Sustainable Farming
Contractors EC Drummond (Agriculture) Ltd run The Manydown Rural Estate farming operation, led by farm manager Olly Stratford, with the support of two full-time and one part-time members of staff.
The estate is made up of nine farms, some of which are owned whilst others are leased from Basingstoke and Deane District Council (but earmarked for development). These are all arable, growing combinable crops including wheat, barley, triticale, oats and rye.
The Estate’s farms supply some barley to the brewing industry and a proportion of oats to the makers of breakfast cereals, while some of the oil from oilseed rape is used in food products.
Much of the rest of the crops are traded back into the livestock feed industry. Break crops are also grown, including oilseed rape, grass seed and winter beans. Borage is also grown, a vital component in many pharmaceuticals and other products.
A quantity of maize and other cereals, harvested as whole-crop, provide fuel to produce green energy.
The Estate has also established a vineyard on around 50 acres of land, planted with chardonnay, pinot noir and pinot meunier grapes, the same varieties as those used in the finest French Champagne. We will grow enough grapes to produce 130,000 bottles a year when in full production.
The land at The Manydown Rural Estate is
well-suited to growing crops, and in recent years significant steps have been taken to reduce the environmental impact of the agricultural operation. This includes reducing fossil fuels and pesticides by utilising technology, including GPS systems, to improve accuracy and efficiency, and reducing soil disturbance through less invasive methods of cultivation.
Around 10% of the farmed area is now in a mid-level Countryside Stewardship scheme, with wildflower meadows, wild bird seed mixes and many miles of newly planted hedgerows. The intention is to apply to join the Government’s Sustainable Farming Incentive scheme, designed to support food production and the environment.
The farms host up to 350 bee hives. During the spring months, the bees forage on a large area of blue-flowering borage plants grown on the estate as well as other flowering crops, producing a considerable tonnage of honey every year, on sale in M&S stores, under the “Select Farms” brand.
The farm is forging links with the surrounding community by hosting school pupils with the help of Olly’s partner Philippa Kerby, a teacher. She brings a class of Year 4 pupils, aged 8 and 9, to the farm before the start of harvest, in June. Olly said: “For me it’s one of the best days of the year.”
The Estate has also hosted children who have almost no knowledge of the countryside and have benefited hugely from the experience of a day on a farm.
The Manydown Rural Estate and neighbouring landowners are working with South East Water on a project to reduce nitrates in the soil, which can enter the water supply. This involves growing crops less reliant on large fertiliser inputs, maintaining green cover on all land wherever possible while improving the soil structure to slow the leaching of nitrates into the ground.
As part of efforts to improve the quality of life of local residents, the estate has invested in new farm tracks to separate agricultural traffic from other road users, making it safer for pedestrians, cyclists and local motorists.
