Game Changers: Jeff Claydon, agricultural engineer

In an age when many once-famous British agricultural machinery brands are no more, the Claydon name is going from strength to strength.

Farming 350ha of heavy clay soil in Suffolk with his brother Frank since 1970, Jeff Claydon has built a successful global machinery brand that promises more efficient food production which is more profitable while benefiting the environment.

See also: Read about the other Game Changers

Jeff’s first product was the Claydon Yield-o-Meter, which he invented in 1980. The grain-monitoring device could be fitted to almost any combine to give accurate readings of how many tonnes were being harvested.

It was a roaring success – helping farmers analyse their crop performance before the grain left the field.

A Royal Agricultural Society of England Silver Medal followed and the Yield-o-Meter was fitted to combine harvesters across the UK and Europe.

At a glance: Jeff Claydon

• Arable drill saves growers time and money
• Pioneer who adapted no-till concept to UK
• Now sold in more than 30 countries worldwide

Reducing costs

By the turn of the millennium, however, times had changed.

Wheat prices had slumped, with inputs and ploughing becoming more expensive – prompting a focus on reducing production costs for the family farm to remain viable.

Jeff’s answer was the first Claydon direct strip tillage drill – the V Drill. Launched in 2003, it dramatically reduced the cost and time taken to establish cereal crops and oilseed rape by drilling seed straight into uncultivated land.

Although zero-tillage or no-till was already being used in other countries, Jeff took the concept and applied it to UK conditions, testing and adapting it as necessary to suit the heavy soils on the family farm before bringing it to market.

The V Drill was followed by the SR and Claydon’s latest Hybrid drill.

Over the years, stubble management machinery and rolls have also been developed – complementing the drill range to offer a complete crop establishment solution.

Global success

Claydon Farm has not been ploughed since 2002. Frank Claydon establishes about 400ha in an autumn drilling season with a single 6m Claydon Drill and a single tractor.

He goes on to drill another 1,250ha on contract.

Other manufacturers have since entered the UK market. But Claydon’s brightly painted yellow drills and associated kit remain a popular choice among growers, both in the UK and much further afield.

The company’s strip-till drills, straw harrow and inter-row hoes are now operated on farms across the UK and in more than 30 countries round the world.

All are manufactured at the Claydon factory on the family farm at Wickhambrook in Suffolk.

The system, says Jeff, enables farmers to operate much more efficiently, profitably and sustainably, reducing establishment costs by 60% compared to a plough-based system, and 40% less than minimum-tillage.

Additionally, he adds, it significantly improves timeliness, soil health and structure while lowering carbon emissions, soil erosion and compaction – and reducing labour requirements.