Lillechurch Farms

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Lillechurch Farms & Contracting Ltd

Lillechurch Farm is a 2,000 acre arable farm based in Lower Higham with land spread around the villages of Shorne and Higham, spreading west to the edge of Gravesend. The land is farmed under a mixture of tenancies and one contract farming agreement with the largest landlord being St John’s College, Cambridge, who own 17,000 acres nationally. In 2018 the business took on the tenancy of Queens Farm, Shorne owned by the Colyer-Fergusson Charitable Trust. Robert Shove is the third generation of his family to farm the land at Lillechurch with his grandfather taking on the first tenancy on the 15th of June 1938.

We operate a minimal tillage system with a Vaderstad Rapid drill establishing the majority of the crops. Current cropping includes winter oilseed r**e, milling wheat, and spring barley grown for malting.. The majority of the crops are stored in modern barns at Lillechurch with other storage at Whitehouse Farm, Higham and now Queens Farm, Shorne.

Two Massey Ferguson tractors are used on the farm with the MF8690, fitted with an RTK Auto Steer system, carrying out the cultivation and drilling work and the MF7620 used for corn carting and rolling. Spraying and liquid fertiliser application is carried out by the farm’s Bateman RB35 fitted with 36m booms. A New Holland CR8080 with a 9.1m header takes care of harvest.

Robert works alongside the farm’s full time employee Tim and this year we welcome back Joe and Ed to help with harvest. Dave, the farm cat, completes the workforce.

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