A GREAT Ayton farmer has won £1,000 in a draw run by NK as part of its annual national winter oilseed rape survey. Mr Martin Petch, right, farms in partnership with his parents, David and Mary, at Whitegate Farm is seen, above, receiving his cheque from Mr Dave Pennock of Kenneth Wilson's area sales manager, based in Guisborough.
The family farms a total of 455 hectares which combines arable with livestock, including their noted Aytonian herd of 230 pedigree Holstein cows. Oilseed rape and grass leys are the preferred breaks in the wheat and barley rotation.
In 1999, the farm decided to replace four hectares of Apex winter oilseed rape with Madrigal, the new conventional variety.
Such was Madrigal's success in terms of standing power and yield, in a difficult growing season, that the crop harvested 3.7 t/ha. It convinced the Petches to replace Apex completely with 32ha of Madrigal this season.
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