From June 12 to June 19, Kansas Farmer visited England.
The adventure entailed a visit to the Limagrain United Kingdom's research farm at Woolpit, a day at Cereals 2011, one of Europe's biggest farm shows, a trip to a working English farm to talk to a British producer about his operation and playing tourist for a day or so.
The slideshow below covers some of the highlights of the visit.
TEST PLOTS
Frank Curtis, head of Limagrain Cereal Seeds operations in the U.S., talks about varieties in the pipeline at the Limagrain UK Research Site at Woolpit, England.
NEW VARIETY
Stigg is a new variety offered in England by Limagrain. It is noted for strong resistance to fungal diseases, good yields and good home milling quality.
RESEARCH LAB
Limagrain researcher Simon Berry talks about the process of developing molecular markets in the lab at Woolpit.
QUALITY CONTROL
Limagrain researcher Ian Foot talks about how milling and baking quality tests are performed at the Woolpit laboratory.
NOT IN KANSAS
This was the view out of the window of Kansas Farmer editor P.J. Griekspoor's hotel room in Peterborough. The hotel was converted from a country estate.
NOT THAT MAX
Looking up at a hotel window, this sign might seem like a label for the occupant. It's really an indicator of the maximum height for vehicles passing through the tunnel below.
CEREALS 2011
A view of the showgrounds at Cereals 2011, the largest farm show in Europe.
MACHINERY ROW
There was no shortage of familiar names amongst the equipment on display at Cereals 2011.
GRAIN SORTER
Among the intriguing exhibits was a machine by Satake that can sort grain according to color. Have to wonder: can it tell hard red winter wheat from hard white winter wheat?
BEST FOR THATCHING
Roofs made thatched straw are still common in the English countryside. Hence there is still a demand for "good thatching straw" provided by this traditional wheat variety on display at Cereals 2011.
LINCOLN CATHEDRAL
The Cathedral of Lincoln dominates the skyline of the small town of Lincoln. The cathedral was reportedly the tallest building in the world for 249 years until the central spire collapsed in 1549 and was not rebuilt. It was started in 1072 and finished in 1092. Its roof was destroyed by fire in 1141 and hit by an earthquake in 1185. It was rebuilt and expanded by Bishop Hugh of Avalon and is the third largest cathedral in Great Britain.
LINCOLN CASTLE
The Castle of Lincoln is the second dominant feature of the town. A walled walkway connects it to the Cathedral . The Castle dates back to 1068 and was built on the site that dates back to 60 A.D. The walls of Lincoln were built by the Roman Legions. The Castle is home to the original Lincoln copy of the Magna Carta.
OBSERVATORY TOWER
The sign says it all.
RIGHT AT HOME
Pigeons make their homes among the missing bricks in the castle walls.
TOWER VIEW
From the observatory tower, miles of countryside are visible. In this shot the red brick building in the foreground was used for years as a prison.
CATHEDRAL VIEW
This view looks back toward the Cathedral from Lincoln Castle's observation tower. The tower was used in WWII as a lookout post.
GOOD CROP
British farmer Steve Wilkinson shows off his crop of winter oilseed rape (canola) on his farm in Lincolnshire, England. Wilkinson says yields have been hurt by drought this year.
THICK STAND
Thick stands and long, heavy heads are the hallmark of the winter wheat crop on the Wilkinson farm. A long, cool, wet grain filling season typically gives British farmers yields of up to 200 bushels an acre.
AMSTERAM
A missed airline connection provided an unexpected 12 hours in Amsterdam. This is a shot of the wharf, taken from downtown.
ABBEY RUINS
The historic abbey behind the Cathedral of Bury St. Edmunds is now a well-maintained ruins site with markers to indicate where buildings once stood.
MAGNA CARTA
A historical marker shows the spot where the bishops negotiated with King John for the signing of the Magna Carta in 1215, the document that spells out the rights of British subjects.
GARDENS
These are the well-tended gardens of the Cathedral of Bury St. Edmunds.
THE NUTSHELL
Bury St. Edmunds features The Nutshell, reportedly the smallest pub in England with a bar, window benches and one small table.
P.J. WAS THERE
Kansas Farmer Editor P.J. Griekspoor in the abbey ruins at Bury St. Edmunds.