OUR APPROACH
Over a third of the 2,800 acres of land that makes up the Leckford Estate is not farmed but is managed in a way that enhances biodiversity. This land is made up of water meadows, woodlands, hedgerows, wildflower meadows, field margins and other dedicated non-farmed areas. Creating habitats for wild birds, pollinators and rare arable plants.
Our main crop is wheat and as part of our regenerative crop rotation, we grow barley, oats and oilseed rape. Fodder for our cattle - maize, lucerne, and rotational grass leys - is also grown on the Estate.
To help promote biodiversity, our 500 beef suckler herd will graze the extensive semi-natural areas of water meadows and chalk grassland that stretch out from the banks of the River Test that flows through the middle of Leckford Estate.
To help promote biodiversity, our 500 beef suckler herd will graze the extensive semi-natural areas of water meadows and chalk grassland that stretch out from the banks of the River Test that flows through the middle of Leckford Estate.
A critical part of our regenerative crop rotation involves planting herbal leys. This is a mixed temporary crop of herbs, grasses and legumes which will be grazed by our cattle, adding nutrients, helping to return fertility and improving soil health. And meaning our cattle will spend more of their time outdoors.
Soils left undisturbed and with year-round plant cover can store more carbon. This leads us to sow most of our crops with minimal soil disturbance and implement a crop rotation system including winter cover crops to keep the soil covered longer. We also graze sheep from other farms, that fill up on these cover crops during winter and we mulch others in preparation for the next planting season.
We share knowledge and best practices with fellow farmers and stakeholders. Embracing technology to increase efficiency and safeguard natural resources is part of our innovation. We educate upcoming farmers and future generations, offering training environments and learning opportunities.
Leckford is also part of the Farm Advisory Group for the Small Robot Company. This innovative company is reimagining farming to make food production sustainable. Using robots and artificial intelligence, the company optimises plant yield while minimising chemical input – for farming that’s both efficient and eco-friendly.
RESULTS FROM REGENERATIVE FARMING
We can already evidence ‘regenerative’ outcomes from our commitment over the last 20 years to an integrated farm management (or, more specifically, an integrated crop management, ICM) approach. Our ICM approach has already generated a measurable improvement in soil organic matter over the past 10 years. This not only suggests that the health of our soils has been improving, it also indicates that we have already been sequestering significant amounts of carbon in our soils over time.
With a more dedicated focus on regenerative practices, we will see even more significant reductions in our use of artificial inputs - fertilisers and agrochemicals - and in our reliance on fossil fuels, and, in addition, we will be able to sequester more carbon in our soils. For now, we can already evidence positive environmental outcomes, as we continue our journey towards carbon net zero.
