C. 2014 | Stalham Farmers' Club | Leading speakers from the agricultural industry.

Close result in beet contest!

A yield of six tonnes per hectare split the top five in the club’s annual competition for best two acres of sugar beet.

Results of best two-acre sugar beet competition, which attracted a total of 10 entries from across the club’s beet growing heartland. Thanks to our member, Sarah Bebb, who is an area manager for British Sugar’s Cantley factory, for analysis of the samples.

Results – 1 G A Tallowin, of Willow Farm, Hickling; 2 DL Ritchie, of Ludham Hall; 3 C H Callow and partners; of East Ruston; 4 HBS Sands Farms, Happisburgh; 5 Hirst Farms, Ormesby; 6 CN Beck & Sons, Brunstead, Stalham.

For precise details of the hand-dug yields, please contact Sarah.

All entries, which were taken in early September, comfortably exceeded 100 tonnes per hectare. And by coincidence for the chairman, Neil Jordan,  the top three in the beet competition were all his customers.

 The Potato Cup

1 Robin Baines & Co, of Hoveton. A crop of Innovator. The 4.5ha (11.2 acres) field of second early, irrigated, for French fry production, was grown at Ludham on land on Mr Ritchie’s farm. Runner-up was Nick Deane, of Bure Valley Potatoes, with 45 acres of Markies, grown by Nelson County Potatoes. A field of Innovator for McCain Foods at Tuttington, near Aylsham, grown by LF Papworth, of Felmingham, took third place. Denis Walsh, of Greenvale AP, was the judge.

Sugar beet – whole crop

The judge was Ken Matthews, of Stoke Ferry Agricultural Society.

Two points split the top three places. A field at Tuttington took honours for LF Papworth. The runner-up was the father and son team, Alan and Geoffrey Beck, of CN Beck & Sons, of Brunstead, near Stalham. The third placed crop was grown by Milligen & McLeod, of East Ruston.

First and last in cereals

It was a case of the first and last in a vintage year for the annual grain competitions, which were judged by Chris Borrett and Matthew Adams, of merchants, Adams & Howling.

The competition attracted a total of more than 30 samples. The two barley samples will be forwarded to Bob King, of the Crisp Malting Group, for competition against Holt & District Farmers’ Club.

A first-time entrant, William Sands, entered a winning barley sample while the wheat cup was won by John McLeod’s manager, Stewart Marsh, who was actually one of the last to submit entries. A case of first and last in a vintage year!

Barley - 1  HBS Farms (1995) Ltd, of Happisburgh, Cassata; 2 and 3  Milligen McLeod Farming, of Easton Ruston , with Maris Otter and Concerto.

Wheat – 1  Milligen McLeod Farming, of East Ruston, Invicta; 2  LJ & JL Mitchell, of Repps cum Bastwick, Dickens; 3  JA Paterson & Co, of Dilham, Leeds.

Trophies and prize cards will be presented at the annual dinner in March.

The club is again grateful to all members for entering and also to the judging panel, led by Chris Borrett.