On Your Farm

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Getting to the heart of country life with a look at individual farming endeavours

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On Your Farm: 5000 Acres of Organic Farming

2000 Hectares of Organic Farming

5000 Acres of Organic Farming

BBC Radio 4 - On Your Farm, 5000 Acres of Organic Farming

Verity Sharp meets a young farmer now at the helm of one of the UK’s oldest organic farms.

Verity Sharp meets young farmer Joe Wookey, now at the helm of one of the UK’s oldest large-scale organic farms, Rushall Organics in Wiltshire.

With its breath-taking views across the Vale of Pewsey, Rushall Organics is one of the UK’s oldest, large-scale organic farms.  Covering some 5000 acres of chalk downland in Wiltshire, and bordering Salisbury Plain, the farm is rich in wildlife . Vast wildflower meadows are home to an abundance of insect life, mixed habitats support rare bird species including the corn bunting and stone curlew, and a clear chalk stream enriches the heart of the land.

With half the farm turned over to arable, cropping consists of cereals and clover, which alongside permanent grassland, supports a flock of 2000 ewes. Verity Sharp meets Joe Wookey the young, fourth generation farmer now at the helm, who’s passionate and optimistic about organic farming but isn’t free from worry.  Inheriting such a vast farm is a considerable mental challenge, and his anxieties are compounded by issues such as trespass and genetically-modified crops.

Note: This programme contains a suggestion that spelt flour may provide an alternative to wheat flour for those suffering from coeliac disease.  Although spelt flour is lower in gluten it is not recommended for consumption by anybody suffering from coeliac disease.

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