AN ENTERPRISING farmer is pinning his hopes on a new colourful, ground-breaking crop.

Peter Whittaker, who farms at Stoney Lane, Tardebigge, has planted 50 acres of lupins, which he plans to harvest before selling the highly nutritious seed for animal feed.

The farmer, who has been involved in agriculture all his life, said the lupins are a new venture and one which he plans to repeat next year on his 400 acre holding, if the crop is a success.

Peter hopes the venture will go some way to lifting him out of the post foot and mouth blues. He says that he is not aware of any other farmers in the county who are growing the crop.

The pods, which are left after the white flowers on the two-feet tall plants have died, will be harvested with a conventional combine in late August when ripe.

The farmer, who is Conservative district councillor for Tardebigge ward, suffered a major blow when his herd of beef cattle had to be destroyed because of foot and mouth precautions two years ago.

He hit on lupins as a likely profitable crop last autumn when it was too wet to plant his usual cereals.

"Lupins are a relatively easy crop to grow and once the seed is sown require very little ongoing attention."

He says that unlike produce grown abroad, he is able to vouch that his crop has not been genetically modified. This is big factor with supermarkets who insist on knowing each link in the production of goods they sell.

A spokesman for the National Farmers' Union said farmers are increasingly having to diversify away from traditional crops but a crop of commercial lupins is unusual.