Asustainable attitude to farming has become increasingly essential in recent years, bringing a need for new approaches by landowners and contractors alike.

During his 31 years in business, Charlie Baker has always been able to adapt to such changes and, with sons Christopher and Stephen, has introduced diversifications that have kept RC Baker Agricultural contractors ahead of the game.

The business, based at Springfield Farm, Barford St Michael, near Banbury, operates a range of forage and crop management contracts for dairy and arable farmers and undertakes slurry and waste-managment contracts.

It serves clients over a 30-mile radius — and further afield when it comes to waste management which represents about 20 per cent of the business and includes the recycling of agri-plastics.

And operations now include work with environmental organisations as well as the farming community.

The contribution of the company to the agricultural industry was recognised at this year’s Farmers’ Weekly awards, when RC Baker was named farming contractor of the year.

The judges congratulated the company on the way in which it had embraced opportunities to make the business sustainable in the long-run, displayed drive and determination in challenging situations and demonstrated a sound understanding of what it takes to create a first-class contracting business.

Christopher and Stephen Baker have become closely involved in the business over the past five years.

Christopher now runs the agri-plastic waste recycling regime and both sons play a large part in managing the day-to-day running of the business and in planning future projects.

These include the recent acquisition of a Kaweco slurry injector tanker, which has been purchased to enable the firm’s clients to keep up with increasingly strict European legislation relating to Nitrate Vulnerable Zones (NVZs).

Innovation has always been Charlie Baker’s watchword. He was one of the first people in Oxfordshire to import a low ground pressure spraying rig.

Mr Baker began his working life as a relief milker, before setting up in business with one tractor, taking on work such as hedging and bale-loading.

At Glympton, at Sandford St Martin and from 1989 at its present base at the 70-acre Springfield Farm, the business grew and, by the mid-1990s, was running two teams maintaing nearly 2,800 hectares of grass for sileage and 1,200 hectares of maize for 46 dairy farmers.

But then came the milk price collapse and within 18 months the number of clients had dropped to just seven.

Mr Baker dealt with the situation by diversifying, taking on more work on arable land and developing a comprehensive range of services for customers who remained in milk production.

The company now undertakes every task on the farm, except milking on large-scale dairy units.

The latest project is to obtain the contract deal with the byproducts produced by the new anaerobic digestion plant at Cassington.

Currently under construction, the plant is due to begin operation next spring. It will take the food waste collections from Oxford City Council, converting the material into a power source, which in turn produces electricity. The byproduct will go back on to the land as fertilisers for crops. Mr Baker is also in talks with manufacturers to develop new machinery that will enable farmers to comply with the conditions of Environmental Stewardship schemes.

“We are always looking for new ideas and seeing what is going on in the industry,” said Mr Baker.

Name: RC Baker Agricultural Contractors Limited Established: 1989

Owners: Charlie and Mary Baker Number of staff: Nine

Contact: 01869 338307 Web: www.rcbagricontractors.co.uk