About the Eco-Friendly Farm
The Clark family has farmed around Waddesdon for 2 generations. Now run by Edward and Libby, they cover over 1,000 acres of both arable and grassland.
To keep their carbon footprint as low as possible, they grow all their own food for the cows, including barley and maize. They also use straw that is grown on the farm for bedding the cows down, and use the muck from the cows on the fields, to help the crops grow (minimising the need for inorganic fertilizer). Nutrient-rich digestate (left over indigestible material and dead micro-organisms) is used as a fertilizer.
The farm also has 20 acres of solar panels surrounded by pollinating flowers for the bees (which produce local honey), and it produces milling wheat for bread production.
With the goal of carbon zero beef, we practice Regenerative Farming in the following ways:
by growing cover crops to increase bio-diversity (by having no bare soil, carbon goes into the soil, rather than into the atmosphere)
by direct drilling, to minimise soil disturbance
by rotating crops and maximising crop diversity, including legumes in the rotation
by allowing the cattle to graze on permanent pasture
Benefits of Regenerative Farming
The aim of Regenerative Farming is to reverse climate change, by rebuilding soil organic matter and restoring degraded soil biodiversity through carbon draw down, i.e. the capture of atmospheric carbon dioxide, by growing plants that move that carbon dioxide into the soil.
Meet the Cows
This short video lets you meet the cows on our farm. They are very friendly and happy animals, and enjoy grazing here in the beautiful surroundings of Buckinghamshire.
