlasFramMembers will be able to see and utilisemany further improvements to thebusiness services we offer.

The IT project will benefit both Membersand AtlasFram in different ways. It will:

• Provide Members with a high level ofconfidential information across allproduct areas direct to their officecomputer, iPad or smart phone througha highly secure, password-protected,Members-Only Area on the website.

• Further improve the efficiency of theAtlasFram office. Examples of this wouldbe receiving invoices direct fromsuppliers electronically and automaticallycoding them by product area to allowdetailed reporting for suppliernegotiations. We currently receive

almost 200,000 invoices a year by post,but only around 18,000 electronically.However, by Christmas this will increaseto 36,000 with a further eight supplierssending invoices electronically. We havean ongoing commitment to engage andconnect electronically with all highinvoice volume suppliers.

As well as using the latest technology toreduce ‘inbound’ paper and handling, wehave also put large resources into givingfarm offices the opportunity to receivestatements and copy invoiceselectronically. The ability to forward theseto remote offices, contract farmingaccounts and so forth will be equally asimportant. With HMRC accepting thatsuch information is held on the officecomputer in the future, the comment of‘passing on of the printing’ to the Memberis not our intention. At any time all youraccount records are backed up andaccessible via the AtlasFram office.

The Members’ Area of the new websitewill also have a fully-integrated ‘on-line’

ordering facility, allowing farm businessesto place orders directly from the farmoffice or field, at any time. All orders will beverified and confirmed with the supplierinternally. If your business knows exactlywhat it requires, placing orderselectronically makes a massive differenceto the running cost of your cooperative. Toback this up, accurate market informationand trends will be available through thesite to aid your decision making.

AtlasFram appreciates that investment insuch systems and processes will notchange farming business processesovernight, but the way that business isnow being performed globally, andincreasingly electronically, makes itimportant that we engage with thischange. We will support the introductionof this new technology within AtlasFram byholding IT workshops and updatesessions.

Ashley Gilman, Group Business Manager

Staff profile

Edward ThomsonEdward Thomson, AtlasFram’s new ITand Telecoms Buyer, joined the groupin January 2012.

Born in Norwich, Edwardgrew up in the Suffolkarea and graduated fromthe University of EastAnglia in Norwich in 2009with a BSc in BusinessInformation Systems.Having spent some timeworking in customerservice roles, Edward spent a yearworking in Cumbria before returning toSuffolk in 2011. He states:“My role at AtlasFram will be to makethis sector of the AtlasFram Group growconsiderably and offer Members a morediverse range of IT and Telecom serviceswhich deliver excellent value.”

Member Profile - Agrigen Continued from page 9

oil-based sources, creating long-term costand supply risks.

“To produce 2mW of output will requireapproximately 40,000 tonnes of feedstocksannually. Currently, 40% comes from maizea significant amount of which is drilled afterearly crops of carrots or vining peas intosoils which have relatively low moisturedeficiency and have a high nutrient status,representing a great opportunity to fullyutilise land and resources. Another 30%-35% comes from rye or triticale, deep-rooting crops that use very little nitrogen,with the remainder from by-products, suchas bio-products from our vegetablehandling operation or other crop materialsuch as frosted sugarbeet. This enables usto utilise products that would otherwise rotin the field and release methane into theatmosphere.

“Using crops to feed an AD plant does

raise the ‘food versus fuel’ debate, but weare very comfortable with our position. Thearea we devote to energy crops wouldotherwise be fallow or only produce low-yielding crops, these would utiliseincreasingly scarce resources much lessefficiently and generate less employmentthan our intensive vegetable operations.This modern form of green-manuringtherefore makes us a better, moreenvironmentally-balanced food producer,which is increasingly important to our retailcustomers. It is a win-win situation.

“Only 10% of the power which will begenerated by Agrigen will be used in 3Msstores and although the surplus is currentlyfed back into the National Grid, weeventually hope to use the remainder tosupply other businesses on BentwatersPark, which fits in well with theGovernment’s target of working towardslocalised power generation.”

10


11

Fertiliser

AtlasFram Member John Taylor hasdoubled his Koch Advanced Nitrogen®

fertiliser tonnage for 2013.

