Flavours of Herefordshire

Tell me about the Flavours of Herefordshire food festival

Flavours of Herefordshire was set up to showcase what is great about the county’s food and drink. We have such a huge range of excellent produce that we wanted to shout about it. Our annual food festival, which is in its third year, gives local producers a chance to introduce their food and drink to retailers.

We are trying to encourage local retailers to stock more Herefordshire produce and to promote these local brands. The October festival is popular with local people and tourists who come along to try new food and drink that they may not have thought of trying before. In its first year, it attracted more than 4,500 visitors, almost doubling to 8,000 in the second year.

And the Flavours of Herefordshire awards?

The annual Flavours of Herefordshire awards are held the evening before the festival opens and are in their 10th year. They honour those businesses that create imaginative menus using locally sourced food and drink. Shops, restaurants, B&Bs and tearooms from all over the county are encouraged to take part. Only those businesses that stand out as the very best for selling some of Herefordshire’s distinctive cuisine are chosen as winners.

There are many different categories, including a Best Chef competition, which encourages healthy competition between the county’s chefs who have created delicious dishes using local food and drink.

Why is there a need for Flavours of Herefordshire?

We saw the need to raise the profile of Herefordshire and celebrate the fantastic and diverse range of food and drink that we produce here. Historically, this county is well known for its farmers’ markets and farm shops, but it never had its own food festival.

Our farmers were travelling to nearby places such as Abergavenny to showcase their products at its food festival. Herefordshire produces more hops, strawberries, cider and asparagus than anywhere else in the country. We’ve got it all here, but we’ve never really had the opportunity to shout about it. And one of the unique selling points of the Herefordshire Food Festival is that 90 per cent of the exhibitors are from Herefordshire, so it is a shop window for the county’s finest produce, from organic fruit and veg, to game, cider and locally brewed beer.

What fresh produce is Herefordshire famous for?

Herefordshire is famous for apples, strawberries, soft fruit, asparagus and hops. We grow more of these than anywhere else in the country. As well as fresh produce, the county is renowned for Herefordshire beef, and cider and cheese.

Do people prefer local produce?

Increasingly, people prefer to buy local, but it’s also important that visitors to the county can taste what is special about our food and drink and take it home with them. Tourism is just as essential as farming for this county’s survival and growth. We are encouraging tourists to visit our pubs, restaurants and B&Bs and experience what is special about this county.

How are you encouraging consumers to buy local?

Our Recipe Challenge 2008 encourages local people to create a meal for two for £5, using local produce. The challenge is to come up with a main course and vegetables - and we have received some fantastic entries. Our local chefs are also encouraged to enter our Flavours of Herefordshire Best Chef and Best Chef in Training awards. Some of the dishes that they have created using local produce are out of this world.

How is Flavours of Herefordshire supporting getting fresh fruit and vegetables into Herefordshire outlets?

By encouraging pubs, restaurants, shops and tearooms not only to sell local produce, but also to promote it. That is why Flavours of Herefordshire was set up - to encourage local businesses to use local food and drink where possible. We had to explain to businesses why regional sourcing is important. Many of them did not understand that customers return to a pub or restaurant because they enjoyed their food and loved the fact that it was sourced locally. We also had to convince them that people visiting from outside the county on holiday love to take Herefordshire produce back home with them.

It is also important that we raise the profile of our produce in other counties. Many of our producers now have contracts with the large supermarkets, but also continue to supply niche markets. It is fantastic to see local Herefordshire produce displayed among some of the bigger, well-known brands.

What are the main issues affecting the fresh produce supply chain in Herefordshire?

The credit crunch is bad news for everyone, including local fresh produce suppliers. People’s buying power is going to be affected and I worry that this will affect people’s decision to buy local. Will people shop at farmers’ markets that might be a little more expensive, or will they choose supermarkets?

We are so rural here that tourism and farming are essential to Herefordshire’s economy. Many farms are diversifying and expanding into tourism by organising pick-your-own events, and we encourage this in any way we can. The ongoing debate about polytunnels being a blot on the landscape keeps resurfacing, but there is absolutely no evidence that people coming from outside the county are put off by the polytunnels.

Has your work increased sales of Herefordshire fresh produce?

