Andrew Robinson, Farms Manager at Heathcote Farms in Bedfordshire, has won the 2012 nabim/HGCA Milling Wheat Challenge.  Andrew was praised by the award's judges for his engagement with the milling trade, his solid business foundations and his ability to aggregate small marginal gains for a positive net business benefit.

The other two finalists were Andrew Martin of Broadstream Farming in Kent and Mark Boyd of John Boyd Farms also from Kent.

The judges for the 2012 award - Martin Savage from nabim, Pat Thornton from the HGCA and Mark Ireland a Lincolnshire farmer - said that selecting the winner was very difficult because all of the finalists demonstrated exceptional attention to detail and a strong commitment to the milling trade's needs and processes.

Martin Savage said that all three finalists had very enquiring minds and a determined attention to quality milling wheat production. "What was very noticeable about our winner, Andrew Robinson, was that he questions every single detail of what he does on the farm and what it means to the ongoing supply chain."

Pat Thornton added that what impressed him about Andrew Robinson was how he aggregated a series of very small gains from all sorts of areas of his business, "on top of a very strong business, these little contributions and the little tweaks he implemented gave him the edge. He also has a very rational approach to risk management as well as a proactive check-list approach to going beyond the basics of what a miller wants from a grower."

"Andrew's methodical approach not only shows a deep understanding of good agronomy, it also demonstrates an excellent understanding of what his market wants from him - which has to be good for long term relationships."  

Andrew Robinson manages two farms which are eight miles apart - 930ha is on heavy Hanslope clays and 218ha on lighter land. The farm has been growing milling wheats for over 30 years. Total cropping for 2012 is 1148ha, 500ha of winter wheat, 54ha of winter barley, 365ha of winter oilseed rape and 105ha of spring beans.

This year he grew varieties that all attracted a premium - Gallant (Gp 1), Panorama (Gp 2), Group 3s, Wizard and Invicta. He sells his wheat to Openfield/Camgrain, ADM and Wellgrain, as well as Frontier, Nidera and Gleadells.

"I liaise very closely with Openfield and ADM at all stages from discussions re varieties, through to load by load information on wheat entering the supply chain. This leaves both parties in a position to react quickly to the market and supply exactly what the customer requires therefore saving any rejected loads," he said. "Farmers have to deliver what the customer wants - end of story - so by liaising with these guys from the beginning right through to particular specification requirements for our 'local homes' ensures the smooth transition from field to factory and allows the end user to know exactly what they are receiving."

Andrew's "quality mantras" for milling wheat are "the use of pre-harvest glyphosate, the harvest of Group 1s first and storing each variety separately." He also places a great deal of importance on the quality of his team - Matt Kennedy and Paul Whiton. "Both have an excellent attitude and superb attention to detail."

Pat Thornton added that all three finalists demonstrated that they are forward thinking and can consistently grow quality crops of bread-making wheats - even this year which was a very challenging one.

"All three finalists were on top of their disease control and when we made the farm assessments in June all the crops were full of potential. Unfortunately though, the first 14 days of grain fill which are so important were blighted by bad weather this summer. The result is that milling wheat supply is over 1 million tonnes down on the national forecast."

Martin Savage added that despite the difficult season, the milling trade is working closely with the farming industry to maximise the inclusion of UK grain into manufactured food. "Like farmers, millers have found this a very difficult year. To put the challenges into perspective, only 3% of wheat supplied was fully in high quality bread making specification compared to 42% last year. The main challenges have been low specific weights, high levels of screenings for small grains and the location of grain protein content which is mainly in the outer grain layer removed as bran. The net result has been much lower flour extraction rates and the need to import flour to plug the supply gap."

The supply issues have meant that usual 85% supply of milling wheat sourced from UK farms has dropped to around 70% this year. But Mr Savage says that this year is exceptional.

“UK flour millers are committed to UK wheat and farmers - even in this extraordinary year. We anticipate more than 80% of the wheat we mill to come from UK farmers again after the 2013 harvest.”

The Milling Wheat Challenge has become established as a  formal recognition by Britain's flour millers of how the country's best growers combine attention to detail with end-customer awareness and business acumen to create a win: win for the whole wheat chain. The competition will be run again in 2013.

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