Coen Van Beuningen
Case Studies on Weed Management
Coen Van Beuningen
Norfolk
Farm characteristics
Farm size: 140 hectares (346 acres)
Farm type: mixed (cereal/veg)
Altitude: 35 m (115
Rainfall: 625 mm (25
Soil type/aspect: medium loam soil, all farm facing the north, on the slope of a valley
Basic rotation: arable rotation is 2 years red/white clover ley, winter wheat, triticale, beans, wheat or triticale (cattle and pigs incorporated in fertility building phase).
Vegetable rotation is 2 years red/white clover ley, potatoes, cabbage, leeks, carrots/parsnips (intends to buy and fit sheep into this rotation).
Enterprises: main enterprises are cereals, beans, cattle (19 adult stock and followers), pigs (15 sows and followers), poultry (100 ready to slaughter and 100 chicks).
Prior land use: conventional arable rotation
Weeding equipment: has tractor mounted hoes, 12 m Einbok, a rotary topper, lazy dog tools, strimmer, thistle pullers (from Holland) and hopes to have a flock of sheep as part of his weed controlling armoury.
Business: family partnership. One farm manager and one full time help. Casual labour as required mainly Eastern Europeans.
Marketing: most meat goes through the Organic Livestock Marketing Company. Cereals and beans to Organic Arable Marketing Co-op. Cereals go for feed also incorporated in feed ration for pigs and poultry. Some wheat grown for milling (10 hectares) and seed crop (12 hectares). Majority of veg is sold into a local box scheme, some to own shop and some to a farmers market. Eggs will go through a shop and farmers market
Weed problems
Attitude to weeds
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