Every year we ask exhibitors at our food festival for their feedback. The response is always positive, with exhibitors saying their business increased at the show and they made important contacts, which enabled them to boost their business for some time after.

The annual festival is responsible for introducing producers to retailers who would benefit from stocking their product, and allows producers to raise awareness of their particular product in the market. The annual Flavours of Herefordshire awards are attracting more entries every year, and every year it is becoming more difficult to judge. So the feedback has been positive and we will continue to work hard to raise the profile of Herefordshire produce.

HEART IN THE RIGHT PLACE

Heart of England Fine Foods (HEFF) works closely with local producers to promote the very best food and drink that the region has to offer. Jackie Annett reports.

Herefordshire is considered a source of some of the finest British produce and is one of very few counties in the UK that produces everything from strawberries, blackberries, potatoes and asparagus through to cattle.

But raising the profile of the county’s fruit and vegetables - both in Herefordshire and beyond - is vital, and Heart of England Fine Foods (HEFF) is the regional body responsible for ensuring that regional sourcing is gaining momentum.

Over the years it has been working closely with local farmers, ensuring locally produced, quality food is available to a wider public and raising consumer awareness of the county’s regional strengths.

One of eight regional not-for-profit organisations, HEFF represents small- to medium-sized businesses across the West Midlands, helping producers build better relationships with food retailers, wholesalers and foodservice companies.

Marketing manager Jon May says: “We assist a growing base of food and drink producers in the West Midlands, which includes Herefordshire, introducing them to new markets and helping them develop their businesses along whichever route they choose.

“The beauty of Herefordshire is that it is unspoilt. It is famous for apples - many of which are used for cider - and strawberries and potatoes. Apples and cider are part of Herefordshire’s heritage and now the apple orchards - that were once ripped out - have been restored, it means Herefordshire’s heritage is being maintained.”

Home to Weston’s and Bulmers, cider has been a part of the region’s heritage for many years. Both cider and traditional English apples have come back in vogue recently, helping to put the county firmly on the map.

By working closely with small businesses, HEFF soon discovered that one of the main issues affecting local food and drink companies was distribution. So in conjunction with Heart Distribution - a division of local company AF Blakemore and Son - they established the HEFF Delivery Service.

“We wanted to alleviate the typical distribution headaches and spiralling costs of delivery experienced by many smaller producers,” says May. “Our ‘one drop, one invoice’ system makes things so much easier, as it means companies can make one drop instead of, say, maybe 30.

“But at the same time as making distribution easier, it increases availability of food and drink products from the heart of England region and generates new orders for those HEFF producer members involved,” he adds.

The food body has endeavoured to draw attention to local fruit and veg and believes raising chefs’ awareness of what is available in the region is instrumental in achieving this. That is why, to coincide with the delivery service, it has also launched CHEFF - an exclusive event for chefs in the area wishing to source food and drink from the heart of England.

“These events across the West Midlands offer chefs the opportunity to meet food and drink producers from the heart of England region and sample their products,” says May.

But just as important as working with chefs is encouraging retailers to not just stock, but also promote, local produce. To help them with this, outlets extending their stock of regional foodand drink are supported with branded display equipment, such as chillers and freezers, bearing the Savour the Flavour HEFF logo.

The scheme’s success speaks for itself. Since 2002, the retail support initiative has worked with more than 80 independent retailers and has generated 800 new accounts for producers.

Much of HEFF’s work is focused on introducing producers to retailers who would benefit from stocking their produce, helping them to expand their business. “Our annual trade and networking event FIND (food, information, networking, drink) has been a resounding success,” says May. “Here, buyers, producers and business service providers can meet and sample new products. There is also the opportunity for delegates to visit business clinics for one-to-one business advice from experts on things such as eco-packaging, legislation and food labelling.”

Thanks to Jamie Oliver, healthy school meals have never been higher on the agenda. HEFF has expanded on this by taking smoothie bars and healthy eating vending machines into schools and offering education establishments all the help they need to sell healthy food that is grown locally.

“The Young at HEFF scheme provides information for children on where food and drink comes from,” says May. “We also organise classroom talks, where children can learn about fresh produce and what is grown locally.”

But it is not just the young who benefit from tips on healthy eating; many adults could learn a thing or two. Recently, the body has been working closely with Sainsbury’s, taking its food cookery tour to supermarkets across the region.

