A STEADY stream of 350 to 400 farmers took the opportunity to check out the largest demonstration of crop varieties Farmway has ever staged.

"We were extremely encouraged by the interest shown, as we have a total of more than 25 acres of trial and demonstration crops at Grange Farm, Croft, with many more varieties on show than we have had in the past," said Mr David Hamilton, Farmway seeds manager, after the event.

"The growers were keen for knowledge, particularly on how crops are performing locally. What we provided was a genuine local perspective."

This year's demonstration had the added attraction of the ARC North-East trials, including a wide range of agronomy and variety trials covering a six-acre area.

"We are very grateful to Anthony Hornshaw, farm manager of Croft Farms, and chairman of the ARC North-East technical committee, for all his hard work and co-operation in setting up this demo," said Mr Hamilton.

He said farmers appreciated the ARC trial plots because they provided a wider range of information than they had been able to give in the past.

The Farmway plots attracted interest in Claire as a soft wheat.

On the feed side, Savannah was likely to retain its popularity, while for milling wheats there was interest in Shamrock and Malacca, both of which are 5pc higher yielding than Hereward, the present market leader.

Mr Hamilton said that the most widely grown barley, Regina, was likely to remain popular "but there has been a lot of interest in Heligan, a two-row feed variety which gives a very bold sample, and also in Damas, a six-row variety giving high yields and good quality grain."

Everyone involved was very encouraged by the interest shown in the demonstration, and a lot of orders had been placed as a result.

"This was a successful formula which we hope to follow in future years," said Mr Hamilton