This is a two-part DVD series
following a year with contract farming operation Reed
Agriculture. Based in North Suffolk, the business covers 3000
acres and uses almost exclusively John Deere machinery.
Interviews and narration describe
more than 100 sequences over the course of the two programmes.
Particular emphasis is placed on showing the impressive array of
modern equipment used, with nearly 60 machines featured over
both discs, including more than 40 tractors with examples from
most of the popular John Deere ranges produced during the past
10 years.
The soil types are very variable,
ranging from light sand to heavy clay, and consequently a wide
variety of crops are grown including wheat, barley, oilseed
rape, sugar beet, peas, grass, parsley, onions and potatoes.
Part one covers the period January to May,
beginning with the harvesting of the remainder of last year’s
sugar beet. A variety of cultivations on the light land are
followed by the drilling of spring sown crops. Preparations for
onion sets and potatoes are shown in detail, together with the
planting operation. Crop care is next, with spraying,
fertilising and irrigation the order of the day.
Part two continues the story from June to
December, starting with haylage and haymaking activities.
Harvest commences with the combinable crops, followed by the
parsley, onions and potatoes. The autumn-establishment workload
with preparations for oilseed rape and winter cereals is
on-going and shown in detail. With drilling underway, it’s not
long before sugar beet is being lifted and the race is on to get
the following wheat crop in the ground.
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