Claydon Drills has made the most of technology to communicate with customers during the UK-wide lockdown.
Jeff Claydon (right) presenting the virtual demo day
The company was unable to host its usual series of annual open days at the company’s factory and 340-hectare arable farm in Wickhambrook, Suffolk during May because of the outbreak. Instead, it filmed a Virtual Open Day to enable farmers to experience the latest developments without travelling.
“Our open days have been a feature of the farming calendar for many years and normally attract hundreds of existing and potential customers from across the UK and overseas. They allow us to pass on the latest information to help farmers produce better crops more efficiently, and showcase our products,” Jeff Claydon, the company’s founder and Chief Executive, said.
“Our company has been built on innovation, so rather than call off this year’s event, we decided to take the open days to our customers.”
Entitled ‘Soil: its health, our future’ the event covered a range of soil, crop, and machinery-related topics, starting with a presentation by Jeff Claydon on the importance of optimising soil health and how to achieve it.
During a tour of the farm Dick Neale, Technical Manager for leading agronomy company Hutchinsons, emphasised the importance of soil structure, how to assess and measure it using a slake test, soil nutrient indices and the critical role of earthworms in optimising the movement of water and air through the soil profile.
Oliver Claydon
The Virtual Open Day also saw Spencer Claydon, commercial director, discuss the importance of the company’s TerraBlade inter-row hoe, a mechanical method of controlling weeds in all types of combinable, band-sown crops. Oliver Claydon, operations and manufacturing director, then talked through the key benefits of the Claydon Hybrid drill, cornerstone of the Claydon Opti-Till System.