On Your Farm

When Nick Padwick took over the Stoughton Estate farm near Leicester, he was faced with quite a challenge. Ageing machinery meant high repair costs and it was clear things had to change. They did, and now Stoughton, the flagship farm for the Co-operative Group, is a pioneer of new technologies, leading farm improvements for all the Co-op's farms. Tom Heap meets Nick, who was named Farm Manager of the Year for 2009, and sees the new technology in action, from soil analysis to tractors that always follow the same tracks. And he sees why Nick is known as one of the most enthusiastic and 'can do' farmers in the business.