"I opted to plant Miscanthus back in 2006 due to the diverse mix of soil types on my farm. I was struggling to achieve strong arable yields on our lighter land, which was drought-prone with blow away sand. Combinable crops weren't flourishing, wheat prices were poor and I had to make a decision that would make business sense for the farm. I started with 24ha of Miscanthus and with continued successful yields over the years, this has since expanded to a full 40ha - making up 50% of the whole farm.

"I used to contract out the whole farm but I've taken 40ha of arable back in hand and planted Miscanthus because it's so straightforward, plus its growing cycle doesn't conflict with my other crops. Having turned 60, opting to plant Miscanthus has been a definite lifestyle choice and it's given me more time for myself and my other interests - including my Westfield car, which I like to say is powered by the profits I make from my successful Miscanthus yields!

"I'm thoroughly behind all the hard work that Terravesta does to grow the Miscanthus market and to encourage best practice amongst farmers, ensuring they achieve the very highest quality crop for best returns. I firmly believe (and it's certainly worked for me) that if you look after Miscanthus correctly, it will look after you!"

“William's decision to plant Miscanthus came at a bad time for arable farmers, when wheat prices had fallen to just £65/tonne. He knew that it was time to look for a reliable, profitable and long-term arable solution - and that the increasing market for UK-grown energy crops was the place to look.

“After planting in 2006, there ensued a few turbulent years for the Miscanthus market, and William made it his mission to bring order and transparency to supply. He brought growers together by establishing Miscanthus Growers Ltd in 2009 and went on to found Terravesta to develop a secure and strong market for Miscanthus as the UK's no.1 energy crop - grown locally and burnt locally.

“As well as boasting low overheads and minimal inputs, Miscanthus can be grown on poorer quality land while still delivering high annual yields for 20 or more years. By planting Miscanthus on Hackthorn's marginal land, William has actually enhanced production across the rest of the farm. Dedicating 10% of his land to Miscanthus in 2006 has seen a reduction of just 2% in overall cereals yield.”

We'd tried various other arable options on some of our worst-performing areas and found we were dedicating a lot of time, effort and money to high-risk land, with consistently disappointing results. Becasue Miscanthus flourishes in both heavy wet soils and free-draining soils, as well as areas with a rock base (which causes rooting and drainage problems), it provided the ideal solution.

“We're part of a joint venture contracting business called Flagleaf Farming and we don't receive the Single Farm Payment or other grants, so every crop has to be worth the risk and make absolute financial sense for us to turn a profit. Unlike other crops we have tried, Miscanthus lets us generate secure returns from problem land, doesn't conflict with other crops and fits well into our routine. It also frees up time and manpower that we invest in improving productivity elsewhere.

“Because we have a long-term contract with Terravesta, we also have a guaranteed market for all of the in-spec Miscanthus we can produce, which gives us great peace of mind. Knowing the prices are index-linked offers an even greater level of security.”

"My parents and I first started working with Miscanthus on Farrington Farms in 1999. The family farm had previously been mixed cereals and beef cattle - but under the increasing threat of BSE, Foot and Mouth and TB we made the decision to look into other income streams.

"Having reduced our workforce and ceased the commercial beef enterprise, we had less manpower and fewer resources available - so the move to a low-input crop like Miscanthus made perfect sense. Initially we focused our efforts on rhizome production, but in 2003 we planted Miscanthus for cane production on a mixture of grassland and arable land. Over the next three years we gradually expanded our planting to 50 hectares.

"Primarily Miscanthus made business sense for our farm. Wheat prices at the time were fairly low, and with a reduced team, Miscanthus provided a solution to both of these. Firstly, aside from annual harvesting, there are very few input costs associated with the crop. Secondly, its low-maintenance nature means it needs less attention than other arable crops, allowing us to dedicate our management time to other farm projects, which included converting a large farm building into offices."

“I first trialled Miscanthus in one of my problem fields in 2010. Originally planted with wheat, the land there was extremely clay-heavy and ridden with blackgrass. All this meant that my wheat crop was producing very low yields, so I decided to see how Miscanthus would fare. The crop is still flourishing, and I now no longer have to spend money on controlling the blackgrass, as Miscanthus acts as a natural remedy.

"In fact, my experience was so positive that I decided to plant Miscanthus in two more of my fields in 2011. Like the first field, one of these had heavy land and blackgrass, so the switch to Miscanthus was an obvious one. The other had very light land, with insufficient depth for growing potatoes. It was also drought-prone, with considerable (sometimes plough-breaking) bedrock, making it very difficult to cultivate.

“Faced with low wheat prices and a worsening blackgrass situation on some of my land, Miscanthus held the key to my problems. I'm very pleased I made the decision to plant. Most of my farm is contracted out, so I'm now making significant savings on establishment costs. Planting processes have come on a long way, too, with rhizomes larger and moister than they used to be - meaning they can withstand today's unpredictable weather conditions much better.”