John Taylor used innovative KochAdvanced Nitrogen® fertiliser for the firsttime during 2012 on the 1200ha of arableland he manages from Grove Farm,Clopton in Suffolk. He chose this form ofnitrogen because of its well-establishedpractical and agronomic advantages overordinary urea and ammonium nitrate (AN).With 46% N compared to 34.5% N forAN, Koch Advanced Nitrogen® fertiliseroffers more efficient spreading, lesspackaging waste and is exempt from thetransportation and storage burdens of AN.

“I was really pleased with how the KochAdvanced Nitrogen® fertiliser performed anddelighted with the results in terms of cropyields and quality,” John stated. “Consideringthat the weather during the season was theworst for 30 years, we were very fortunatecompared with many others around thecountry.

“Conditions last autumn were very kind,crops established well and we were able toapply nitrogen quickly because it issignificantly more concentrated in KochAdvanced Nitrogen® fertiliser than AN. Thenitrogen spread very well and was availableto the plants immediately, giving them aboost at just the right time before it rainedalmost every day through to June.

“We used Koch Advanced Nitrogen®

fertiliser on all our wheat and the averageyield for first and second crops was9.68t/ha, almost spot-on our five-yearaverage. In the same fields, using Koch

Advanced Nitrogen® fertiliser produced yieldand grain protein equal to AN, which wasour performance benchmark.

“Nitrogen is particularly important on themilling wheats which we grow. Undoubtedlywe benefitted from Koch AdvancedNitrogen® fertiliser, as we were able to getmore nitrogen on at the optimum time.

“All the Group 1 milling wheat acreage wassown with ‘Gallant’ in the second-wheatslot. It averaged 9.5 t/ha at 14% moisture,12.7% protein and with 287 Hagberg. Itpassed the DON (deoxyni-valenol) test formycotoxins with flying colours and we wereable to sell 700 tonnes at £222/t, a £30/tpremium over feed. By separating all ourGroup 3 soft milling wheats, Target, Warriorand Scout, we were able to achieve anaverage £15/t premium.

“With the mills we deliver to being morethan 100 miles away in Northamptonshire itis essential that we supply only productwhich will make the grade, as rejectionsare costly.

“Koch Advanced Nitrogen® fertilisercertainly enabled us to apply more nitrogenwhen it suited the farm and our workloadthis year, rather than being at the mercy ofthe weather.

“In May, I placed my order for my 2013nitrogen but won’t actually take delivery anduse it until next April. Working that far aheadI can’t hope to know what the weather willbe like then, so being able to rely on KochAdvanced Nitrogen® fertiliser to performgives great peace of mind and enables meto manage risk more effectively.”

New Nitrogen helps tomanage weather risks

John Taylor with some of the Gallant wheat hesold for milling at a £30/t premium

R.A.B.I - the Royal AgriculturalBenevolent Institution - is a grant-making charity which gives confidentialhelp to farming people in financialdifficulty.

Founded in 1860, it helps working farmersand farm-workers on a short-term basis,for example following illness, accident,bereavement, family breakdown, or animaldisease, and offers long-term help toelderly people and disabled people of allages.

Support includes State Benefits’ adviceand one-off or regular grants, includingwinter heating supplements and help withutility bills and telephone charges. It canalso pay for things like disability

equipment, essential household goodsand hospital travel costs.

Though R.A.B.I does not pay businessbills, it can pay for relief farm staff if, forexample, someone is unable to workthrough illness or that of a close memberof their family.

It can pay for help from the Institution ofAgricultural Secretaries and Administratorsto get paperwork and accounts in order,while its Gateway Project pays for trainingto allow people to develop skills they canuse to get off-farm work to supplementtheir income.

The charity can also help with care homefees/home-help costs and runs tworesidential homes of its own.

R.A.B.I supports more than 2000 farmingfamilies a year with grants of around £2 million. Most of its work is funded bypublic donations, money raised at eventsarranged by the charity’s volunteer countycommittees, and support from businessesand community groups.

To find out more, visit www.rabi.org.ukor call R.A.B.I’s confidential helpline0300 303 7373.

Charity No.208858


12

The recent Members’ survey highlightedthat many of you would like more help incomplying with health and safetyobligations. AtlasFram’s Special InterestGroup, comprising CEO RichardAnscombe, Member and DirectorChristopher Padfield, together withLouise Tupman, Human ResourcesConsultant have identified twocompanies specialising in health andsafety issues in the agricultural sector.