“We have a mobile taster unit and have been working with supermarkets such as Sainsbury’s, where we run free cookery demonstrations and show people how to create delicious recipes using local vegetables,” says May.

Farming has never been a get-rich-quick option and many of the region’s farms have had to come up with innovative solutions in order to stay in business. HEFF has teamed up with the county’s farms to organise pick your own tours.

“Lots of farms in the area have had to diversify,” says May. “Some have their own tea rooms and have built children’s play areas.

“Events like these can be fun and it all helps to create awareness of what fresh produce is available locally and when it is in season. Some people just don’t realise that they won’t be able to buy local strawberries in December!”

UK consumers are more aware of local sourcing than ever before and, according to May, they prefer to buy local because it is fresh and offers full traceability.

“People like to know that what they are eating has just been dug up from the ground that morning and has retained its nutritional content, rather than been held in coldstorage for months,” he says.

“Buying local allows us to put money back into the economy. It helps provide local employment and offers consumers full traceability. Many people are feeling the pinch at the moment and nine times out of 10, local farm shops are cheaper. If you buy locally, you are also less likely to waste less food - whereas if you do a weekly supermarket shop, you tend to buy more than you need.”

And although there are no exact figures available, there is no doubt that fresh produce has enjoyed a surge in sales over the years, says May. “Our members have seen an increase in their business,” he says. “So we have definitely done something right.”

As part of HEFF’s 10-year anniversary celebrations, it is launching a diamond awards scheme that will award local food and drink producers for outstanding practice.

“Next year, we are launching a fresh produce category,” says May. “We have already started to judge this season’s fresh produce and have been very impressed. The quality of entries has proved that Hereford and Worcester, in particular, offer some of the best fruit and veg in the country.”

MANIPULATING THE SEASONS EXPANDS GRAS HORIZONS

Asparagus sales have risen 60 per cent in the last three years, with twice as many households putting spears in their shopping basket.

And the only way to keep up with demand is to manipulate the seasons, ensuring it is available for much longer, say British asparagus growers.

“Traditionally, asparagus is available from St George’s Day on April 23 until midsummer’s day on June 21,” says John Chinn, managing partner of Cobrey Farm in Ross-on-Wye.

“But we are looking at extending this through the use of modern technology. At the moment we are running a trial where we are producing asparagus until the end of September, so that we can continue to supply local pubs and restaurants in Herefordshire.”

But what is more interesting is that, through the application of science and innovation, the farm is now able to supply premium Wye Valley asparagus from February until October and can provide organic and purple asparagus.

But why is it important to buy in season?

“Fresh produce tastes better [in season],” says Chinn. “Asparagus especially is best eaten as soon as possible after harvest and because we can supply to Marks & Spencer, Tesco and Sainsbury’s within 24 hours and local pubs, shops and restaurants within just a couple of hours, our asparagus is as fresh as it gets.”

The Ross-on-Wye farm is one of the leading asparagus growers in the UK, harvesting 270 hectares of asparagus every year. In monetary terms, that relates to £9-10 million worth of asparagus sold at retail.

Its success has not gone unnoticed. In February 2005, the business was awarded Vegetable Grower of the Year and topped the category Science into Practice at the Grower of the Year awards.

Some of its success is due to the fact that the farm has its own high-tech packing shop. “It is washed and cooled immediately after harvest to lock in the freshness,” adds Chinn. “We then grade and pack the asparagus into retail packs on site, before it is sold in supermarkets and wholesale markets across the UK and Ireland.”

So what is it about Herefordshire that is so special? “Drive to the top of Fromes hill and take a look at the view. You will see Herefordshire and all its different types of agriculture set out like a quilt,” says Chinn. “This county produces everything from cattle, turf, asparagus, and fruits such as blackberries and strawberries. It’s such a beautiful county - we are very lucky.”

Beauty aside, Herefordshire has a headstart over the rest of the country when it comes to harvesting asparagus. That is because the county’s slopes and valleys are a great breeding ground for many fruits and vegetables. It also means that the county’s asparagus is available earlier than anywhere else in the country.

“We can supply a significant amount much earlier than anyone else,” says Chinn. “M&S exclusively sells English asparagus (when it is in season) and we are able to supply them within 24 hours.”

