Growing Wheat

Wheat is the main food crop grown in the United Kingdom, with annual production of approximately 15 million tonnes.  The crop is normally planted in the autumn (September or October) and harvested in August.  This means it has a much longer growing season than the spring wheat planted in Canada and the northern USA, which is planted only in April or May.  Consequently yields are much higher in the UK, averaging over eight tonnes per hectare compared with two to three tonnes in Canada.

2012 nabim Milling Wheat Challenge supported by HGCA

Growing quality wheat consistently is a difficult task. In order to encourage the development of best practice nabim has linked with HGCA to find the best grower in the UK in an annual Milling Wheat Challenge. The 2012 competition will open mid-February and entry forms will be available here, and on the HGCA website. The closing date for entries will be Friday, 30th April 2012 with the finalists to be announced mid-June at the annual Cereals event, and the judging to take place later that month. The judges for 2012 will be Martin Savage, nabim, Pat Thornton, HGCA and Mark Ireland, Lincolnshire Farmer and "Farmers Weekly Farmer of the Year 2009".

There were three Milling Wheat Challenge finalists chosen in 2011; James Price (Woodstock, Oxfordshire), Dan and Humphrey Doggett (Rochford, Essex) and Pip Robson (Chathill, Northumberland). A dinner was held in the Ritz London on the 10th November 2011 and was attended by the finalists and their partners, the judges (Martin Savage, nabim; Robert Harris, Crops; Mark Ireland, Farmers Weekly Farmer of the Year 2009), nabim’s President Michael Moreland, nabim’s Treasurer Paul Heygate, NFU’s Combinable Crops Chairman Ian Backhouse, HGCA Director Rebecca Geraghty and many others.

The winner was announced as James Price by Martin Savage, nabim’s Trade Policy Manager and one of the Milling Wheat Challenge judges. All three finalists were presented with certificates and the winner was also presented with the Milling Wheat Challenge trophy. The HGCA produced a film of the Challenge finalists on their farms and this film is available for farmer groups to request from the HGCA.