OSR Diaries: Mike Wilton
Meet Mike Wilton as he shares his journey trying to balance challenges from the weather, weeds, pests and diseases with growing a profitable OSR crop.
About the farmer
Mike’s interest in agriculture started at an early age. He grew up on the farms his Father managed. After studying at Writtle Agricultural College, he went to West Essex where he spent ten years working his way up to the position of Assistant Farm Manager.
Five years later, he purchased his own smallholding in Norfolk and took on the role of Arable Manager at the Stody Estate. Today, he is the Farm Manager and is responsible for all business and cropping decisions across the farmed estate.
Mike is BASIS and FACTS qualified. He loves how his job brings him close to nature but dislikes the paperwork.
The Stody Estate’s acreage is managed alongside 600 ha of contract farms. Not all the landed is cultivated; the estate is also home to some ancient woodland, newer plantations and, through the letting of land, grazed sheep and cattle, and outdoor pigs.
The Stody Estate and the largest contract farm is running under HLS agreements and is in a 12-year rotation, driven by the root vegetables.
Oilseed rape has been an important part of that rotation for at least 25 years. With little blackgrass on the farm, OSR enables Mike and his team to make an early start on cereals in the autumn and spreads the harvest.
Over half of the crop’s rape acreage is dedicated to the HOLL variety, 3670L. The rest is Excited, Expansion and Ambassador.
In comparison with some areas of the country, Mike says the cabbage stem flea beetle pressure on his OSR crops is relatively low. 2019 was the year he saw the highest pressure. This year, while there has been little damage, larvae are present in all his rape crops.
Wheat, barley, OSR, sugar beet, potatoes, carrots and parsnips
About the farm
Cropping
This element above contains content from Youtube and transmits data to Youtube. You can block this in the privacy policy.
OSR Diary 1
This element above contains content from Youtube and transmits data to Youtube. You can block this in the privacy policy.
OSR Diary 2
Farming Philosophy
Mike aims to work with the environment to minimize the impact of his farming.
Where possible Mike establishes all crops, except for sugar beet, with non-inversion, deep cultivations. There’s no standardised approach, Mike does what cultivations are required to create a good seedbed.
Mike’s cropping area is in a 12-year rotation, driven by root vegetables.
In year 1 potatoes are drilled, in year 7 land goes into carrots and parsnips. In between, the rotation consists of wheat, sugar beet, barley and OSR. This part of the rotation is fairly fluid and depends on seasonal factors.
Cabbage stem flea beetles are the first challenge that comes to Mike’s mind. With small fields and woodland, pigeons and other pests are problematic throughout the winter but once the crop is established, he says it is just like growing any other.
