A love of the land
Environment
We take our commitment to the environment very seriously. Our purpose is to make sure the land and businesses on it are being responsibly managed, and that we are leaving a legacy to be proud of for the next generation.
We have a great amount to do if we are to achieve our ambition. Day to day, we work to take small and not-so-small steps towards enriching our eco credentials. We are committed to taking positive steps, and hope that you’ll join us on our journey.
What we’re doing today
The Farm
Horseshoe Green farm is an organic dairy farm, and has been for over 20 years. Being organic means that we are not allowed to use any fertilisers of pesticides on the fields, and we do not serve concentrated foods to our livestock that is of non-organic nature. We feel proud that our land is generating all its nutritional qualities through natural methods and that we have the challenge of achieving our goals under these more responsible restrictions. The quality of our soil has never been more important, and as we begin to realise the potential it has for carbon sequestration and nutritional growth, we are on a mission to find out how much good we can do with the soil beneath our feet.
The Farm Shop
The produce sold in the shop is as local as possible, which helps us achieve two things – supporting the local economy and reducing food miles. We focus on suppliers who use reduced packaging; vegetable suppliers that only deal in loose veg, as an example. We also exclusively use compostable coffee cups (with our own onsite compost system), recyclable packaging and renewable energy suppliers.
The Gardens
We view the garden as an extension of the farm, and are strictly organic in our methods. We are big advocates of the ‘no-till’ movement. By minimising our tillage in the garden, we are helping to improve the soil structure but most importantly the nutrients in the soil. This means we can have better tasting, and more nutritious produce going directly into the Farm Shop.
Our mission
Over the next year we will be compiling a formal eco manifesto for the estate and all businesses under its umbrella. This might include carbon neutral ambitions, a regenerative farming plan, use of solar technology and renewable water and electricity on the estate.