F.Dring & Sons Ltd

11/02/2024

In the printed catalogue the age given to the AVR GeForce potato cultivator is wrong. It is was new in 2019, so has only done 5 seasons (330 ha).

09/02/2024

All change here at Dring’s!
Have gone into a Contract Farming Agreement with Oldershaw Farms.
Doubleroof Ltd is being established to use our buildings for commercial storage and rental units.
Come and buy our well maintained machinery.

Family farm specialising in potatoes and daffodils (flowers & bulbs). Also grow Sugarbeet, vining pe

16/01/2022

Another years farming cycle about to begin! It depends on what weather we get in the next couple of weeks as to when we start field picking of the daffodils, but it looks like we will have started by early February. Will we get the labour to pick them??

08/07/2021

Rye, destined for the AD plant at Crowland being harvested earlier this week (5th July).

30/05/2021

Latest local newspaper article. Must try and write a cheerful article one day!

16/05/2021

Doing our bit for recycling. Currently replacing about 175sqm of old broken up concrete in the farmyard. Hired in a crusher, as plan is to use the old concrete as the base material rather than freshly quarried limestone. If we can get it all crushed in a day, there will be a reasonable saving in cost.

16/05/2021

Jon’s debut on the screen!
Very well put.

https://youtu.be/Mb9pZ4DqYfo

01/03/2021

Last night Countryfile had a report on Sugar Beet , the devastating effect Virus Yellows has had on it, and that neonic seed dressing wasa going to be allowed again on sugar beet seed.
As with any topic presented by journalists, when you know the truth, reports rarely tell the full story.
In this case, the reporter failed to tell the viewer that the permission is only for 2021, with a possible 2 year extension. Even then this years permission will only be granted if the winter survival rate of the aphid that carries the virus, is scientifically calculated, by trapping and temperature profiling, to be proved to be significant.
DEFRA has said it expects the industry to find resistant Beet varieties within 3 years, using gene editing amongst other selective breeding techniques , so that neonic pesticides are no longer required.
The Wildlife Trust was put up as an opponent of the decision. Its answer seemed to be by denying that there is any science behind the decision. Demanding pesticide free farming is easy and cheap to say, but offers no solutions as to how the Sugar Beet Industry is going to survive. Remember, neonics have been given special dispensation for use on sugar beet seed in many European countries, even though it has been banned by the EU for general use.
Many in the farming community view Countryfile with suspicion, and this is mainly due to Tom Heaps reports. He always seems to let the antifarmer lobby makes statements that need challenging, but reports them as fact.
In our case our beet yields are down 24% on the last 5 year average, a figure that is a lot better than many beet growers are reporting. And we don’t make anywhere near a 24% profit on Sugar beet in a normal year!

27/02/2021

My Latest (16th Feb 2021) article in the local paper - Lincs Free Press.

30/01/2021

Wish they’d got stuck! 2nd time in January they’ve driven across our daffodils. Must be a high clearance 4wd vehicle as I’d get stuck if I’d tried. Suspect they are the same idiots who drove round our beet heap in November and were heard at about 2 in the morning. Hidden camera going along lane to try and identify vehicle.

15/11/2020

My latest attempt 10th November 2020

12/08/2020

32oC and the maize is loving it!

05/08/2020

Pulling a few wild oats. As a student spent several weeks pulling them each year. Only a couple of armfuls this year, but we do only grow w wheat about once in 10 years

16/06/2020

Trying out our new Baselier/Standen 6 row topper.
Will be useful keeping our daffodil rows tidy but really purchased for use in our potato crop.
With the chemical destruction of the foliage no longer allowed, when the potatoes get to the desired size we will have to flail the tops off with this machine.
Put cost of operation up from £6-7 per acre (with diquat) to around £30!
Will also be interesting if it happens to be very wet when we want to do it.
Progress??

05/06/2020

Sign the Food Standards petition to keep out food that isn’t produced to the standards our UK farms have to. Follow the link. http://ow.ly/5zJo50zUUN8

09/05/2020

Maize drilling to supply the local AD plant at Crowland. First time we have grown the crop.
Herbicide will be applied on Tuesday and then 20mm rain please! Drill is a SlyAgri machine.

07/04/2020

Daffodil cropping finished for the year. Spring wheat and barley( a new experience) and vining peas all drilled. Tractor in distance drilling sugar beet and by Friday will be on to potato planting. Need another 3 weeks without Coronavirus and we’ll be planted up.

27/12/2019

Soon be cropping Daffs if it doesn’t come cold soon!