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About the Farm - Archive This is the archive page for About the Farm. Please CLICK HERE to visit the up to date About the Farm page.
The text below relates to the Wye College Farm, the tenancy of which the Wye Community Farm was formed to bid for. Whilst this tenancy bid was unsuccessful, other options are now being pursued. Please see latest news for further details, and the information shown on this page will be updated within the new About the Farm page should this new opportunity be progressed.
Past, present……….
The original farm of the South Eastern Agricultural College (as Wye College then was) was Coldharbour, which was leased in 1894 and extended to 100 Ha. Neighbouring farms were taken on throughout the 20th century (Silks 1905, Amage 1923, Court Lodge 1956, Sankey 1963), bringing the current farmed land to 790 acres (320 Ha).
Throughout its use as an academic facility, the farm has supported a wide range of enterprises, reflecting not just the breadth of research carried out but the diversity of soils and topography found on the estate. Over time, the way in which individual enterprises have come and gone has reflected the prevailing economic climate facing UK agriculture. Most recently, this has been demonstrated by the establishment of an equine unit and conversion of some land to organic status (leased to a local box scheme). The main enterprises today, however, remain as they have been over the last 100 years: arable cropping, a dairy herd and pig and sheep units.
In 1994, David Leaver, the then Professor of Agriculture, wrote: “The future of agriculture… lies in the development of more sustainable production systems. This includes controlling air and water pollution, preventing degradation of the resource base (soil, trees, hedgerows, streams and ponds), developing welfare-friendly animal production systems, and producing safe and high-quality food products, whilst at the same time being profitable”. (1)
To this prescient analysis of the direction agriculture was going to have to take, can be added the need to develop more sustainable distribution systems. In seeing their role as being one which finishes at the farm gate - an attitude encouraged by 60 years of government policy - farmers have allowed their customers to become ever more remote, both literally in terms of 'food miles' and figuratively in terms of understanding where their food comes from. If the key challenge of the 21st Century - climate change - is to be addressed, then farms will need to reconnect with their local community in order to create food distribution systems less reliant on oil and more so on mutual understanding and co-operation between producer and consumer. Achieving such a transformation is at the heart of the vision behind the Wye Community Land Trust.
(1) The Natural History of a Country Estate: Wye College, Kent. Wye College Press 1994.
…..future (what the farm will look like in 2012)
The main livestock enterprise on the farm is the dairy herd, producing milk for direct sale. The herd is closed, with the breeding policy focussed on longevity and milk quality. A key principle of the farm is self-sufficiency, with the aim being to meet all feed requirements for the herd from home produced forage and grain.
Milk is processed and bottled for local sale, with added value products - cheese, ice cream, yoghurt - also being developed.
Arable cropping, beyond that required to meet herd requirements, is based on an expanding range of commodity crops. Novel crops for biomass and bio-fuel production are increasingly important, reflecting the growing demand for sustainable energy sources.
Other food producing enterprises on the farm - fruit and vegetables, meat, eggs, etc - are managed in collaboration with neighbouring farming businesses, ensuring mutual benefit and profitability through application of specialist skills. Other minor enterprises on the farm include D-I-Y livery, firewood production and hops for microbrewers and decorative purposes.
The farm is an example of best practice in environmental management systems. All heat and power requirements are sourced from renewable energy sources, either on-farm such as pv panels or through purchasing from eco-generators. Rainwater harvesting, composting, etc are all integral to farm management.
Once a week throughout term time a party of school children visits the farm, often arriving by train from an inner-city area. Field trips, working weekends, and specialist volunteering days in activities such as hedge-laying, are all regular occurrences.
A wide range of conservation schemes are in place, focussed on maintaining and enhancing biodiversity within the context of profitable food production. Farm walks and open days for local residents are held quarterly, with the footpath network being signed to explain the livestock/ cropping throughout the farm.
The above is based on the consultation forms returned to date (June. 07). To ensure the vision for the farm reflects your aspirations, fill out our online form today. Achieving this vision will be dependant on sufficient specialist skills being freely offered; again, indicate your availability on the form.
