We’ve had a ‘quiet’ day on the farm, perfect for ensuring our weighbridge remains accurate and safe with annual cleaning and maintenance. Thanks to the team for a great job done.
What happens when it’s a ‘quiet’ day?
The Grain Hospital is go go go
Our Grain Hospital has done a fantastic job by removing ergot from grain. The colour sorter is running 24 hours a day and we are so pleased with the results.
Higher than usual amounts of Ergot
We’ve never seen so much Ergot, our cleaner at the Grain Hospital has been running non-stop since Saturday.
Learn how you can improve crop quality and yield
With so many challenges in farming, we work with our clients to provide solutions. At our Scotland Farm site in Dry Drayton, Cambridge we have a high-tech cleaning plant to improve the quality and yield of combinable crop. Discover our video showing you from field to cleaning plant and the process between. We can provide standalone and bespoke solutions to meet your needs – get in touch to talk through with our team.
Great feedback on our open day from NFU members
What a fantastic day we had on Monday 24th June, welcoming around 140 people from the Cambridge branch of the NFU (National Farmers Union) to Scotland Farm.
We’d invited the NFU members to come along and learn about the forward-thinking and innovative sustainable farming methods we use at P.X. Farms, and there was particular interest in our use of CTF (controlled traffic farming), the grain storage operation and our investment in state-of-the-art new equipment.
We had some great feedback on the day and afterwards, like these fantastic comments on Twitter:
I’ve had a fantastic and informative tour and talk from the @Pxfarms @PXFarmsHaulage team. Certainly the highest attention to detail and most forward thinking agribusiness I’ve ever visited. pic.twitter.com/K0MvYdcrAL
— Ed Hodson (@EdHodson4) June 24, 2019
Thanks @Pxfarms for a very interesting and informative evening . Looking around your grain storage operation and hearing how you make your control traffic farming work. pic.twitter.com/swM3EU1Qwk
— Martin Lines (@LinesMartin) June 24, 2019
It’s always great to be able to share our passion for embracing new ways of farming, and we look forward to hosting similar events in the future.
Harvest 2019 grain storage available
Crop storage forms a major part of our business, and you may be pleased to hear that we have crop storage available for independent farmers and grain merchants for harvest 2019 at our 82,000-tonne facility at Scotland Farm, Dry Drayton just outside Cambridge.
Capable of managing over 5,000 tonnes of incoming crop a day during harvest and the capacity to dry 1,200 tonnes per day and clean 480 tonnes per day, our facility includes high-tech monitoring in each store that cools whilst aerating and maintaining temperatures at less than 5°C.
We also have a weighbridge and sampling services that enable us to process a lorry in nine minutes and load out up to 180 tonnes per hour.
And there’s more.
We were recently awarded coveted organic status by official UK certifying body, OF & G Organic. This means that we’re now able to meet the increasing demand for organic and even vegan farming production.
Additionally, we offer a collection, cleaning and delivery service for out of spec crops through our Grain Hospital, which uses state of the art cleaning equipment to provide full colour and size sorting, and fine cleaning. This means that we’re able to help with admix and ergot removal, bushel weight improvement; pea colour sorting; premium enhancement; preparation of commodities; and cleaning all combinable crops.
This flexible storage solution can be rented annually. Independent farmers can use this storage to sell their crop to whomever they wish, whilst grain merchants can have their grain delivered from all their farms and stored in one place.
So, if you haven’t got crop storage in place for this harvest and want to learn more about our offering, please give us a call on 01954 210211 option 3 or email grainstore@pxfarms.com.
The threat to farming’s future
Never before has farming faced so many challenges: the pressure to feed a burgeoning population, climate issues, the growth of veganism and increasingly urban populations, price pressures, Brexit and so much more. Farming in today’s environment is undeniably a challenge, and sadly I fear any farmers not adapting to the changing environment may pay the ultimate price.
As a businessman, as well as a farmer, my response to this is how can we ameliorate this risk? How can we draw on the experiences of other industries to help us overcome the challenges?
The role of us all is to look after each other. Employers, staff, neighbours, people in the industry -we all face difficult times especially with mental health and health and well being. It’s important we consider those around us and how we can help support each other. The Worshipful Company of Farmers’ recent ‘Health & Wellbeing Research Report’ published in April 2019 highlights the challenges around mental health, long working hours and rural isolation. It makes recommendations to support each other through support groups and evidence-based learning, encourage collaboration and introduce a nationwide programme like FarmStrong in New Zealand.
