Halstead: Old combine brought out of retirement (From Essex County Standard)
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Halstead: Old combine brought out of retirement
2:00pm Tuesday 11th September 2012 in News
Steven Binks and his vintage combine harvester
A rare combine harvester bought to inspire an artist’s paintings has been taken out of retirement.
Steven Binks, an artist from Bures, was asked if his 1959 Massey Ferguson 780 could be used to harvest a crop of spelt, a type of wheat, at Stanley Hall in Pebmarsh.
Stanley Hall is the home of former Essex high sheriff Christopher Stewart-Smith and hosts annual opera festivals.
Mr Binks, of Church Square, said it is one of only about 50 left in the country, out of about 28,000 built.
“I was asked to help out a local farmer to cut 15 acres of crop because it won’t pulverise the crop like a modern combine would,” said Mr Binks, 53.
