Crowds flock to Shropshire Arable Event

Glorious sunshine welcomed large crowds at one of the Midlands’ largest annual agricultural events.

The ninth annual Arable Event, held at Weston-Under-Lizard on the Shropshire/Staffordshire border on June 7, was a day packed full of expert demonstrations, specialist talks and technical seminars.

The one-day event was jointly organised by Wynnstay and GrainLink at the Bradford Estates’ Woodlands Farm, and included a free moisture clinic, trial crop tours and a guest speaker tent.

Event organiser Kelly Dolphin said: “It was fantastic to see so many people enjoying the fabulous weather. The Arable Event is a great way for people in the farming industry to meet, try out the latest machinery and learn about new trends and innovations. We ran several specialist tours of our trial plots throughout the day which were well received, and early feedback has been really positive.”

“The event also included talks from Mark Tripney of LKAB Calicifert on soil health, Ryan Wooley from Morris Lubricants and Charlie Ireland from Ceres Rural, who has become a well-known face in the farming community.”

Charlie added: “It’s been brilliant coming out to meet local farmers. Events like this are really important because arable farming is constantly evolving and changing. It’s essential to meet up, share experiences and keep up with the latest innovations. It’s been fantastic to see such a great turnout.”

The day also included guided specialist tours of trial plots planted by Syngenta and Wynnstay. These included a full range of winter and spring wheat, barley and oats in both fungicide treated and untreated scenarios.

All visitors received a free Arable Event goody bag, umbrella, refreshments and a programme, and some lucky visitors won a John Lewis gift card worth £250, an Amazon voucher and meal voucher prizes in an early-bird ticket draw sponsored by Mornflake. Those attending were also able to collect points towards BASIS and NroSO qualifications.

Kelly added: “We’re already excited for our celebratory 10th anniversary event next year and look forward to welcoming the crowds back once again!”

Woodlands Farm is part of Bradford Estates and is operated by Bradford Farming LLP, which is establishing the largest regenerative farm in the West Midlands and a centre of farming excellence.