Farm Manager Matthew Hawthorne runs Euston Estate’s 10,500 acres on the Norfolk-Suffolk border. Growing vegetables, cereals, and sugar beet they also have cows and sheep, outdoor chickens, solar and AD plant, parkland and woodland. AF has been sourcing inputs for all these enterprises since 2007.
Best prices plus specialist independent knowledge
“Phone AF and there's always good knowledge of that product. And AF advice is independent.
What I don't want is always the lowest price. What I want is the right product at a competitive price.
Other buying group membership fees are based on acreage. To be in AF is very, very good value for money.”
See what Matthew has to say (filmed 2023)
What do you procure through AF?
“We spend £800k a year through AF.
“We still have serviced agronomy, but every year myself and the agronomist go to AF HQ, we look at the chemicals AF have bought from suppliers and price match. So I'm confident chemicals that come to my spray shed are bought at best possible price.
“All our fuel is through AF. Sensors sit inside farm fuel tanks and send live messages back to AF HQ to repeat order. The second benefit is forward buying. The third benefit is pricing. I've never found another company that can supply significantly cheaper.”
Crop protection , Liquid fuels , Electricity , Livestock feed & sundries , Animal health products , Machinery parts & workshop supplies, Seed, Building materials , Fertiliser , Fuel cards , Electricity, Telecoms, Insurance, Trees & more…
“AF is not just saving us money, it saves us time. The amount of work they've taken out of our office is huge.”
Making business simpler
“The Euston Estate irrigation system is 42 km long, every pipe procured through AF. A big benefit we got there, apart from the pricing, is when we called AF about building the system, they had a relationship with a really capable, knowledgeable company they instantly connected us to.
