Back to Nature

Will Webber and Katy Turner are getting on with the business of farming for the future. The couple, who run Raddy Farm on the Christie Devon Estate near Instow, are constantly looking at ways to preserve and protect the 450 acres of land that provides their way of life. Rethinking the grazing management of their 700 sheep, as well as planting pollinating flowers and looking after hedgerows, are just some of the sustainable and regenerative practices Will and Katy are working on.

And they’re not alone. Many farmers across Devon are doing their bit to look after their unique patch of countryside. In June, the government began the roll-out of its Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI). The scheme aims to reward farmers up and down the UK for sustainable methods which support food production and benefit the environment, including actions to improve soil health, hedgerows and integrated pest management.

But for many local farmers, including Will and Katy, looking after the environment is already second nature. “We’ve been on a couple of courses recently about holistic farm management,” says Will, explaining the ‘whole farm’ approach that involves practices such as soil monitoring and planned grazing. “It’s getting the animals to the right place, at the right time, with the right behaviour to improve our soils and pastures.”

Will and Katy, who’ve been at Raddy Farm for 18 months, are planning to install new fencing so they can create smaller pockets of land for their sheep to rotate through, while grazed areas rest and recover. They’ve also introduced 50 cattle over the summer months to graze the wetland areas of the farm, which overlooks the Torridge Estuary.

In addition, Countryside Stewardship agreements mean 12.5 acres of Raddy Farm is used to grow wild bird seed mixes, including sunflowers. “These are the little things you can do to help,” says Will, adding that he’s in the ideal place to drive forward environmentally conscious ways of working. Raddy Farm is already under organic management, regulated and audited by the Organic Farmers and Growers association. “The two work side by side,” adds Will. “We’ve always wanted to go one step further and become regenerative. I’m hopeful we can do that.”

Johnny Haimes, a beef farmer at West Sherford Farm in Brixton, near Plymouth, knows that soil is where the farm starts. Since 2017, he has been grazing his cattle to enhance wildlife, while doing what he can to build good soil biology.

Johnny doesn’t use artificial fertilisers or chemical sprays and has planted a series of herbal leys (a mix of legumes, grasses and herbs) across his 550 acres of farmland.

West Sherford’s cattle are moved to a new paddock every two days or so, often not returning to the same spot for up to five months. The herb-rich leys grow long and tussocky, providing abundant pollen and nectar and shelter for birds and insects.

Johnny, who took over West Sherford Farm from his parents just over three years ago, explains that he was already seeing the benefits of this more regenerative way of working. “It takes time of course, but just looking around, the soil is better, there is more wildlife, like hares, kestrels, voles, insects,” he says, adding that his cattle grow faster and healthier every year. “It’s definitely been a lot better for me, the environment and my bank balance. It ticks all the boxes.”

Johnny says it will take time to change mindsets and get away from the idea that farmland has to be square, neat and tidy at all times – but it will have to happen. “I’m constantly questioning what I could do better,” says Johnny. “Farmers will have to change.” Johnny is part of Farm Wilder, which supplies meat boxes from farms in Devon and Cornwall that are committed to supporting and restoring wildlife to their farms.

Size doesn’t matter when it comes to eco-friendly farming. Spindlebrook is a small market garden, which produces delicious, nutrient-dense, vibrant vegetables for locals to enjoy.

All the veg and salad are grown by hand. There are no tractors or digging which protects the ecosystem and the structure of the soil. Instead, hand tools and organic techniques are used across the acre of market garden, which sits in the 17 acres of Spindlebrook Farm in Modbury.

Hen Anderson and her partner Leo Singleton secured the farm in 2013 and then set about creating their garden along agroecology principles – sustainable farming that works with nature. “We don’t use fertilisers and we don’t use loads of compost – we prefer to rely on the biology in the soil,” says Hen, busy harvesting the day’s crops to be used in Spindlebrooks’ popular veg boxes (there’s a waiting list), or to sell at local farmers’ markets.

“It’s quite a special feeling when you’re out there and you’ve got your head in a space and then you see something like a glow-worm larva, or a grass snake. “It’s a real pleasure to spend your time doing this, knowing that people are enjoying food that all of these creatures have helped to grow.”

Sam Bullingham and partner Gemma run Taw River Dairy at Westacre Farm near Okehampton. The dairy produces, pasteurises and processes milk and ice cream on site using milk from a small herd of pasture-fed Jersey and Jersey-cross cows.

Born into a farming family, Sam is passionate about working with the environment on Westacre, a 400-acre rented farm and woodland. He uses nature-friendly farming, including planting trees and using holistic grazing techniques to help build soil structure and organic matter. Birdwatchers and insect experts regularly ask to come along to the farm to see what they can spot.

“One group of birdwatchers told me they’d never seen so many treecreepers in one place,” says Sam, who wants to demonstrate to consumers and other farmers that wildlife can be promoted within a productive farming system.

“I think there’s this tide of change coming and how farmers embrace that, or whether they fight against it, is up to them,” says Sam, already an inspiration to some of his peers. He admits he feels the pressure to make sure what he’s doing is successful, but he’s convinced of the long-term benefits. “You think, is what I’m doing enough? But you’ve got to do what you can,” says Sam. “The more we talk about it, the more people will support this kind of agriculture.”

Peter French’s family has been farming the land around Stokeinteignhead since 1874. His regenerative approach has seen Deane Valley Farm adopt new cropping methods and incorporate pasture-reared livestock to boost protection of farmland biodiversity, water quality, soil health and air quality.

The French family also run the Clipper Café in Shaldon and uses the latest technology to turn food waste into useable compost for the farm. Peter says with rising fuel and fertiliser costs, it’s more important than ever for farmers to look at ways of working with what they have – just like his great-grandparents did. “It’s turning the clock back to the time of the Second World War, before the invention of artificial inputs, where each crop complements the next crop,” says Peter, adding that a mixed farming system is increasingly recognised as being more sustainable.

“More and more people are waking up to the problems of the conventional farming system,” he adds, keen to stress that there are no quick and easy fixes. Weaning a farm off expensive fertilisers takes time and a steady nerve. There’s a lot at stake if a crop fails. “But everything that’s happened in the past year or so with the rising costs of fossil fuels and fertilisers, emphasises our need to produce more from our own circle of nutrients,” adds Peter.