“The agricultural industry is one of the mostdangerous industries in which to work,”explains Louise Tupman. “Every dayfarmers and their staff face a wide range ofhazards, from machinery and chemicals tolivestock and equipment. The situation iscomplicated by the fact that many of thosewho work on farms do so on a part-time orcasual basis.

“The latest report from the Health & SafetyExecutive for 2011/2012 shows that therewere 33 fatal injuries to workers in theagricultural industry. The average fatalityrate is 9.7 per 100,000 employees, thehighest of all industries apart from miningand quarrying. Almost half of those fatallyinjured were farmers, 21% farm workersand 6 were members of the public.

“New cases of work related ill-health withinagriculture are almost twice the rate for allindustries and the highest of the industrysectors. The rate of work-relatedmusculoskeletal disorders, for example, isover three times the average, while dustfrom grain, cereals, feed or bedding is asignificant cause of breathing/lungproblems. These are worrying statistics.

“With the best interests of Members inmind, and as part of our Duty of Careresponsibilities, we reviewed what healthand safety services are currently available.We identified two companies as beingspecialist in the agricultural sector, eachhaving a very different approach andoffering services which suit differentrequirements.”

One of them is NFU Mutual RiskManagement Services Ltd (RMS), of whichHannah Dodds is Regional Manager. Shestates:

“Every year a large number of employees

are killed, maimed or suffer seriousillnesses. Add to this the threat of non-compliance with Health & Safety legislationor prosecution for pollution and it’s easy tosee how the associated costs could crippleyour business. Good Risk Managementmakes excellent business sense, becauseas well as accident prevention andmitigation, it focuses attention, increasesconfidence and frees up your time to get onwith core business activities.”

NFU Mutual Risk Management ServicesLimited (RMS) is a fully independent riskmanagement company, offering a healthand safety consultancy service to helporganisations identify, manage andminimise risk as well as comply withlegislation. Its approach is to take an evenmore active role in preventing loss anddisruption. By putting effectivemanagement systems in place, it can helpto identify risks and help ensure things donot go wrong in the first place.

Founded in 1992, RMS is the largestprovider of health and safety consultancyservices to the rural sector, with over 5000clients; and is not exclusive to thoseholding insurance with the NFU Mutual. It isuniquely placed to provide advice andassistance tailored to the specialist needsof the rural community. RMS’s key strengthis its people. All 50 health and safetyconsultants have both agricultural andhealth and safety knowledge andexperience; with the majority beingChartered Members of the Institution ofOccupational Safety and Health (CMIOSH)and appearing on the Occupational Safetyand Health Consultants Register (OSHCR).

RMS offers a wide range of flexible, costeffective products and services, including:health and safety support service, healthand safety training, fire risk assessments,food safety management and asbestossurveys. Working with AtlasFram, threedifferent health and safety support options

are initially on offer to members, ensuringthe right level of service and help, no matterhow large or small your business. Allservices are available nationwide, atcompetitive rates.

Option 1: VQ Level 2 Award SafeWorking in Agriculture and ProductionHorticultureA one-day course aimed at all thoseworking in these sectors it costs £100+ VAT per delegate.

Option 2: Health & Safety WorkshopsThis one-day practical workshop forowners/managers/employees who managein-house health and safety procedures onsmall to medium-sized farms costs £250 + VAT per delegate

Option 3: Health & Safety SupportAimed at medium to large farms, thiscomprehensive and confidentialconsultancy service, which costs from£1950 + VAT, covers a wide range of healthand safety issues and will help Members toimprove their health and safetyperformance. An RMS consultant will meetwith you to identify issues affecting yourbusiness, undertake a detailed hazard spotexercise across your work areas, andsuggest practical solutions. They will alsobegin to produce the key paperworkrequired by law, all aimed at ensuring youprovide and maintain a safe and healthyworking environment for employees,contractors and members of the public. Aprogramme of on-going help and supportwill ensure that you are kept updated withthe ever-changing legislative requirements.

For more information or to reserve aplace on one of the training days pleasecontact Becky Collen on 07814 130920or email: [email protected]

Safety Revolution can be contacted on01993 220266 (Oxford office) or 01354 694222 (Chatteris office)

Putting Health & Safety firstHealth & Safety

Health and Safety Workshop – Tuesday 12th February 2013AtlasFram office, Framlingham 10am - 4pm.Aimed at anybody with responsibility for managing health and safety, including adviceand help with complying with health and safety legislation, followed by a practicalhazard-spotting exercise on a local farm. All delegates also receive a health and safety advice manual and 12 months accessto telephone support. Cost £250 + VAT per delegate, payable in advance. Minimum of 5 delegates.

