Farming & Wildlife

A tractor in a field planting seeds for the next crop

As the Trust's only in-hand lowland arable farm, Wimpole is in an ideal position to be a champion for agriculture, trialling new methods and techniques and at the same time supplying its organic produce.

It's not just Home Farm at Wimpole

Surrounding our grade 1 parkland and SSSI woods, is our 1,000 acre organic arable farm. On this farm, we aim to produce food and promote wildlife at the same time, and we love to show it off.

All the farming operations are completed by our own arable team, and the farm is one of the only organic farms in the area. We produce wheat, rye and spelt for organic breads, oats for organic porridge and barley for organic beer.

In addition to this, we have pastures, full of a range of plants which add fertility to our soil so that we do not have to apply fertilisers. Our chickens and sheep graze these pastures and they also provide the feed for the cows throughout the winter.

Our arable farm spreads across a large part of the estate and has a diverse range of soils, from chalky slopes to heavy clays. We aim to enhance the capability and resilience of these soils through nature friendly farming practices.

Farming for wildlife

A soldier beetle on the long grass in the South Avenue
A black and orange beetle balances on a grass stalk
A soldier beetle on the long grass in the South Avenue

In addition to this, we have an extensive Higher Level Stewardship agreement, were we are paid by the government to provide habitats for wildlife. This agreement includes 17 miles of hedges, 70 acres of margins and over 10 acres of crops specifically planted to feed wild birds throughout the winter.

Flora and fauna

The success of our nature friendly farming, in the field and around the edges, means that we have a productive and sustainable farm that is stuffed full of rare flora and fauna; in fact, we have five of the six most declining farmland birds in the UK and we just haven’t spotted the last one yet!