Weald Granary offers us the ability to cut crops when they are still too wet for our ambient bulk stores but when there is still quality to be maintained in our milling wheats.  It also allows us to cut a bit earlier in the morning and later at night safe in the knowledge that those crops can be sent to “the granary” and cleaned, dried and segregated in a way not possible on farm.

The transport is very efficient and drivers are keen to grab a shovel and broom to help keeps things moving at a busy time of the year.

However the main benefit of Weald Granary to me is the fact that it’s a true farmer owned co-operative, run by farmers for the benefit of its farmer members. This allows the costs to be kept as low as they are and any surpluses reinvested into the store itself or returned to the members. As our farmed acreage increases in the future I will certainly look to place a significant percentage of our crops at Weald Granary.

When we heard of plans for a local co-operative grain store we signed up for a small initial tonnage. The concept of specialist storage and drying seemed a good one and gave us more flexibility as yield and acreage increased.

Over the years this has proved to be the case and seems even more relevant now than it did then. As standards have tightened the possibility (and cost) of rejection has increased for our main crop of milling wheat. Sending to Weald gives a higher proportion of grain achieving a premium.

Moving grain from on farm storage has freed up buildings for other (more lucrative) uses. There are frustrations in the heat of harvest when everyone wants movement at the same time and short-term storage space is running out and the team at Weald do their best and stay (mostly) cheerful.