VQ 2 Working Safely in Agriculture Course – Wednesday 13th February 2013 AtlasFram office, Framlingham 9am - 5pm. Aimed at anybody working within agriculture, from employees to management. Those successfully completing the course will received a VQ2 qualification and 6NRoSO points. Cost £100 + VAT per delegate, payable in advance. Minimum 10 delegates.

Training opportunities

Hannah Dodds, Regional Risk Control Executive,NFU Mutual


13

Agrovista

Vigour and earliness- key criteria for maize success

AtlasFram are already receiving newseason variety offers from suppliers.The complexity and segmentation ofvarieties in this market is demonstratedin that last season AtlasFram supplied58 varieties from 19 suppliers coveringapprox. 9000 acres with the trend toearlier, high-yielding varieties continuing.As well as Ramirez, other leadingforage varieties with AtlasFramMembers were Justina, P7892, Trozi,Cerutti, ES Ballade, MAS17E andPR39V43.

Whilst it will be a few weeks before weare in position to finalise member maizeseed order forms it is well worthconsidering whether you wish to try anyof the new varieties available.

After a season in which so many maizecrops failed to deliver, growers are beingadvised to focus on earlier varieties for2013 to avoid a repeat performance.However, while there’s a raft of new,higher-yielding, ultra-early varieties tochoose from, growers must take carebecause some don’t have the stabilityneeded to cope, according to AgrovistaSeeds Manager, Nigel Walley.

“Growers rightly need to select ultra-earliesfor some of their toughest conditions andearliest drilling slots, aiming to gain from anearlier maturity and harvest date to enablefollowing crops, such as wheat, to bedrilled if required. Last year though, evensome of the earliest of types struggled tocompile starch in a summer where heatunits were at a premium.

“The key differentiator between those thatdid and those that didn’t was their earlyvigour. Those with the highest vigour scoresand an ability to get out of the ground and‘going’ made all the difference. Launchedlast year and widely available this season,Ramirez is firmly in that category.

“With one of the highest vigour ratings intrials, it gained a head-start over otherswhich simply germinated and then didnothing for two to three weeks. This meantthat Ramirez could be cut early and on theback of its un-rivalled starch content is also

offering early feed-out on farm.”

KWS maize product manager, JohnBurgess confirms that there’s beensignificant variation across trials this year,with the gap between the best and worstmaize varieties being as much as 45%,rather than a more normal variance of 15%.Control varieties have also been some2.5t/ha lower yielding.

While on marginal sites older standardvarieties such as Avenir gave 90-93%yields, and current ultra-early market leaderKentaurus 103-106%, Ramirez didparticularly well, producing yields of up to110% of controls. Mr Burgess puts theperformance of Ramirez down to its robustnature and stability under stress. He adds:

“Some other varieties are at the limit of thecapabilities in UK situations and when theywere hit with 2012’s extreme cold stress,simply broke down. Ramirez has an abilityto better accept cold conditions and on theback of its vigour and earliness still piles onthe starch for full on high energyperformance. Indeed, in similarly difficultconditions in Denmark, Ramirez gave thehighest starch content of all varieties in trial.

“So, while it is a variety for those inmarginal areas, don’t ignore it elsewhere asa means of grabbing an early, high-energybite which is ready to feed out in earlyOctober.”

Northern Trial: Ramirez (left) compared with aleading competitor ultra early variety – both under plastic – 3 weeks after drilling.


14

Fertiliser

Fertiliser pools help manage riskMost farmers will befamiliar with theconcept andbenefits ofmarketing grainthrough pools, butnow AtlasFram hasreversed thisapproach to enablemembers topurchase fertiliser.

Andrew Merton, AtlasFram’s CropInputs Manager, explains how it willwork and what it hopes to achieve.

Since the ‘credit crunch’ began in2007/2008 the financial and commoditiesmarkets have become exceptionallyunstable and a general lack of confidenceacross all sectors has compounded theinherent volatility which has always beenpresent.

