What nature-friendly farming practices have you introduced on your farm?
I am part of the countryside stewardship scheme which means that I have put aside 10% of the farm for nature. I also practice conservation agriculture, which protects the soil through no till farming, I also plant cover crops and companion crops. I pay a lot of attention to the pesticides that are used and only use them when truly necessary. Roughly 90% of the farm is insecticide free.
What benefits in nature have you seen on your farm?
I have seen an increase in wildlife on the farm including barn owls coming back to the farm for the first time in years. I have also seen an increase in deer, I see more grey partridge than I’ve ever seen, and there have also been more birds of prey.
How do nature-friendly farming methods make you more resilient to climate change?
We are seeing drier springs every year which is taking a toll on crops, especially if you are a farm that is easily affected by droughts like mine. I am working towards mitigating those effects by conserving moisture in the soil through nature-friendly farming methods.
How does nature-friendly farming make your business more financially viable?
If I can make the farm more resilient to weather events, like droughts, it will be inherently more financially viable because our crops will survive. Nature-friendly farming also reduces our fixed costs. Reducing pesticide usage results in less time spent on smaller and cheaper tractors, which in turn means less diesel spend. It all adds up, nature-friendly farming methods are good for the business bottom line.
How has the Coronavirus pandemic impacted your business and distribution?
I am very lucky that it hasn’t really impacted the farm. I have changed specific practices on the farm to abide by social distancing guidelines, and some people are no longer making deliveries. But, by and large, I have been lucky that I haven’t been impacted.
Are you involved in any initiatives that support the local community or people?
I am starting something called ‘CoVeg’ which is a community vegetable growing scheme for the people in the local village. It’s a large-scale vegetable patch that we can grow together as a community and then distribute the food to whoever needs it most.
What would you like to say to people at this time about the role of UK farms to provide food for people/ protect nature in the UK?
UK farming isn’t perfect and there is a lot of room for improvement, but we have some of the best environmental and health standards in the world. When you buy imported food, you don’t know how it has been produced, whether they have been farmed with pesticides that have already been banned in the UK because they are damaging the environment. If you are interested in protecting the environment and helping local businesses, then it is important to buy British when you can.
How should we use this opportunity to buy British and support British farmers?
Consumers can support British farmers by continuing to check labels and knowing where their food is actually coming from.
How can the public benefit from what you are doing on the farm?
We voluntarily provide a lot of public access to our farm. I enjoy that people can experience nature here. I believe that people benefit from being surrounded lots of natural wildlife whilst on the farm, rather than walking through a sterile field of endless wheat or barley.
What do you need from the government?
There are a few things that the government could do to really support farmers. The first is to develop a farming policy with really clear goals. For the last few years there has been a lot of talk about soil health, but soil health has never been defined. We need clear goals that we can all work towards.
The second is to invest significant funding into practical farming research to truly understand the practices that need to be put in place. With more research we would know what we need to change, how to implement it and how to support farmers in achieving it.
The final thing farmers need from the government is for them to put in place regulation to ensure that imported food is held to the same, rigorous, high standards that British grown food is. If we have banned a chemical here due to its effects on human or environmental health, then we shouldn’t be exporting those problems to another country.
Why is the NFFN important?
