Meet some of our FABulous Farmers

In 2021, our farming team visited farms around the UK, advising on practices that relate to our FABulous Farmers programme.

You will see we're working with all farmers (not just those certified organic) who are adopting FAB practices:

• Crop rotation
• Mixed crops
• Field edge/margin management
• Agroforestry
• Wood edge / hedgerows
• Input of organic matter and
• Green covers / catch crops
• Non-turning (minimum) tillage

Below are films and interviews with some of them.

Alan Granger

Sundorne Castle Estate, Shropshire, England

Estate Manager Alan Granger talks about his plans for improving soil health and biodiversity over the next 5 to 15 years.

The practices he's planning to implement include agroforestry and green cover crops, while at the same time measuring carbon, organic matter and wildlife.

The Estate's aim is to reduce artificial fertilisers (particularly nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K)), while maintaining and improving gross margins.

Ben Andrews
Broadward Hall Farm, Herefordshire, England

Ben talks about forthcoming plans to establishing herbal leys ‘to help build fertility in the soil because we’re organic’. Herbal leys improve soil health and capture carbon, and also ‘provide a more rich and diverse food for the cattle’.

He talks about challenges imposed by changing weather patterns, and the danger of weeds taking control when establishing, but is determined to give it a go.

Joe Hope
Cefn Coch Farm, Ceredigion, West Wales

Joe’s interest in agroforestry is as an ecologist as well as a farmer. He appreciates the benefits of trees in open landscapes for biodiversity.

Joe Hope - 'no fence' planting

This scientific eye allows him to see the benefits of experimentation, and he advises others to give agroforestry a try, ‘maybe on a small scale and see what you think’.

Read a short interview with Joe

Find out more about agroforestry.

Clive Bailye
TWB Farms, Lichfield, Staffordshire, England

Transition to no till
Clive was an early adopter of no-till practices, and has a ‘regen ag system with cover cropping, companion cropping and a  diverse rotation’ which has allowed him to cut synthetic inputs significantly over the past 15 years. 

He talks about no-till and the importance of knowledge exchange with other farmers.

Living mulch
Clive has also been part of the Innovative Farmers' Living Mulch Field Lab, looking into whether growing clover under cash crops can reduce or eliminate chemical fertilisers and herbicides, by controlling weeds whilst also fixing nitrogen. 

Rob Atkin
Field Hall Farm in Uttoxeter, Staffordshire

Rob talks about the farms’ reasons for trialling mixed cropping of companion planting oil seed rape with berseem clover and buckwheat. They’re part of a trial with South Staffs Water, who’s main goals are to reduce pesticides in the water, run-off and soil erosion.

The added benefit for Rob is fixing nitrogen in the soil and improving soil structure.