Environment

Since joining the Broads Environmentally Sensitive Area Scheme over 15 years ago, extensive, rather than intensive methods have been practiced. 

The arable acreage is conventionally farmed under a contract management arrangement with our neighbour, James Keith, of Swanton Morley Farms.  The meadowland, grazed by the farm’s suckler cows receives no fertiliser or agrochemicals.  The result has been a dramatic increase in biodiversity with a number of species of flora and fauna making a welcome return after many years absence.

 

• Our entry into the High Level Stewardship scheme will give further opportunity for wildlife to flourish.

Some examples of expressing our social responsibility are:

• Planting grass for anti-erosion purposes to prevent silt entry into the River Wensum;
• Creation of skylark plots in cereal fields to provide nesting Sites;
• Providing a 5-miles permissive footpath network around the farm, complete with information boards and way-markers;
• A waste management policy which embraces reuse, recycling, and composting to ensure as little as possible goes to land fill.

 

• Installation of a biomass, woodchip boiler at Castle Farm. This replaces two oil-fired boilers and provides hot water and central heating to Castle Farm House, the out-buildings and a nearby three bedroom cottage.
• Wood from the farm is gathered, stockpiled for a year to dry out, then  chipped.
• We host a number of educational visits from schools and colleges throughout the year.

We recycle everything!

• We have our own cardboard bank, can bank, glass bank
• All surplus wood is stockpiled for chipping.
• Scrap steel and all metals are delivered to the local scrap Metal firm.
• Food waste fed to poultry or composted
• Very little goes to landfill