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Click here for link to our new website
We have moved to a new website! Please click on the link below:
Posted 1 year ago
Click here for link to our new website
We have moved to a new website! Please click on the link below:
Posted 1 year ago
Our New Website is now live!
We are very pleased to announce that we have a new website, which will hopefully improve your customer experience. It is still a work in progress, but designed to make the process of ordering soil and crop tests as simple as possible. Find us at www.hillcourtresearch.co.uk
Posted 1 year ago
How Accurate Are Our Results?
We pride ourselves on producing the most accurate results possible. Therefore every 3 months, we take part in the accredited Wepal ring test. We receive 4 samples of unknown values that we analyse. The results are submitted to Wepal and in return we receive Z-scores to show how close we were to the average value. Z-scores below 2 are good, but the closer to zero, the better. Our latest Z-scores were Potassium: 0.29 (Excellent), Magnesium 0.77 (Very Good), Phosphate: 0.31 (Excellent), pH: 0.94 (Very Good).
Posted 2 years ago
Christmas Closures 2021
The lab will be closed for Christmas for two weeks from 20/12/21 to 03/01/22, and reopen on Tuesday the 4th of January 2022. Please ensure that any samples that still need a result before Christmas reach us no later than by 13 December.
Thank you for your business this year.
Wishing you a Merry Christmas and all the best for 2022!
Posted 3 years ago
Thank you for your patience - we are nearly back to normal
Thank you for your patience during the last 3 months. We are just clearing the last of our backlog and will then be back to our normal times of delivering results, which are within one week for standard soil analyses and within two weeks for Broadspectrum analyses.
Posted 3 years ago
We are extremely busy and currently prioritising SMN and CFNmin
Please note that we are extremely busy at the moment and unfortunately working with only 50% of our normal staff capacity due to Covid. We are prioritising SMN and CF NMin analysis so there may be some delays in all getting results for all other tests. Please be patient, we are working 7 days a week to get results out as soon as possible.
Posted 3 years ago
We remain open for business!
We are open for business and will remain so even during lockdown. However, as we won't have any staff during lockdown, please be patient if your analyses take a little longer. Please support us if you can by continuing to send us samples. Many thanks, keep safe and see you at the other end.
Posted 4 years ago
Christmas Opening Hours 2019
Hill Court Farm Research will be closed for Christmas from the 21st of December 2019 and reopen on Monday the 6th of January 2020.
If you require your samples to be analysed and reported before Christmans, please send them in as soon as possible but definitely no later than Friday the 14th of December. Any samples arriving after Friday the 14th might not be reported till after the break although we'll try our hardest to finish as many samples as possible before Christmas.
In the meantime, we'd like to thank you for your business during 2019 and wish you a Merry Christmas and all the best for 2020.
Posted 5 years ago
Email link temporarily not working
Please note that it appears that emails sent directly from our website are currently not arriving in our inbox. So please do not click on the link but send us any queries directly to info@hillcourtfarm.co.uk or alternatively to blakekalff@hotmail.com, whilst we investigate. Many thanks
Posted 5 years ago
Christmas Closure 2018
Hill Court Farm Research Ltd will be closed from Monday the 24th of December 2018 until the 6th of January 2019. We will reopen on Monday the 7th of January 2019.
If you require results before Christmas, please ensure that samples reach us as soon as possible but definitely no later than Friday the 14th of December 2018. Samples that arrive after this date will be analysed on our return in January 2019.
Thank you for your business during 2018 and wishing you a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
Posted 6 years ago
Our Privacy Policy under GDP Regulation
We have updated our Privacy Policy to comply with the new GDP Regulation. We only use your data to communicate regarding the services we provide. We never pass data on to third parties for marketing purposes. We keep your data safe. For full details, please contact Hill Court Farm Research Ltd. in writing.
Posted 6 years ago
Countryside Stewardship - deadline extended to 15 June 2018
Please note that the application deadline for the Countryside Stewardship has been extended to the 15th of June. More information can be found on their website.
Posted 6 years ago
Countryside Stewardship - Deadline 15th of May
We are fully geared up next week to ensure all samples received for the Countryside Stewardship will get their soil analysis results on time. However, ideally the samples should be in the lab no later than Wednesday the 9th of May. We will still endeavour to return results on time on samples received after Wednesday, but please help us by sending in the samples as soon as possible. Many thanks,
Posted 6 years ago
Christmas Closure
Hill Court Farm Research Ltd will be closed from Wednesday the 20th of December 2017 until the 1st of January 2018. We will reopen on Tuesday the 2nd of January 2018.
If you require results before Christmas, please ensure that samples reach us as soon as possible but definitely no later than Friday the 15th of December 2017. Samples that arrive after this date will be analysed in the first week of January 2018.
