Specific weight wins spurs greater interest in RGT Hexton

Harvest Stories: Ken Goodger

Higher specific weight grain is encouraging Norfolk farmer Ken Goodger to grow a larger area of RGT Hexton next season, after a small trial area was combined this harvest.

With potato harvest the priority during autumn on the 320ha farm on the Norfolk / Cambridgeshire border, wheat drilling tends to be later in autumn, and it was no different in autumn 2024 when it began in mid-November.

“It was a first wheat following the perennial herb camomile,” Ken says.

Initially, LG Redwald looked stronger, with RGT Hexton suffering from slug damage. “The Redwald seed was treated with Vibrance Duo (fludioxonil and sedaxane), which I think gave the variety a head start and helped it grow away from the slug damage.”

But at harvest, the most striking difference was in specific weight, with Redwald testing around 70-72kg/hl, while Hexton was clearly above the minimum specification needed for a premium for soft wheat into Whitworth Bros at around 75-76kg/hl, Ken says.

Yields were more challenging to judge with no weighbridge on the farm and only an uncalibrated yield monitor to use as a guide. “Hexton’s high points on the yield monitor were higher than Redwald, but Redwald was probably a bit more consistent.”

Overall yields across the 100ha of wheat on the farm were lower than in a typical year at just over 8t/ha, he estimates.

“We’ve done well supplying Whitworth over the past couple of years. Last year we received a premium of £20/t, this year it will be lower at £5/t, but it’s still worth having” Ken stresses.

Additionally, he has signed up for a Frontier-administered Sustainable Supply Chain Programme in conjunction with Pladis, the parent company of biscuit-maker McVitie’s, Carr’s and Jacob’s. Ken receives payments for supplying grain produced using certain regenerative farming practices, such as reduced tillage, using inhibitors with urea fertilisers, and applying organic fertiliser.

While the farm’s root crop focus makes it difficult for him to qualify for the top ‘Gold” tier payment, he’s able to achieve the ‘Bronze’ level for an additional payment, he says.

“But you don’t get the payment if the grain doesn’t meet the correct spec,” he says.

And with Redwald’s specific weight weakness, he’s looking to grow more RGT Hexton next season for greater peace of mind. “The other thing that attracts me to Hexton is that it has good disease resistance. We’re always under pressure staff-wise as a family farm growing root crops in the spring. So if we have a bit more flexibility with fungicide timings, it all helps.”