FGS Agri’s farming division covers some 1600 hectares from our base at Stanford Bridge Farm, Pluckley. A mixed unit, consisting of arable and beef, we farm land under various contractual agreements with bases in Kent and Sussex.

We work with our landlords to ensure that full advantage is taken of ELS and HLS environmental schemes to enhance the landscape and environment as well as maximising returns from the individual holdings.

The arable unit covers 1200 hectares with soils varying from Weald Clay to Tonbridge Wells Sand. Our rotation consists of two Winter Wheat crops followed by a break crop of Winter Oilseed Rape with smaller areas of Winter Linseed, Winter Beans, Spring Linseed and Spring Barley.

Last year we purchased a new 5 metre Simba SL cultivator which is pulled by our Xerion 3800 for primary cultivation. Areas that need sub soiling are treated specifically with our Tim Howard 9 leg sub-soiler. We then aim to produce a stale seedbed which would be treated with Glyphosate before cultivating, if necessary with our Simba Culti-press, and drilling using GPS guidance with our 6 metre Horsch Sprinter cultivator drill.

The majority of our arable ground has one or another of the following organic by-products applied to it on a rotational basis each year:

• Green Waste Compost
• Paper Crumb
• Gypsum
• Bio digested Cake
• Thermally Dried Granules
• Farm Yard Manure

All these products supply something different to the soil in the way of Nitrogen, Potassium, Potash and Sulphur as well as organic matter and other trace elements, providing nutrient for the growing crop as well as helping to maintain the soil organic matter.

Pesticide application is taken care of by our two Househam and one Bateman self-propelled crop sprayers which also cover some 10.000 hectares of contract spraying for other growers. Fertiliser is applied with our KRM M2 spreader. This is fitted with weigh sells and will be connected to our JD2600 GPS unit to enable us to apply variable rate fertiliser.

Combining has been taken care of with our Claas Lexion 570 with 7.5 metre vario header. Due to an increased area, this is due to be replaced with two new combines. We also contract harvest with an additional machine which we own jointly with a neighbouring farmer.

The majority of grain is conditioned and stored at Stanford Bridge Farm, on a new floor drying grain store.

Our livestock enterprise is based on a single suckler herd of 240 cows and followers. Predominately based on Sussex or Sussex cross cows we use a Limousin Bull to produce the confirmation that the local markets are looking for.

We have about 400 hectares of grassland which varies from zero input grassland under ELS / HLS schemes through to low input leys in ELS Schemes to higher input leys which are reserved for Silage and later in the season hay / haylage.

As well as feeding grassland silage, straw and a small amount of hay we grow 24 hectares of forage maize. This is supplemented with by products such as Oilseed Rape meal, Fruit Pulp and Potatoes. In addition we use a locally produced stock nut as a general purpose ration for the calves and finishing animals.

Early spring calving takes place at Stanford Bridge Farm where most of our animals are housed during the winter period. This year we are erecting two new buildings, one to improve and increase our winter housing and another for forage. Our yearlings are housed on a neighbouring farm. These are finished at grass and housed at Stanford Bridge.

During the summer all our stock are kept locally on grass with the young stock being fed a creep ration as required. Our stocking rates are low, at about 1 livestock unit to the acre to acre and a half to fit in with our various environmental schemes.

Changes in technology have allowed us to acquire modern high powered machines that are not only efficient but are environmentally friendly and can operate to the most exacting standards. Our fleet of modern machines are inspected and serviced at regular intervals to ensure that they are reliable and operating at their maximum capacity. The knowledge, diversity of skills, continual training and capabilities of our employees means we can carry out all agricultural operations in-house, therefore enabling us to maintain the high standards expected by our valued customers.

Training is an important and vital aspect of our business and all staff are trained to CPCS Standards, many with blue competence cards in operating Agricultural Tractors, Telescopic Loaders, Excavators, and Loading Shovels. In addition to the CPCS Scheme, our employees regularly undergo Health & Safety Training, First Aid Courses, ATV Training and NPTC Training.

Our company operates a Quality Management System that has successfully gained a BS EN ISO 9001:2001 certification and in addition to this all of our depots are accredited to the ISO 14001 Environmental Management System, the highest recognized international standard which ensures continual improvement in environmental performance, providing assurance to our customers. FGS Agri has also been assessed and approved by QMS to the OHSAS 18001 Occupational Health & Safety system which applies to all of our agricultural contracting services.

In 2010 FGS Agri won the contract to handle all of the 350,000 tonnes per annum of Sewage Cake for Thames Water across the south of England, operated from our bases in Pluckley and Andover.

In October 2011 Countrystyle and FGS Agri were awarded the Total Waste Management contract by St Regis Paper Company Limited (a division of DS Smith Recycling) to recycle the various waste streams produced at Kemsley Paper Mill at Sittingbourne.