The home farm rests in a sheltered valley that has its own microclimate. One half is south facing, ensuring that asparagus can be harvested as early as the end of March. On the other side, the north-facing slopes allow asparagus to be produced significantly later in the season, and growers to manipulate the seasons.

One of Chinn’s customers is the Mill Race in Ross-on-Wye, a gastropub which only uses local produce and has been highly commended in the local Flavours of Herefordshire awards for its cuisine created from locally sourced produce.

“There is a lot more publicity being given to local food these days,” says Chinn. “People can see that by buying local, they are helping to support the local community and at the same time reducing their carbon footprint.

“Many shops and restaurants in the area are making consumers aware of their efforts to buy food locally and the local Flavours of Herefordshire award scheme is raising their profile.”

But although agriculture is vital to Herefordshire’s economy, tourism also plays a part, and Chinn thinks there is a potential for conflict there. “People in the tourist industry think that polytunnels make the county less attractive and the debate rumbles on. But our fields are a farmer’s factory floor, there for all to see. It is part of what we do - if a field of polythene is seen as unattractive there is not much we can do about it, apart from removing the polythene at the end of the season.”

Every year the farm employs up to 700 seasonal workers to help with the harvest. Changes to the Seasonal Agricultural Workers’ Scheme (SAWS), combined with the stirling weakening against the euro, means it is not as attractive a job as it once was.

“Our workers tend to be Polish, Romanian and Bulgarian. We like to encourage eastern European students to come to our farm, as they are bright and well motivated. But changes to the law have not made it easy. We hope that the workers will keep on coming - every year we are responsible for two or three weddings after couples have met on our fields!” says Chinn.

This year, a cold April with little sunshine meant that the harvest was disappointing. However, a better than expected July saved the year. So with plans for expansion, will Chinn be supplying English asparagus worldwide in the near future?

“We have looked into exporting but UK asparagus is significantly undersupplied. There is a shortage in the UK. Every year a new record is broken for the amount of Peruvian asparagus imported into the UK. So we need to concentrate on making sure the UK market is well supplied,” he adds.

BLACKCURRANTS AIM FOR NUMBER-ONE SUPERFRUIT RECOGNITION

British growers have stepped up their media campaign to raise the profile of blackcurrants, a quarter of which are grown in Herefordshire.

The Blackcurrant Foundation is increasing public awareness of the nutritional values of blackcurrants by ramping up TV, radio and newspaper coverage.

“Blackcurrants are renowned for their deep purple colour and contain more vitamin C weight for weight than an orange,” says the foundation’s chairwoman, Jo Hilditch. “What’s more, our research with the Scottish Crop Research Institute has shown that they contain high concentrations of anthocyanins - important disease-fighting antioxidants.”

These special antioxidants help protect against ageing, joint inflammation, eye strain, kidney stones, cardiovascular disease, cancer and urinary tract infections. Blackcurrants’ naturally rich vitamin C content helps to boost the immune system and fight off symptoms often associated with the common cold.

“By incorporating blackcurrants into your diet, you are enabling your body to protect itself against a wide array of diseases and infections,” says Hilditch. “But, despite this, consumers are still unaware of all the goodness that British blackcurrants have to offer. In comparison to blueberries they receive very little press.”

A survey conducted by the foundation among more than 2,000 adults found that only three per cent knew that blackcurrants were the number-one superfruit, and those surveyed were only aware of a third of the health benefits associated with the fruit.

What shocked the foundation even more was that 30 per cent of the respondents could not even identify a blackcurrant, so even if they were aware of its health benefits, they could be purchasing blackberries or blueberries instead.

“The results showed that we had a lot of work to do to raise public awareness,” says Hilditch. “Only seven per cent of people said they regularly consumed fresh blackcurrants, which means that 93 per cent of Brits are missing out on all of the natural goodness.”

To address the lack of fruit awareness demonstrated by its fruit survey, the foundation asked Dr Chris Steele, from ITV’s This Morning, to appear on radio to explain why blackcurrants are essential for maintaining a healthy diet.