Agricultural commodities now form one ofthe largest sectors in the commoditymarkets and with increased speculativeactivity now taking place it sometimestakes only the slightest rumour to sendprices rocketing in one direction or theother. With an almost instantaneous flow ofinformation circulating around the worldthis volatility will almost certainly continueand increase. Farmers will therefore needto change their approach to marketingwhat they produce and how they purchasethe inputs they need to produce them,including fertilisers.

The fertiliser market used to be relativelystable and predictable. The new seasonmarket would typically start in June anddiscounts were available for early ordering,after which prices typically increasedthroughout the year. This trend has changedand with high levels of price volatility nowcharacterising this sector it has becomevery difficult for farmers to know when tobuy, and ordering early might notnecessarily get you the best price.

With information on the fertiliser marketbeing widely available and participants ableto ‘buy in’ at the press of a button, pricescan move very rapidly, so even if you wereable to pick the exact ‘bottom’ in themarket that price might be available for nomore than an hour or two. Therefore, tobenefit, you would have to monitor thesituation constantly, which is unrealistic formost farmers.

Because there is no highly-developedfutures market for fertiliser, as there is withgrains and rapeseed, it is not possible to fixprices in advance, so we had to develop anew approach. Given AtlasFram’s strengthin grain marketing, the popularity of our

pools and their success in achieving aboveaverage prices, we decided to investigatewhether similar principles could be used inthe fertiliser market.

Following 18 months of research, early inthe new year we will launch a uniquefertiliser pool, which will be the first of itskind and offer significant benefits. The wayit will operate is, in effect, a mirror image ofa grain pool. Rather that selling grainprogressively throughout the pool periodwhen prices are considered to be atattractively high levels, with the aim ofgenerating a good overall return, we will bepurchasing fertiliser when we consider thatprices are at attractively low levels, toensure that we achieve a good overallaverage cost per tonne.

Initially, we have chosen to work withgranular urea because it is very popularwith AtlasFram Members, is traded globallyand often sets the tone for all nitrogenfertilisers. In the UK, the annual market forgranular urea is around 350,000 tonnes, ofwhich AtlasFram purchases around 18,000-20,000 tonnes on behalf of Members.

The combination of our expertise in thismarket, our constant involvement in it andhaving a committed tonnage fromMembers will enable us to react quickly,buy when the price is right and negotiatewith suppliers. This will enable Memberswho participate in the pool to benefit fromattractive prices, reduce their exposure tovolatile markets and have the reassuranceof guaranteed delivery.

They will also benefit through significanttime savings because we will monitor themarkets, purchase the product on theirbehalf and issue a single invoice at the endof the pool period based on the averageprice per tonne, which will reduceadministration. The fact that eachMembers’ urea tonnage will be purchasedfrom the same supplier will also ensure thateach tranche of product will be to thesame specification, resulting in moreconsistent application and consequentlybetter crop performance.

We will operate one pool, running fromSeptember to January and aim toaccommodate Members’ deliverypreferences. Payment will be dividedbetween September and January in orderto help with cash flow. The timing ofpurchases will involve a team consisting ofboth directors and staff, to form a fertiliserpool committee. Having this committeebrings a wealth of knowledge to the tablewith the aim of getting the best results forMembers.

Whilst we don’t expect Members to usethis new pool for all of their urearequirements, we would suggest that theygive this new initiative a try on at least apercentage of their tonnage to assess thebenefits.

Further details from Andrew Merton,Crop Inputs Manager: Tel: 01728 727700 or [email protected]

Urea (price/tonne)

Sep

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£600

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0

A graph showing the urea price from June 2007 to September 2012

Andrew Merton


15

Supplier Profile - Amazone

Amazone - Leading in the fieldAtlasFram Members enjoy specialterms on equipment manufactured byAmazone, which is increasing its focuson working with professional farmingbusinesses.

Amazone, one of the world’s leadingmanufacturers of harvest-to-harvestmachinery, is highly respected for theinnovation, quality, reliability, productivityand outstanding operational performanceof its products, which benefit fromexcellent support, a reliable spare partsservice and high resale values. Thecompany offers a comprehensive range offertiliser spreaders, crop protectionsprayers, PTO-driven and non-poweredsoil tillage equipment, together with solo,precision and combination seed drills.

