On Your Farm

Original version

BBC Radio 4 LW

Magazines & Reviews

Factual: Science & Nature: Nature & Environment

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

BBC Radio 4 FM

On Your Farm: A 100 Year Plan

31/10/2021

A 100 Year Plan

BBC Radio 4 - On Your Farm, A 100 Year Plan

Charlotte Smith visits the Bradford Estates in Shropshire.

Viscount Newport has a 100 Year Plan. Charlotte Smith visits the Bradford Estates in Shropshire at harvest time.

It's harvest time, and Charlotte Smith is visiting the Bradford Estates - 12,000 acres of land across Shropshire and Staffordshire. The man in charge, Viscount Newport, has recently returned to manage the estates after working in London and has set out his 100-year plan. From the shape of the hedgerows to the style of the gates, he is concentrating on the details! 

Most of the land is farmed by tenant farmers, but the new plan also includes taking back control of 4,000 acres which have been farmed by contractors since 1987. The aim is to switch to a regenerative farming model - reducing ploughing, growing more diverse crops and integrating livestock into the system.

Charlotte watches as the contractors bring in their last harvest, marking the beginning of the next hundred years.

Presented by Charlotte Smith
Produced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Heather Simons

BBC Radio 4

Intelligent speech, the most insightful journalism, the wittiest comedy, the most fascinating features and the most compelling drama and readings anywhere in UK radio.

Accessibility links

Programme Index

On Your Farm

A 100 Year Plan

Genres

Brand

BBC Radio 4 LW

About BBC Radio 4