Farmers aim to share machines and labour

The initiative involves partnering with other farmers to share machinery, labour and other resources for greater efficiency and increased productivity.

The farm, owned by the Evans family and managed by Robert Fox, was recently selected as an HGCA Monitor Farm. T.I. Evans owns Squab Hall Farm near Bishops Tachbrook and also farms land at Chesterton and Ufton.

Brightman Farms of Gaydon is the first partner to come on board and the collaboration is already proving mutually beneficial through the sharing of resources.

A spin-off from this is a major farm machinery and equipment sale at Squab Hall Farm, Harbury Lane on Thursday May 29 at which some 300 lots, including a combine harvester, are being auctioned by Howkins and Harrison.

Farm manager Robert Fox said: “We are looking to evolve this collaboration and invite more local farmers to join our venture. The agreement we have with Brightman Farms has enabled our businesses to make better use of the machinery we have on both farms, and this has been the catalyst for the joint machinery sale. We can take advantage of economies of scale and help to reduce our overall cost of production without compromising output. In fact, our crop production is now more cost and time-efficient, and we are able to spread the costs of new technologies such as variable rate fertiliser and seeding, that may otherwise be too expensive to consider.”

Anyone interested in the joint venture should call Robert Fox at T.I.Evans & Son on 01926 882282 or 07817 329158.