The UK is now the third-largest market forAmazone, after Germany and France, withsales and support of Amazone equipmenthere being handled by Amazone Ltd atHarworth in South Yorkshire, where thecompany has the facilities to show anddemonstrate its equipment. Now in its 30thyear, Amazone Ltd employs 28 staff, 18 ofwhom are field-based to ensure a highlevel of technical and product support,before, during and after purchase.

Amazone Ltd is a wholly-owned subsidiaryof Amazone-Werke. A family businesswhich was founded in Germany during1883, Amazone-Werke is managed byChristian and Justus Dreyer, who arefourth-generation members of the Dreyerfamily and determined to maintain theindependence of this successful company.Amazone has seven production facilitiesacross Germany, France and Russia, withsales divisions in Germany, France, Poland,Ukraine, Serbia/Montenegro, Russia andthe UK.

Employing approximately 1600 staff, thebusiness has an annual turnover of €400million and exports 80% of production toover 70 countries. Having been awarded22 medals at the last seven Agrictechnicaexhibitions, Amazone is unquestionably the

most innovative company in its sector, aphilosophy which has enabled it to achievea very strong position in the global marketagainst much larger corporate competitors.

Since 2009, when Adrian Winnett becameGeneral Manager of the UK business, ithas just concentrated on distributingAmazone’s own range of products, whichare made in its own factories andmanufactured right down to the smallest ofcomponents to maintain the quality onwhich the company has built its reputation.During the last three years sales havedoubled and turnover is now at its highestever in the UK company’s history.

“British farming leads the world and whathappens here is a reference point forfarmers throughout the world,” Adrianexplains. “The world wants to know aboutBritish farming and the techniques that areused here, so it is crucial that we continueto develop the UK market for Amazoneproducts. Our focus is on working with themost professional farmers and farmingbusinesses, which is why we have chosento work with AtlasFram.

“To maintain our forward momentum wewill be launching a number of exciting newproducts in 2013, at LAMMA, at Cerealsand at Agritechnica.”

Developing rangeThe Amazone range is constantlydeveloping; its’ innovative, green-and-orange-liveried products being a familiarsight on arable and grassland farmsthroughout the UK, where the key productranges are fertiliser spreaders, mountedsprayers and power harrow-drillcombinations.

A cornerstone of the line-up are twin-discfertiliser spreaders, either mounted withhopper capacities of up to 4200 litres ortrailed machines up to 8200 litres, withspreading widths up to 52m. Amazonealso produces dual-purpose bulk materialspreaders for lime and fertiliser application.The wide range of Amazone mounted,trailed and self-propelled crop protection

sprayers provide tank sizes from 900 litresto 11,200 litres, and working widths from12m to 40m, with unprecedented boomride qualities.

The company also offers a range ofpneumatic precision air seeders from 3mto 9m, for maize as well as oil seed rapeand sugar beet, where all models have theoption of applying fertiliser as well as seed.For cereals, there is a comprehensiverange of mechanical seed drills for solooperation or in combination with a powerharrow. On the pneumatic seed drill front,again a range suitable for power harrowmounting as well as a massive array oftrailed min-till cultivator drills, tine seedersand direct drills with working widths from3m to15m.

Packer rollers are available to suit everyrequirement, offering both depth controland reconsolidation, with cage, tooth-packer or wedge-ring roller configuration.The principle of ‘roll then sow’ is utilised inall drill combinations to enhance seed/soilcontact and improve germination.

When it comes to stubble cultivation andsoil tillage, Amazone’s range includespassive compact disc harrows and mulchcultivators through to tine-and-disccombination cultivators, Cambridge rolls,PTO-driven rotary cultivators and rotaryharrows.

Amazone has long been a pioneer in thefield of electronic technology, which hasbecome an important part of intelligentcrop production. Enabling more accurate,cost-effective application and regulation,they also considerably reduce operatingcosts, improve operator effectiveness, helpoptimise yield potential and minimise theimpact of farming operations on theenvironment.

Further details about Amazoneequipment are available atwww.amazone.co.uk or contact JonFovargue at the AtlasFram office.

Members of Suffolk Young Farmers recentlytook part in a well-attended visit to AmazoneUK’s headquarters, which was organised andhosted by Jon Fovargue, AtlasFram Group’sMachinery Buyer

Amazone’s familiar green-and-orange-liveried products havebecome a familiar sight on UK farms


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