“As Dr Chris is a well-known celebrity, we thought it would be a great way to add credibility to the radio campaign,” says Hilditch. “We have also designed a superfruit wheel, which enables consumers to see the nutritional qualities that different fruits have. And for recipe ideas incorporating blackcurrants, people can log on to our website, www.blackcurrantfoundation.co.uk.”

Hilditch has been running her family farm in north-west Herefordshire for 10 years. Blackcurrants have been a staple crop at Whittern Farms since the 1930s, when her grandfather planted one of the first plantations in Herefordshire. Today, the farm produces 300-350 tonnes of blackcurrants and supplies Ribena, Pixley Berries and its own crème de cassis. This blackcurrant liqueur is made from Hilditch’s home-grown blackcurrants and can be poured over ice cream or used in puddings and sauces - or served as an apéritif with white wine or champagne.

“We are very lucky in Herefordshire,” says Hilditch. “The soil is very good and as a fruit-growing region we are very well placed to grow blackcurrants.”

Herefordshire is one of five main areas in the UK where blackcurrants are grown before being sold locally or on wholesale markets. But raising the profile of the fruit has its difficulties.

“We are working hard to promote blackcurrants and encourage people to buy more, but this has its challenges as it is a 10-15 year crop,” Hilditch says. “Only in the fourth year do you start to get a crop that is commercially viable. And because of start-up costs and the price of machinery, you will need about 100 acres before the enterprise becomes commercially viable.

“We grow seven or eight different varieties of blackcurrants here in Herefordshire,” Hilditch says. “One variety begins to fruit at the beginning of July, whereas the latest variety begins to fruit at the end of August.”

As many of them are used for soft drinks, promoting blackcurrants as local to Herefordshire has its challenges. Instead, the fruit is marketed as British.

“We prefer to promote as local to Britain,” says Hilditch, “or Scotland and Ireland. People are beginning to think about what they buy and where it comes from, but I believe they are happy to buy British.”

One of the main issues affecting local fruit growers is climate change. Milder winters have ensured that blackcurrants do not go properly dormant during the colder months. This means that when they come to flower in summer, the bud does not break evenly, meaning that crop yields are extremely variable.

“We had a yield deficit of 40t this year because of the weather,” says Hilditch. “It means that we have to grow different varieties of blackcurrants that don’t need such a cold winter. We have to adapt to the changing seasons. People are beginning to see the benefits that blackcurrants have to offer and we will continue to work hard to raise their profile.”

LOCAL STRAWBERRIES GO DOWN A TREAT

Herefordshire soft-fruit grower EC Drummond is hoping its new line of local strawberries will go down a treat.

The farm at The Homme in Ross-on-Wye launched local Herefordshire strawberries into Tesco this summer and is hoping that the new line will gain momentum over the coming years.

“They sold okay,” says farm manager Ben Drummond. “But we are hoping that they will do even better in the future.”

It has been a difficult year for the family-run farm, which was founded in 1956 by Ben’s grandfather Eric, who started cultivating potatoes, cereal crops and blackcurrants, as well as rearing sheep and cattle.

“The weather affected us in two ways this year,” says Drummond. “Not only did it mean our yields were down, but there weren’t many days where it was sunny enough for picnics. I’m sure that the credit crunch also had a negative effect on sales - many people are feeling the pinch.”

Today, EC Drummond is a diverse agricultural, services and transport business with an annual turnover in excess of £15 million. It is one of the four main companies in the county, harvesting soft fruits such as strawberries, blackberries and raspberries.

Its strawberries and raspberries grow in abundance from April to November in glasshouses and polytunnels, when the soft-fruit enterprise is at its busiest. All the fruit is hand-picked directly into punnets and taken to the farm packhouse, where it is cooled rapidly to maintain fruit quality, before being sold into UK supermarkets.

Focusing on making better use of labour through machinery is the priority for the coming year, says Drummond. Currently, the grower produces 1,000-1,200 tonnes of strawberries, 70t of raspberries and 50t of blackberries every year. In monetary terms, that is worth £3.5m - and there are plans to expand.

“This year has been a very bad year and there has been a deflation in our yields. Because there have not been enough hours of sunlight our crop hasn’t been as good as usual,” says Drummond. “The rain hasn’t helped matters either.”

