Helix East Anglia

Wood Hall Farm near Rattlesden in Suffolk is our East Anglia demonstration site and Tom Jewers believes the Helix project will provide valuable information to help shape future practices across the 385 ha farmed area.

• Family partnership, G.D. Jewers & Son
• 385 ha (owned and contract farmed)
• Cropping grown include: winter wheat, winter and spring barley, oilseed rape, linseed, winter beans
• Multi-species cover crops grown ahead of spring cropping
• The farm is in the Countryside Stewardship Mid-Tier scheme.

• To generate variable seed rate maps reliably, accurately, and fully customisable
• To utilise TerraMap gold to address low Mg and P levels
• Focus on margin and increasing the efficiency of inputs

Wood Hall Farm has been a demonstration site since 2019. We’re conducting a range of work at Wood Hall Farm including NUE trials, variety trials and building disease resilience.

Fertiliser Efficiency

The Nitrogen Use Efficiency (NUE) trial is examining different rates, from 0 to 240 kg/ha, granular and liquid fertilisers, and the impact of nitrogen inhibitors on NUE. Alongside thorough crop and yield assessments throughout the season, work is also examining whether inhibitors affect soil microbiology, such as by inhibiting the activity of bacteria involved in the nitrogen cycle.

Another trial is looking at different nitrogen timings, as Tom Jewers has concerns that in very dry springs, crops are not taking up granular fertiliser efficiently. The traditional granular approach is being trialled against foliar-applied N later in the season and through dry spring weather.

Improving phosphate use efficiency is another key area, especially as national Hutchinsons testing of 167 grain samples last season revealed 46% were low in phosphate. “Phosphate is easily locked up by calcium, magnesium and aluminium in the soil, which means crops cannot access it,” notes Hutchinsons Rob Jewers. Additionally, triple super phosphate (TSP) has just 10% use efficiency, compared with nitrogen’s 60%.