Marrying tradition with technology
A traditional farming business in every sense of the word, the Wills Estate encompasses agricultural, equestrian, forestry and shooting enterprises, and at its heart, a family home. The enterprises work together in a way rarely seen in modern times, under the guidance of manager Hamish Gairdner, and the family which purchased the 800ha Edgcote, Oxfordshire holding in 2005. Mr Gairdner also manages their mainly grassland estate in Rutland and a Scottish sporting estate.
The majority of the land is ring fenced, with 62ha outlying at nearby Byfield, while some equipment is also shared with Rutland. At Edgcote, cropping encompasses milling wheat, oilseed rape and spring beans or barley, with two wheats grown to space out rape in the rotation.
Harvest capacity
“With 670ha going through the New Holland CR9.90 combine, we probably have more harvesting capacity than we need,” concedes Mr Gairdner, “But timing is crucial for the milling premiums, so it gives us peace of mind.”
The 2017 CR9.90 is due for a swap this winter, having completed its fourth season, he comments. “We aim to keep a combine three years and purchase with four years’ service and warranty coverage so I know exactly what my costs are going to be.”
This summer saw a series of combine demos, and at the time of writing, Mr Gairdner was undecided between the same model again and the Claas Lexion 7700 series