To reduce the risk to the supply of berries caused by the weather, the farm has erected temporary polythene tunnel structures that give protection to the crop at critical growing and harvesting periods. However, the use of polytunnels is an emotive issue, with some members of the tourism industry complaining that they are an unsightly blot on the landscape. To combat this, EC Drummond has taken part in trials that use different coloured polythene under the strawberry plants to lessen the visual impact and is supporting research into new polytunnel materials.

Add to this the increased difficulty in attracting foreign workers and you can see why it has been a tough year.

“The supply and quality of foreign workers has definitely been affected by the new tougher laws and the exchange rate has made the job less attractive,” says Drummond.

The reduction in the Seasonal Agricultural Workers Scheme (SAWS) means the number of workers allowed to come to the UK this year went down from 25,000 to 16,250 - leaving farmers and recruitment agencies struggling to find enough casual staff.

“We employ up to 500 workers from countries outside Europe every year,” says Drummond. “Our pickers are housed in mobile homes located on site with 24-hour support via a camp welfare officer. We also provide them with recreational facilities, transport to the local supermarket, internet cafe, laundry, gym, TV lounge, football and volleyball pitches.

“Trips are arranged on days off so that the students can visit various UK cities and tourist attractions. So I hope that the stricter laws and exchange rate doesn’t put everybody off, but it has been harder to attract them this summer.”

But despite a difficult year, Herefordshire remains one of the best counties in which to grow soft fruit, says Drummond. Thanks to its microclimate and light soil, the county can produce much earlier than other regions.

“We are just an hour’s drive to Cardiff, Birmingham and Bristol, which is great for distribution,” says Drummond. “The microclimate and light soil mean these fruits are available relatively early in comparison to 40 miles away, where they are in season a lot later.”

JOLLY KING OF CASTLE

Organic mushroom producer Castle Frome began operating in 1999 and is one of the few mushroom growers based in Herefordshire.

The producer supplies “a few loads” of mushrooms locally, although the majority is sold by supermarkets.

According to Martin Jolly, managing director of Castle Frome, the UK mushroom market is dominated by large Irish companies, which have bought out many of the UK firms. “Very little of the inputs can be purchased locally and the inputs are in very few hands, so there is little competition,” he says.

The credit crunch has impacted on the company’s sales, although Jolly tells FPJ the firm is determined to reduce the company’s debt. Castle Frome employs 16 workers and produced 240 tonnes of mushrooms last year.

ORGANIC TO THE CORE

Organic Green Orchards (OGO) is keen to meet demand for chemical-free, UK-grown apples, and £1.5 million has been invested into 33 hectares of organic apple and pear production.

The Herefordshire-based company was formed in early 2007 and runs the farms, funded by Organic Farm Foods’ shareholders.

A small volume of in-transition fruit will be produced from the Herefordshire-based farms this year. “From 2009 the first volumes of fully organic apples and pears will be harvested and, by 2010, the farm is expected to produce some 1,000 tonnes,” says Adam Wakeley, OGO founder.

OGO anticipates that there will be further availability from the various grower partnerships it is developing with existing smallholders and farming operations.

It also works with other UK growers to either convert or plan new production blocks of UK fruit, and seeks out new varieties and market opportunities for UK growers.

“We work with growers in all aspects of variety selection, agronomy, harvesting and marketing - we offer a complete solution,” says Euan Keenan, managing director of OGO.

In addition, OGO will produce detailed business plans in partnership with growers to raise funds and devise marketing strategies to non-retail customers.

OGO expects UK organic apples to be available from October through to March by 2010.

“Imported fruit from the US, Italy, etc, has a market penetration and our research shows that these consumers would like to buy UK fruit if and where possible,” saysWakeley.

He began looking at the viability of growing UK orchard fruit in 2005 and saw that there was a clear need for an organisation to champion UK organic production.

The firm has identified various initiatives to overcome the pest and disease issues that traditional apple varieties are often susceptible to.

“There is no one magic solution but a series of procedures that must be followed to succeed,” Keenan says. “OGO will be available to share these techniques with other UK growers for them to also succeed in producing UK fruit.”

New apple varieties have also been chosen for their excellent eating attributes and yield potential, and will be made public next year. OGO also plans to launch an exclusive, new pear variety.

Wakeley acknowledges that organic sales have fallen due to the economic climate. “However, sales of healthy food produced in the UK remain viable and will always spring back in a more settled economic environment,” he argues.

