Seeds Onsite at Foxley
For Orders Over £250
Available same day
Within 1-2 days
Foxley was set up by Julian Godwin in 2007 after working in both the agricultural and horticultural supply trades for many years. With the aim of offering quality seeds & varieties, competitive prices and great service, the business has grown to be a key supplier of seeds to farmers in the midlands and further afield.
2025 will be remembered for the drought, many in England getting little rain from February to September. Foxley is a heavy clay farm, so we fair better than some in a dry time. Having said that, even our perennial ryegrass leys gave up by late July, with not a green shoot in sight. Herbal leys were a saviour, both here at Foxley and on many of our clients farms. The deeper rooting grasses & herbs finding moisture where shallow rooting ryegrass & white clover leys could not. The numerous benefits of herbal leys, despite the drop in payment rate to £224 per hectare per year under the 2026 SFI, means these types of more diverse seed mixtures, will become evermore popular. Back at home, our 1st cut silage was a bad joke, the combination of late cold clay soil and tack sheep about too long. Some decent rain in May gave us a much improved 2nd cut which filled the clamp.
We had just enough grass all summer for our 300 head of young grazing cattle, and they seemed to thrive as long as they had some shade and plenty of water. We had to clear a third more acres to get anywhere near enough straw up together for our year round clients, with yield of grain and straw being hugely variable depending on soil type and farming system. It’s no surprise that soils with more “body” to them, and benefiting from regular mucking, are coping better with the weather patterns we now seem to be getting. The rains finally came in September, and golly how the grass grew, many exclaiming it was more like May than early autumn. That late spurt of growth gave many a lifeline to get through the winter ahead, and meant we had ample fodder for our herd going in to winter.
As well as the drought, 2025 will be remembered as “peak SFI” It seemed that every other order we delivered was for some sort of SFI or stewardship scheme. Our sales of species like red clover have increased tremendously over the last few seasons, resulting in tighter supply and higher prices. Whilst UK seed production catches up with the demand for these legumes and herbs, the majority of seed has been imported from the continent. Due to a period of large stocks of agricultural grass seed throughout Europe, production has been scaled back.
Last autumn witnessed huge seed demand as farmers all over Europe tried to fill the forage gap created by the dry summer, and many arable acres were laid down to grass whilst commodity prices are so low. This means seed prices are moving up, particularly Italian, Hybrid and Intermediate ryegrasses. As ever there will be enough seed, but certain species and varieties will sell out, so if you are particularly discerning, it may be wise to talk to us sooner rather than later.
Explore the full range of seeds from Foxley Seeds by ordering a printed version of our catalogue today!
Seeds: As harvest progresses, we have a full range of seeds available here at Foxley. Herbal Leys seeming to have coped well with the dry conditions, we expect to see further uptake of this and many of the other SFI options for those that managed to make their application in time. Italian Ryegrass and Westerwold Ryegrass seed is dearer due to shorter supply, whilst other grasses remain good value.
We have simplified our rotation, with a 3 to 4 year grass ley being the ideal way to maintain the heart in our ground. Having used Foxley Seeds for the last two seasons we are pleased with the results so far.
Our sheep enterprise is dependent on abundant spring grass, and seeds from Foxley have delivered just that.
I have been using Julian at Foxley Seeds for a number of years. His knowledge in this sector has produced consistent quality leys with good yields.
Julian has helped us to design a green manure mixture for some of our arable ground. He also supplies us with the usual grass and root seeds for our sheep enterprise.
We have been dealing with Foxley Farm Supplies for a number of years, initially with straw and more recently also seeds. Julian is always eager to please, providing a good, reliable service and offering a good deal.
