The growing number of AD plants in the UK has created an additional source of crop nutrition. Taylors Agricultural has invested in a self-propelled applicator and fleet of ferry tankers to make best use of digestate
PS Taylor and Sons is a family partnership consisting of Patrick Taylor and sons Shaun and Adam, operating as both farmers and contractors, with the contracting arm trading as Taylors Agricultural. Now Patrick Taylor has retired, Shaun and Adam and their two sons manage all aspects of the business. The farming side totals around 2,440ha, of which 2,165ha is combinable crops, split into three areas on owned, farm business tenancy and contract farmed land.
Taylors Agricultural is mainly operated to meet the needs of the farming business but also offers selected services to other farmers. Merevale and Blyth Estates on the Leics/Warks border is the largest contract, where the Taylors grow milling and feed wheat, with pulses and oilseed rape as break crops; spring cereals have been introduced in recent years. In 2015, renewable energy specialist Biogen commissioned a 2.5MW anaerobic digester (AD) plant in partnership with Merevale Estates at Atherstone, Warks, with food waste as its feedstock.
“Biogen favours sites where the digestate from the plant can be utilised in a cost effective way, so, as farmers, we wanted to explore how it would fit into our farming system while also retaining control of the operation by taking care of the spreading ourselves rather than using an outside contractor,” says Shaun Taylor. “The objective was to make optimum use of the nutrients and improve soil structure while cutting fertiliser costs.”
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