FLEXIBLE SOLUTION FROM MICRON SPRAYERS

Bromyard-based Micron Sprayers Ltd has been targeting the UK more aggressively with its products, enjoying significant success. Its Flexidome sprayer was introduced in 2005 and is widely used for weed control in strawberries, with Herefordshire being one of the main areas ofproduction.

“We have sold 40 of our Flexidome sprayers in the UK and supply all the major strawberry growers,” says Haydn Beddows of Micron Sprayers.

Local users of the Flexidome sprayer include Withers Fruit Farm and G&BB Houlbrooke of Ledbury, Biddlestone Orchards of Ross-on-Wye and Lower Hope Farm of Ullingswick.Plans for the future include a ‘son of Flexidome’, capable of spraying a complete tunnel in one pass.

According to Micron Sprayers, Flexidome increases work rates and injects a high degree of flexibility into weed control both inside and outside polytunnels - five-bed tunnels can be sprayed in just two passes. By using rotary atomisers, herbicide application is achieved with just 100 litres a hectare instead of the 400 l/ha achieved using a conventional high-volume sprayer.

“The Flexidome treats the same area in a quarter of the time and this offers more flexibility as well as cutting costs,” explains Beddows. “Furthermore, the covered heads and elimination of spray drift means users have more ‘spray days’ and even more flexibility.”

The Flexidome sprayer was initially used for weed control in strawberries and is now used to control weeds in raspberries, blueberries, loganberries and even some of the younger (less than 10 years old) orchards, including Morello cherry.

Antioxidant-rich blackcurrants are also on Micron Sprayers’ agenda. The company has a long history of working with UK blackcurrant growers, providing custom-designed equipment and meeting the need for sensitive insect pest and disease control.

Micron pioneered and developed Controlled Droplet Application (CDA) spraying, and blackcurrant growers throughout key producing areas such as Herefordshire, Worcestershire, Scotland, Kent and East Anglia use the equipment.

According to Micron, CDA provides growers with cost-effective and targeted application. “Strict control of droplet size distribution, married with appropriate air assistance, furnishes the good canopy penetration and coverage required for low volume control of foliar insect pests and diseases,” the company says.

Micron’s Turbofan rotary atomiser is driven by a compact hydraulic motor. The spray is delivered in a narrow range of droplet sizes appropriate to the target pest and the axial fan incorporated in the spray head produces a turbulent and swirling directed low-speed air beam to convey spray to the foliage.

Foliage is simultaneously ruffled and disturbed to provide good penetration and even coverage of spray over all leaf, stem and fruit surfaces. This avoids the walling and shingling of the foliage seen when high-speed air jets are used. Directing this relatively low speed air accurately means that spray droplet losses outside the canopy can be minimised.

“An even distribution of deposit is crucial,” says a key blackcurrant grower from Ledbury in Herefordshire. “Too little and there is insufficient control and too much puts the produce at risk. The Turbofan gives excellent control of both arthropod pests and fungal diseases and enables reductions in pesticide usage. Furthermore, it facilitates 12m LERAP reductions in ‘Buffer Zone’ restrictions, down to a minimum of 7m for most pesticides without use of windbreaks.”

Meanwhile, Micron is looking at adopting its shielded sprayers for inter-row grown vegetables. “If you can spray in between a crop of vegetables, for example carrots, you can apply a systemic herbicide that won’t damage the crop,” Beddows says.

SPROUTING GOODNESS AT ACONBURY

Aconbury Sprouts has been growing sprouting seeds andpulses for more than 20 years and is hoping to increase production this year.“Over the last year, our production levelshave increased by around 40 per cent as more people become aware of the benefits of eating sprouts,” says Debbie Barrell, marketing manager of Aconbury Sprouts.

“We are 100 per cent organic and add nothing to our products but warmth, light and water.”

The Herefordshire-based company grows short sprouts in tanks, which are not affected by weather conditions.However, its salad greens are produced outside, where possible.

“Sprouting seeds and pulses on a mass scale requiresexpertise and knowledge as the plants are delicate and need to be regularly monitored,” Barrell explains. “We are constantly striving to improve our growing techniques and have recently installed air-conditioning facilities to ensure effective growing of the sprouts, maximising flavour, texture and shelf life.”

