Guernsey Press

Tons of barley harvested the vintage way for show

PREPARATIONS are well under way for this year’s bigger and better Vintage Agricultural Show.

Published
The Vintage Agricultural Show team have been reaping a field of barley using an old machine in preparation for the show. Pictured left to right are Ron Le Cras, Peter Le Couteur, Charles Le Couteur and Rodney Dyke. (Picture by Sophie Rabey, 25194188)

After the success of the first show last year the event will be held again, this year at Les Paysans, St Peter’s, where the West Show was held until 1984.

The show is organised by chairman Ron Le Cras and vice chairmen Rodney Dyke and Jim Jamouneau.

Yesterday 10/07 they were reaping barley in preparation for the event, with the help of friends from Jersey.

‘It’s a winter barley, we seeded in October time,’ said Mr Le Cras.

‘We spent about three hours here [Tuesday] and we’ll be here about an hour and a half to two hours to be finished.’

The barley was reaped by an Albion reaper binder, a type last used in Guernsey between 1980 and 1982. The Jersey one used yesterday dated from the 1950s.

The machine works by cutting barley and knotting it into bundles which are thrown out the other side of the machine to be collected for threshing.

‘There will be a threshing machine at the show and the barley will be threshed to separate the grain from the straw.

‘The grain will go into sacks and the straw into bails.

‘You can use the grain for a variety of uses – feed chickens, crush it and feed to cattle.’

Although it is difficult to know before threshing, the reaped barley could produce four-and-a-half to five tons of grain.

‘The barley’s got to be really golden, otherwise the corn is no good.

‘And it needs to be hard. When it’s soft it won’t thresh.

After cutting the corn, Mr Dyke revealed the flour contained inside.

‘When you go in the supermarket you grab bread and you don’t think about where it’s come from – a lot of work goes into producing everything.

‘That’s why it’s educational. Children have no idea, we were hoping the schools might have wanted to come and watch.’

The island was losing local expertise on these machines, with a lot of the old boys who used to work on them now gone, he said.

The idea for the Vintage Agricultural show came initially from Mr Le Cras because he knew there was local interest in old tractors and methods of farming.

‘Last year was a pilot show, it was so well received.’

Thanks to the popularity a bigger show is planned this year and will include steam engines, sheep racing, hay making and four shire horses coming to Guernsey to plough.

‘We’re hoping it’s a success and that the public enjoy it,’ said Mr Le Cras.

The organisers look forward to sharing a bit of old Guernsey with everyone who comes to the show.

n The show will run from 11am-11.45pm on Saturday 20 July and 11am-7pm on Sunday 21 July.