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07/11/2006
Kent farmer’s £20,000 project to help crop farmers cut costs
Picture: Jeremy McCabe, a Kent arable farmer who is spearheading a £20,000 project to help crop farmers save costs as they cope with trading within a global marketplace.
Today's farmers and growers often see their incomes fluctuate, so it's vital they control all their costs, particularly those related to 'inputs' - seeds, fertiliser and other applications, labour and machinery.
That's why arable farmers across the South East will be interested in Jeremy McCabe's year-long initiative for the Farming and Rural Issues Group*1, which is funded by SEEDA*2 (South East England Development Agency).
Jeremy McCabe said: "I'm keen to uncover the secrets of cost-effective 'inputs management' – the key ingredients for the mix. The project will also probe the criteria for successful collaboration, showing how like-minded individuals have worked together to maximise efficiency."
Jeremy McCabe is a contractor, a director of precision farming company, Farm Image Ltd, and a tenant farmer farming 500 acres at Boughton Aluph near Ashford. He grows cereals, oilseeds and pulses and is a former grower for the Romney Marsh Viners (pea vining group*3).
"I'll be looking at how to get the plants into the field and out of the field, from start to finish. Farmers can lead very solitary lives owing to the nature of their job. They can get themselves in a bit of a muddle, stewing over things while going up and down on a tractor. But a problem shared is a problem halved and I hope this project will demonstrate that principle."
Jeremy McCabe, who is an NFU member, will draw together case studies of best practice, finding examples of where farmers from the region have collaborated successfully to cut costs. The project will look at developments in technology, particularly in relation to machinery and advances in plant breeding. It will also weigh up the benefits of certain cultivation and management regimes. Current environmental concerns will be reflected and the project will flag up research and development work that is underway or on the horizon. The project's findings will then be linked to a review of existing studies by industry bodies such as the HGCA, (Home Grown Cereals Authority) and English Food and Farming Partnerships (EFFP).
Mr McCabe added: "Cash flows get tighter and tighter each year – particularly as the Rural Payments Agency has been late in issuing the single payment*4 to farmers. That has made us all think – either you fall into the abyss or you don't. And now is not the time to be frightened of change."
Farming and Rural Issues Group chairman Shaun Leavey welcomed Jeremy in his new role as an 'inputs champion'.
Mr Leavey said:"Jeremy is both a tenant farmer and a very well respected contractor and these factors weighed heavily in his favour when the Farming and Rural Issues Group appointed him to head up this project. .It would be a very big mistake for the industry if growers viewed the welcome increase in grain prices as a reason for not bothering about cost-cutting. At the end of this project Jeremy should be able to demonstrate when and where further cuts can be made cost-effectively on an arable farm."
The project is one of many FRIG initiatives funded by SEEDA that aim to help the industry share knowledge and develop good practice.
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Today's farmers and growers often see their incomes fluctuate, so it's vital they control all their costs, particularly those related to 'inputs' - seeds, fertiliser and other applications, labour and machinery.
That's why arable farmers across the South East will be interested in Jeremy McCabe's year-long initiative for the Farming and Rural Issues Group*1, which is funded by SEEDA*2 (South East England Development Agency).
Jeremy McCabe said: "I'm keen to uncover the secrets of cost-effective 'inputs management' – the key ingredients for the mix. The project will also probe the criteria for successful collaboration, showing how like-minded individuals have worked together to maximise efficiency."
Jeremy McCabe is a contractor, a director of precision farming company, Farm Image Ltd, and a tenant farmer farming 500 acres at Boughton Aluph near Ashford. He grows cereals, oilseeds and pulses and is a former grower for the Romney Marsh Viners (pea vining group*3).
"I'll be looking at how to get the plants into the field and out of the field, from start to finish. Farmers can lead very solitary lives owing to the nature of their job. They can get themselves in a bit of a muddle, stewing over things while going up and down on a tractor. But a problem shared is a problem halved and I hope this project will demonstrate that principle."
Jeremy McCabe, who is an NFU member, will draw together case studies of best practice, finding examples of where farmers from the region have collaborated successfully to cut costs. The project will look at developments in technology, particularly in relation to machinery and advances in plant breeding. It will also weigh up the benefits of certain cultivation and management regimes. Current environmental concerns will be reflected and the project will flag up research and development work that is underway or on the horizon. The project's findings will then be linked to a review of existing studies by industry bodies such as the HGCA, (Home Grown Cereals Authority) and English Food and Farming Partnerships (EFFP).
Mr McCabe added: "Cash flows get tighter and tighter each year – particularly as the Rural Payments Agency has been late in issuing the single payment*4 to farmers. That has made us all think – either you fall into the abyss or you don't. And now is not the time to be frightened of change."
Farming and Rural Issues Group chairman Shaun Leavey welcomed Jeremy in his new role as an 'inputs champion'.
Mr Leavey said:"Jeremy is both a tenant farmer and a very well respected contractor and these factors weighed heavily in his favour when the Farming and Rural Issues Group appointed him to head up this project. .It would be a very big mistake for the industry if growers viewed the welcome increase in grain prices as a reason for not bothering about cost-cutting. At the end of this project Jeremy should be able to demonstrate when and where further cuts can be made cost-effectively on an arable farm."
The project is one of many FRIG initiatives funded by SEEDA that aim to help the industry share knowledge and develop good practice.
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