The company recently expanded into new premises opposite its current site and now has an area for sprout growth and another for salad greens and wheatgrass.

Aconbury Sprouts has also recently taken on two new growers. “The reason for this was due to orders from some of the multiples,” Barrell tells FPJ.

In the past, Aconbury Sprouts has not focused on being a Herefordshire or even a UK producer. However, it is currently undergoing a re-branding exercise and will be including point-of-origin information on labels in the future.

Barrell says the credit crunch has not affected sales to date.“Our products have a shelf life of around 14 days, so it could be consumers will choose our products over others, as they will last longer,” she speculates.

However, the increase infuel costs, coupled with the weaker stirling against the euro - which Aconbury Sprouts uses to buy its seeds - has led to a review of company costs.

REGION IDEAL FOR QUICKFIRE MUDDY BOOTS

Ross-on-Wye has proved to be a fruitful location for the Muddy Boots Software head office.

“Herefordshire is very much part of Muddy Boots’ heritage,” says the company’s managing director, Jonathan Evans. “It is often viewed as unusual for a software business to be based in a rural location, but the area has seen big advances in IT and is really central, with excellent road links that are ideal for travel.”

Established 12 years ago, the mainstay operations for Muddy Boots Software in the early years were farm recording and decision support systems for farmers and agronomists. Herefordshire is an established farming region and some of the very first Muddy Boots customers were locally based and remain loyal today.

Due to the growth of Muddy Boots, the business will be relocating next year into larger premises that are currently being built on the same site in Herefordshire.

In June 2007, Muddy Boots Software signed a major contract with Unilever, a deal that saw the traceability and quality assurance solution provider commit to the delivery of its Quickfire mobile audit management software to the international giant.

The roll-out of global software began in 2007 and will continue into 2010, encompassing all dried and frozen fruit and vegetable suppliers behind well-known Unilever brands. “Supplier implementations are progressing well and the momentum is building, as suppliers are collecting increasing numbers of assessments for themselves and their growers in order to meet year-end targets,” explains Anita Pursehouse, Unilever account manager.

“Quickfire will allow Unilever to quantify suppliers’ progress and work closely with them in order to improve agricultural practices against a longstanding 11-point sustainability programme called ‘Growing for the Future’.”

A quarter of the supply base will be engaged in the project by the end of the year and 50 per cent will come on board in 2009. The remainder will be implemented in 2010. Following completion, thousands of farmers will be introduced to this new means of sustainability measurement.

Muddy Boots says its Quickfire audit management software can deliver a range of solutions by encouraging complete supply chain transparency and building confidence between producer and retailer. “From a retailer perspective, the use of auditing software ensures that its supplier associations are safe and that its brand cannot be damaged through bad supplier practice,” explains Evans. “From a supplier perspective, the use of auditing software contributes to time savings of 50 per cent over conventional pen and paper processes.

“From a consumer point of view, they simply expect that the retail or manufacturing brand has ‘got it sorted’ and are sourcing food with clear provenance. They look to retailers as watchdogs on their own supply chains, which emphasises the importance of auditing software as a means of brand protection. This, in turn, benefits Muddy Boots.”

Meanwhile, the Greenlight suite of products (Muddy Boots’ complete process and quality management system for packhouses) has been the focus of much development in the last year. One significant change has been the redevelopment and re-branding of Quickfire QMS, now known as Greenlight Quality Control.

This is being implemented at Flamingo. “Greenlight QC manages all aspects of the quality control function in one area,” says Flamingo’s technical director, Ian Michell. “With users in various locations and with multiple customers and suppliers, a multi-access system that updates centrally is crucial to Flamingo’s requirements. Fresh produce is a fast-moving industry, therefore a quality control system operating in real time without interruptions to the data flow is fundamental to our business.”

Australian-based baby leaf producer Tripod Farmers is one of Muddy Boots’ newest clients. “Once all you needed was a farmer with a pair of gumboots, but technology is changing the industry rapidly,” says Frank Ruffo, director at Tripod Farmers. “Greenlight Track & Trace will bring a greater level of control and efficiency to Tripod, all the way from field to dispatch, with the impacts being felt across the business.”