SUFFOLK COASTAL NFU AND LOVEWELL BLAKE HOST ANNUAL FARM WALK AT WANTISDEN HALL FARMS

Around 60 members of the farming community heard from Farmers Weekly Farm Manager of the Year Tim Pratt when they visited Wantisden Hall Farms near Woodbridge for the annual Farm Walk organised by Lovewell Blake and Suffolk Coastal NFU.

Taking place in the middle of a very dry spell of weather, the visitors heard about the importance of water for the 4,500 acre arable farm, which uses around a million cubic metres of water every year in its 18 irrigators.

“Water is vital for a farm like this,” said Mr Pratt, who has been managing the farm since 2006.  “Jack Kemble dug lakes on the land back in 1974.  This showed good foresight; without water we would have a poor crop of barley and a lot of rabbits!”

The farm specialises in vegetables, including 600 acres of potatoes, 250 acres of onions and 100 acres of carrots.  There are also 800 acres of barley and 400 acres of rape.

Those attending were taken on an extensive tractor-drawn tour of the farm, with the evening ending with a barbecue of meats supplied by local farmer John Flatt.

The annual Farm Walk, organised by Suffolk Coastal NFU and Lovewell Blake, aims to bring members of the agricultural community together to learn from each other.  Previous walk venues have included Fen Farm Dairy and the Benacre Estate.