Thank you for your business during 2017.
Posted 7 years ago
Christmas Closure 2016
The laboratory will be closed from Wednesday the 21st of December 2016 til Monday the 2nd of January 2017. We will reopen on Tuesday the 3rd of January 2017.
Please note that all samples to be analysed before Christmas should reach the laboratory no later than Wednesday the 14th of December.
Thank you for your business in 2016 and wishing you a Merry Christmas and a Happy 2017.
Posted 8 years ago
Christmas Closure 21/12/15 - 03/01/16
Please note that Hill Court Farm Research Ltd will be closed from the 21st of December 2015 until the 3rd of January 2016. We will reopen on Monday the fourth of January 2016.
Thank you for your custom in 2015 and we wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Posted 8 years ago
Courier Collections
We have a new account with APC couriers. Please contact the laboratory if you need to make a booking and we'll send you instructions.
Posted 9 years ago
Courier collections
Citylink went in administration at Christmas so our account is no longer available. We are in the process of setitng up a new account and hope to have this in place as soon as possible.
Posted 9 years ago
Change of legal entity
Please note that from the 1st of December 2014, Hill Court Farm Research has become a limited company.
Posted 10 years ago
Christmas Closures 2014
For samples to be analysed before Christmas, please make sure that they arrive at the laboratory by Tuesday the 16th of December 2014 at the latest. Unfortunately, for samples arriving after this date, we are unable to guarantee that the results will be available before Christmas. Please note that the laboratory is closed from Monday the 22nd of December 2014 onwards and will reopen on Monday the 5th of January 2015. Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Posted 10 years ago
Vacancy filled
We currently have a vacancy for a scientific officer operating on an 80% full time basis. The work will be variable, ranging from routine milling, extraction and analysis of samples to the opportunity to take part in research projects and the development of new tests. It will also include some administrative tasks.
For more information and how to apply, go to the universal jobmatch website (see link below) or search for "laboratory scientific officer"
Posted 10 years ago
Christmas Closures 2013
For samples to be measured before Christmas, please make sure that they arrive no later than Tuesday the 18th of December. The laboratory will be closed from Monday the 23rd of December and re-open on Thursday the 2nd of January. Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and a nutritious 2014!
Posted 11 years ago
Vacancy filled - no more applications please
Due to the overwhelming response of more than 50 applications to our advert, we have decided to pull it. Thank you to everybody who has applied, we are currently dealing with your application. For everybody else, good luck with your job searching.
Posted 11 years ago
Vacancy - Laboratory Assistant required
We have a temporary full-time post for a laboratory assistant for 6 weeks from the 28th of January till the 10th of March, with a possible 1 or 2 week extension. No previous experience is required but potential applicants must be able to work independently in an accurate and precise manner. We pay a living wage (£7.45 per hour for applicants over 21). This will suit a student or recent graduate who would like to gain more practical work experience. Apply online to info@hillcourtfarm.co.uk
Posted 11 years ago
Wind turbine is generating renewable energy for laboratory
After three frustrating years of trying to install a 10 kW Chinese wind turbine with nobody in the wind industry willing to help, we have now changed the generator with a 5 kW Fortis Montana. This was installed with the help of Fortis director Johan Kuikman who in person came over to assist with the installation. We are hoping to generate 40-50% of total energy used in the laboratory by combined solar and wind energy. Although the Fortis Montana is not eligable for the Feed in Tariff, the cost of installation is far cheaper so the overall pay-back time is about the same.
Posted 12 years ago
Soil Mineral N analysis will pay dividends this year
Early results from analysis in the laboratory show that the SMN levels this year are extremely variable: they are either very high or very low. Higher than expected results are especially found in samples from the East of the country due to the dry conditions last year. Many people will be able to save money on fertiliser costs by measuring Soil Mineral N, especially in fields where the previous crop was sugar beet, potatoes, vegetables or oilseed rape.
Posted 12 years ago
No standard soil analysis until mid March
Please note that the moment we are so busy with Soil Mineral N analysis that we are unable to analyse for P K Mg pH. We can send any urgent samples to another laboratory. Any non-urgent samples will be analysed as soon as we have finished our SMN peak seaon (~mid-March).
Posted 12 years ago
Increase in renewable energy provision
In February 2011 we installed a wood pellet burner to heat the laboratory instead of using electric heaters. This reduced our electricity consumption by 30%.This month we installed a 4kW solar PV system which we hope will provide 15% of our electricity. Anyone wanting more information about the solar panels, please contact the laboratory.
Posted 12 years ago
Updated Technical Information
We have added a practical review of the HGCA SNS project (2008 – 2011). This document contains best practice for using soil mineral nitrogen (SMN) analysis. Please see the Technical Information page for details.
Posted 12 years ago
