Farmed Environment
Buckminster Farms adopt modern-day farming practices while managing the land in a way that benefits and enhances wildlife: an approach that we see as an essential component of safeguarding the future of British farming.
Enhancing Habitats
We participate in a Mid-Tier Countryside Stewardship agreement, and we have recently joined the Sustainable Farming Incentive scheme. We’re focusing on creating new, and enhancing existing habitats for farmland birds and insects, protecting water quality and our soils. These schemes continue the work we started in the previous environmental schemes and we are continually looking for more opportunities to support the environment where possible.
Diversifying
Adapting to the challenges posed by climate change, and the incentive to align to natural capital outputs, farms are orienting to a greater diversity of cropping and stocking. The introduction of sheep into our farming system alongside increasing the area allocated to temporary herbal leys help to condition the soil and support pollinators. We focus on utilising stewardship crops on marginally performing land and opt to grow crops that are best suited to productive land and market demands.
Crops and their uses
A wide and varied crop rotation is the key to long-term success. This reduces the build-up of competing weeds, pests and diseases and helps to maintain our soils’ fertility. Our approach to varied crop management is a careful balance between the production of quality food, contributing to renewable energy markets and enhancing biodiversity.
A significant portion of our produce goes into human consumption and animal feed markets, and we also supply markets like bioenergy (renewables) and biofuel (bioethanol/biodiesel road fuel produced from plants). Our straw is used for animal bedding and returned to us as manure which is incorporated into our soils to maintain organic matter for soil health. It is also used as fuel for local biomas renewable electricity production.
By implementing crop rotations, accessing a range of markets, and employing principles of environmental schemes, we are able to utilise the full potential of our land in a sustainable and resilient way.
Livestock
We are excited to have introduced sheep into the farming system at Buckminster Farms. We worked with genetic line specialists to establish a low input, hardy outdoor lambing sheep system which efficiently utilises forage from herbal leys or cover crops over winter to establish an economical livestock enterprise.
Our herbal grass leys (a mix of grasses, legumes and herbs) have been introduced using a variety of pollen-rich legumes managed for the sheep, as well as pollinating insects. The traditional method of using grass leys in an arable rotation date back to the 17th century and helps us in the challenge of reducing competition from herbicide-resistant weeds whilst improving soil fertility, ultimately leading towards a reduction in the use of artificial inputs.
We are proud to be able to offer lamb meat boxes for sale directly from Buckminster Farms. If you are interested in purchasing our high-quality lamb, or would like more information, please contact us at [email protected].
Wildflower and grass habitats
We plant and manage grass and wildflower margins to provide an abundance of habitats and valuable food for mammals, birds and insects. The mixture of annuals and biennials ensures there is a constant supply of cover, seeds and pollen throughout the year to encourage a well-balanced biodiverse ecosystem for invertebrates, butterflies and bees. In addition to this, we provide over 40 tonnes of supplementary bird feeding to extend cover and food provisions through the lean months of winter.
Pollinating insects help with the pollination of flowering crops, but it is common to see an array of wildflowers next to wind-pollinating crops, such as cereals. This is because the wildflower margins remain in situ while our crops rotate around the farm, which provides a continuous source of food and habitat for beneficial insects. To connect and expand these habitats, we have completed a large phase of hedgerow planting under the Countryside Stewardship Scheme. Ongoing hedgerow management and further phases of planting will continue to strengthen biodiversity across the farm going forward.
Improving the soil structure
Over the years, our farming system has developed towards a shallower cultivation system, meaning less regular ploughing within the rotation. We try to limit soil compaction by reducing the ground pressure from farm machinery to maintain soil structure, and we grow and incorporate cover crops and manures where possible. This additional organic matter improves soil structure and nutrient levels which locks in carbon, promoting earthworm activity and increasing the productivity of the land. Organic matter also helps the soil to hold more moisture in dry periods and drain better in the wet. Cover cropping enhances water quality by absorbing valuable nutrients over the winter and holding the soil together to reduce soil erosion.
Complimentary to these techniques, we invest in land drainage maintenance projects to improve the drainage systems that were installed across the farm a number of years ago. this contributes to our practices of responsible soil husbandry, not only to encourage healthier crop yields in the shorter-term, but also to align with our goals of a more sustainable agricultural system for the future.
Working with us
Buckminster Farms is committed to providing experience for the next generation of farmers, employing a team of agricultural students for harvest over the summer months and ensuring they gain the hands-on skills and experience they need to operate machinery safely in the agricultural industry.
If you are interested in joining our harvest team, please call us on 01476 860 297 or email [email protected].
A full driving licence is required, and some tractor experience is desirable. Students are offered live-in accommodation in the converted stables located in the village of Buckminster where there is a lively village pub and two shops.
Get in touch
If you have any queries or questions about the farmed environment at Buckminster, please contact our Farm Manager, Matthew Wallace on 01476 860 297 or email at [email protected].
If you have a general enquiry on the farmed environment, please complete the contact form below or email [email protected].