Sydling Brook Organic Arable farming

We grow crops that are suited to our less intensive system of farming.  These are traditional varieties of crops, some of them ancient, selected also for their local demand.

 

Luckily many people are appreciating the benefits of old cereals and we love growing them. They require less fertility, ie lower inputs and in many cases, have health benefits. The demand is increasingly growing.

 

We purposefully grow a wide range of crops to diversify our risk and to avoid the monoculture strategy. We have had successes and failures, we grew hemp for its oil as an example…that was a disaster! We currently grow the following:

 

Wheat - for milling, which goes to Cann Mills, Shaftesbury.

Spelt - an ancient cereal without wheat gluten, for Sharpham Park’s organic range of products.

Triticale – a cross of wheat and rye, used as animal feed for our own livestock, and also sold to local farmers and Bowerings Feed Merchants, Bridgwater.

Rye – for milling

Oats- for milling/flaking

Beans- for our animals.

 

We also grow many conservation crops for wildlife benefit and every year establish a further 250 acres of clover leys as the bedrock of our fertility building. Clover is the plant that drives our whole system. We use a variety of red and white clovers and always mix them with a number of herbs. The clover has a symbiotic relationship with rhizobia bacteria on its roots, and this converts atmospheric nitrogen to a readily usable form. The clover ley provides nitrogen to the soil via its roots, creates organic matter in its body mass and also provides forage for our animals……a quite extraordinary plant, upon which the organic system is based.

 

This year, for the first time, we are cutting some of our triticale for thatching, to be used on a new traditional barn we are building. We will be using some wonderful old machinery and continuing traditional old skills.