Organic Farming

My farm is 93 Hectares (230 Acres) of fen soils. The entire farm is organic and I produce wheat, barley and oats as main crops. I am a strong believer in farm co-operatives and so everything I produce is marketed through Organic Arable - a specialist co-operative. In marketing collaboratively with other producers I am able to be part of a secure long term contract to supply feed grains for pig units producing organic pork for a major supermarket. Poplar Farm also produces small areas of spelt wheat and rye for Denver Mill, a local craft bread producer.

My Business and My Landlords

Hedleypoplar Limited is a one person business; I undertake everything from refining the strategy to cleaning the office. I employ short term contract labour in the summer for hand weeding and have very good machinery sharing arrangements with neighbours but don't employ anyone else full time.

The farm is all rented; my two landlords are Norfolk County Council from whom I rent the bulk of the farm and Stow Bardolph Parish Council who rent three fields to me. Poplar Farm forms part of the 1200 hectare Stow and Marshland Estate of Norfolk County Council. County Council Farms are virtually the only means by which young people, who are not likely to inherit their farm from their parents, can enter the industry and I am no exception. I took over this holding in 1999, having previously farmed a much smaller holding in Cambridgeshire and started with just a short term family loan to finance the business.

The Environment

Very sound environmental management is key to both the principles of organic farming and my own interests as a countryman. Since 1999 I have created at Poplar Farm approximately 7km of new hedges, new public footpaths, feeding areas for wild birds in the winter time, grass margins around fields for nesting and feeding sites for birds in the summer. Additionally, with approximately one third of the farm sown with different species of clover at any time, we are able to provide a nectar and pollen rich environment for bees.

Improving the performance of the farm in terms of its productivity of cropping, reducing oil based inputs and improving its natural environment are continual challenges which I enthusiastically embrace. Currently I am working on the following potential projects:
· plant our first section of agro-forestry to further enhance bio-diversity
· de-commission the oil-fired boiler to the house and replace it with a bio-fuel boiler running from woodchip harvested from our own hedges
· reduce fuel use in cultivations by developing no-plough or shallow-plough systems,
· further exploit the natural fertility building of legume catch crops (producing the same effect on crop growth as expensive, oil-based fertilisers).

The cost, and failure rate, of such projects is very high and my ambitions may not be fully achieved but the successes will be worthwhile.

Local Community

After a long period when Poplar Farm's connection with the local community has been very low, I have become an enthusiastic supporter of the principles of the Transition movement. My local group - Downham & Villages in Transition - has done much to inspire local people into thinking about where food comes from both now and in the future. I have become a keen supplier to local shops and processors and I value the contribution that local people can make to my business.

Finally

This is a very brief overview of my business. People like me are always rushing around and - in truth - not very good at communicating what their businesses are about. However, if you need any further information please do get in touch - all my contact details are below.

Links to our partners

Denver Mill www.denvermill.co.uk

Downham & Villages in Transition www.transitiondownhamandvillages.co.uk

Norfolk County Council Farms Estate www.norfolkcountyfarms.nps.co.uk

Organic Farmers & Growers www.organicfarmers.org.uk

Organic Arable www.organicarable.co.uk