An Essex farmer has won this year's Wheat Quality Award for his attention to detail and consistently high-quality milling wheat.
The winner for harvest 2019 has been announced as James Perry of Aldburys Farm Contracting, whose entry was sponsored by AHDB.
ADAS's Yield Enhancement Network (YEN) Wheat Quality contest promotes excellence and innovation in achieving high yield and quality in Group 1 milling wheats.
Mr Perry's entry yielded 12.6t per hectare with a protein yield of 1.5t/ha.
In the assessment of the entry it was noted that not only did this entry yield well, but high quality was seen in the grain through to the final loaf.
“We are a small farm, but have a large contracting portfolio," he said.
"This means we can invest in up-to-date and large kit. We use a self-propelled 24 metre sprayer even though we only cover 300 acres a year on our own farm.
"When the time comes to put on fungicides or other applications, we can go at exactly the right time."
Mr Perry added: “This year we looked closely at the YEN report for any shortfalls on nutrients.
"We decided to use a different variety and this field had some farmyard manure applied to it. It was all about attention to detail and doing the right things on time,” he said.
Teresa Meadows, AHDB Knowledge Exchange Manager, said the contest is a great way for farmers to learn more about their crop and how to achieve more.
“James’ attention to detail gives consistently high-quality milling wheat for their local markets," she said.
"It has been great to be able to share the learnings from their approach more widely to the benefit of the industry.”
Ian Rudge, of Bedfordia Farms, Bedfordshire, came second place in the contest, and third place went to Trevor Pierce, of R Sternberg Farms, Kent.
The results of the contest were announced at the AHDB Milling Wheat Conference, which took place on 27 February in Cambridgeshire.
