Covering everything from consultancy and advisory services through to practical farm management, FGS Agri’s team operates both farming and management agreements utilising either our own staff or client’s staff to maximise utilisation and profitability.
We provide management services, ranging from full operational management, machinery sharing agreements, contract and share farming to a range of bespoke consultancy services.
Our farm management services include:
- Share Farming Agreements
- Contract Farming Agreements
- Joint Ventures & Collaborating Agreements
- Environmental Management
- Business Administration
- Capital Investment & Funding Options
We also work with our landlords to ensure that full advantage is taken of Environmental Stewardship schemes to enhance the landscape and environment as well as maximising returns from the individual holdings.
If you would like to know how we can help with your farm management please call us on 01233 820055 or email enquiries@fgsagri.co.uk.
Our Farm
FGS Agri’s farming division covers some 1200 hectares from our base at Stanford Bridge Farm, Pluckley. The home farm consists of arable and beef production. In addition we farm land under various contractual agreements.
We work with our landlords to ensure that full advantage is taken of Mid-Tier environmental Stewardship schemes to enhance the landscape and environment as well as maximising returns from the individual holdings.
The arable unit covers 860 hectares with soils varying from Weald Clay to Tunbridge Wells Sand. Our rotation consists of Winter Wheat followed by either second Wheat or Winter Barley and break crops of Oilseed Rape, Winter Beans and Spring Barley and Oats. In addition, we grow 80 hectares of herbage seed under a contract with a local merchant. Our cropping plans are tailored to suit local conditions and market requirements.
Our livestock enterprise is based on a single suckler herd of 220 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. Our cows are early spring calvers with our yearlings finished at grass. 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 one acre/one acre and a half to fit in with our various environmental schemes.
We have about 340 hectares of grassland which varies from zero and low input leys grassland under current Mid-Tier Environmental Stewardship schemes through to higher input leys which are reserved for silage and latter in the season hay / haylage.