The future of farming is two fold for me: it’s supporting and working together through the challenging times and celebrating the good times; and about combining scale for efficiencies of economies and specialism to build value. Supporting each other, blending the latest research with practical agricultural knowledge, and implementing best practice farming techniques all help underpin a strong industry foundation to create premiums, increase yield, reduce inputs and protect our countryside that we can all benefit from.
I’ve travelled extensively over the years to Europe, Australia, New Zealand, the US, China, Canada and India to see first hand the application of innovative farming techniques which we’ve been able to adopt and develop to the benefit of our customers and our own farms.
That experience, in particular, was the motivation for me to drive P.X. Farms to be a leading innovator in arable farming here in the UK. And to be a business that can credibly and capably support others to give farming a future.
A key driver for me is to ensure we make money for our customers and remain profitable for future stability. Though innovating can be costly and you might fail, it’s what you do next and how you adapt that is crucial.
We’re a professional and highly skilled agribusiness dedicated to ensuring profitability for both our clients and our family farm, whilst working in harmony with the countryside.
Check out our latest Spring/Summer 2019 P.X. Farms Newsletter
Our Spring/Summer 2019 newsletter is now available
Print copy – get in touch for your print copy or check out the May 2019 issue of Farmers Guide
Online copy – simply download the online version here
This issue covers:
- Storage and cleaning facility achieves organic status
- Diversification into potatoes
- Major investment in safety and service for high-spec fleet
- The threat to farming’s future – by James Peck
- It’s all about the P.X. Family – by James Peck
P.X. Farms Awarded Organic Status Thanks to Innovation and Forward-thinking Approach
P.X. Farms – the innovative agribusiness dedicated to ensuring profitability for clients across five counties and its own Cambridgeshire family farm – has been certified by OF & G Organic for seed cleaning, packing and processing, and for combinable crops.
This is thanks largely to P.X. Farms’ open-minded and forward-thinking approach to organic, but also to its much-lauded Grain Hospital.
The Grain Hospital offers a collection, cleaning and delivery service for out of spec crops, and uses state of the art cleaning equipment to provide full colour, size-sorting and fine-cleaning.
OF&G certify more than half of UK organic land and provide support, information and licensing to Britain’s top organic food businesses. First launched in 1973, in 1992 it became the first body to be approved by the government to carry out inspections and certify organic farmers and food producers.
P.X. Farms Managing Director James Peck said:
“We’re really proud to have been awarded OF&G organic status, and are grateful for the support the certifying body has provided throughout the process.
We’ve always had a forward-looking attitude and hunger for new approaches to farming, so while many have decried the calls for farming that more helps meet the demand for organic and vegan produce, we’ve chosen to embrace it.
The certification is testament to all the hard work and investment we’ve put into the Grain Hospital, and to innovative approaches to farming in general.”
P.X. Farms’ Grain Hospital is designed to take the hassle out of any grain issues with its collection, cleaning and delivery service. Grain Hospital can help with admix and ergot removal; bushel weight improvement; pea colour sorting; premium enhancement; separation of commodities; and the cleaning of all combinable crops.
P.X. Farms also has crop storage available for independent farmers and grain merchants for harvest 2019. The storage facility is designed to manage over 5,000 tonnes of incoming crop a day during harvest, with the capacity to dry 1,200 tonnes per day and clean 480 tonnes per day.
This flexible solution can be rented annually. Independent farmers can use this storage to sell their crop to whom they wish, whilst grain merchants can have their grain delivered from all their farms and stored in one place.
Located on Scotland Farm, Dry Drayton just outside Cambridge, the facilities include: high-tech monitoring in each store that cools whilst aerating and maintaining temperatures at less than 5°C; a weighbridge and sampling services, enabling P.X. Farms to process a lorry in nine minutes and load out up to 180 tonnes per hour; and a dedicated grain store office and laboratory services, providing a complete solution for clients.
P.X. Farms can also help with haulage, laboratory and cleaning requirements.
ENDS
About P.X. Farms
Offering a wide range of agricultural services, advice and long-term management, we provide tailored and standalone solutions to help establish, operate, grow and improve farm businesses.
Centred around the family estate and run by fourth-generation farmer James Peck, P.X. Farms uses the latest technology and farming techniques to maximise yields, reduce input costs and minimise environmental impact.
With our skilled workforce, deep base of technical knowledge and our conscientious approach, we can help you boost your business’ profitability.
We are certified by OF & G Organic for seed cleaning and packing and processing, and for combinable crops.
Get fit for the future with our tailored and standalone solutions in farming, crop storage, haulage, cleaning and crop testing in our laboratory.