Hants arable farm extends regen approach to two vineyards
© Louise Impey The decision to stop pedalling faster without gain and instead change the farming system to one based on regenerative principles was taken more than 20 years ago on a Hampshire farm.
As a result, ploughing hasn’t been carried out for 25 years at Penn Croft Farms in Crondall, field-wide cultivation ceased 11 years ago, and crop residues are returned to the soil, along with compost.
See also: How to maximise SFI herbal leys in arable rotations
In addition, a wider and more diverse rotation, a focus on minimising inputs, and the strategic use of environmental schemes to link up habitats and provide connectivity for nature are all contributing to the results.
“It has all come alive – not just the soil,” says Simon Porter, who along with family members Sonja Porter, Jason Butler and Giles Porter, plus the farm team, has seen a transformation in the farm.
Of the 570ha total, 39ha is in environmental schemes (both Countryside Stewardship and Sustainable Farming Incentive), 30ha is woodland and 23ha in permanent pasture, with 470ha growing combinable crops.
The remaining 8ha is vineyards while seven miles of native hedging has been planted in the past 15 years.
Reduced inputs
Insecticides haven’t been used for years, as little fungicide as possible is applied to crops during the growing season, and nitrogen rates have fallen – although they are currently being reviewed.
To maximise diversity, variety blends are grown across the farm, with both four-way Group 2 and Group 4 winter wheat blends featuring, as well as an oilseed rape blend consisting of four conventional varieties.
Variety blends
- Group 2 winter wheat Extase, Zyatt, Siskin and Crusoe
- Group 4 winter wheat Blackstone, Beowulf, Champion and Dawsum
- Oilseed rape Skye, Acacia, Aspire and Tom
Otherwise, companion cropping is done in some of the wheat and oilseed rape, while there has been only limited success in establishing a clover understorey.
Some 40% of the farm is in first wheat, with about 20% in spring cropping (spring barley and peas) and the remainder in oilseed rape, winter beans and some herbal leys.
© GNP
“The brief is to minimise inputs,” says Giles Porter, who oversees the arable production.
“The rotation is very diverse, with multi-species catch crops and cover crops being an integral part of it, for all the benefits they provide.”
Blackgrass levels have fallen, but a hefty pre-emergence treatment is still necessary and hand rogueing is done, he admits.
“Depending on the weed pressure, we then use a follow-up in the spring aimed at cleavers and brome.”
This year’s dry conditions meant the only fungicide most crops received was a T2.5 and a T3.5. “One field just had a T3, as there was very little disease,” he says.
Double-digit yield
Despite the regenerative approach, crops still have to yield, Giles stresses. “We’re aiming for 10t/ha, so we’re steadily building our confidence with low inputs.”
Nitrogen is a case in point, with the total coming down to 180kg/ha on wheat last year and yields suffering.
“We increased rates to 200kg/ha this spring, so it will be interesting to see how crops perform.”
The liquid nitrogen application is mixed on farm using urea, ammonium sulphate and molasses.
Livestock have been integrated into the system to kick-start soil biology and build soil organic matter.
Herbal leys are now part of the rotation, with sheep being used to graze them – cattle may come back to the farm in the future.
Simon Porter © Louise Impey
“The herbal leys also help to restructure the soil and provide a break, as well as more diversity,” says Giles.
Both bird and moth populations are surveyed, with 58 species of birds identified across the farm. Included in this list are lapwings, yellowhammers, whitethroats, nightjars and skylarks.
Ancient woodland is managed on a 5- to 8-year rotation, with coppicing done to open it up and bring back insects and farmland birds.
No longer in isolation on the farm, it has been linked up to other habitats with hedge planting and margins.
Vineyards
There are two regenerative vineyards on the farm, which Simon Porter happily describes as “scruffy”.
The first, established in 2019, is 5ha of pinot meunier, chardonnay and pinot noir vines, as well as some bacchus.
These go to a winery located on the farm and housed in purpose-built buildings erected in 2020.
The second, which is all pinot noir vines, was planted earlier this year and adjoins the winery.
In both, the vines have been planted in wider 4m rows so that cover crops can be planted between them to feed soil biology, with cereals and legumes mixes alternated.
“When the cereals get high enough, we roll and crimp them to create a thatch,” explains Simon.
“It helps to keep the sun off the ground and means that soil temperatures remain constant.
“There can be as much as a 10C difference when compared to bare soil.”
The wider rows call for the Scott-Henry trellis system, as it provides the means for sunlight and wind flow to get to the grapes while supporting production levels associated with traditional planting.
“Spraying with foliar feeds starts and when we lose our nerve we do use fungicides,” reports Jason Butler. That is usually in the third week of May, before the bunches close in.
As far as possible, they work with nature, rather than against it. Cutworm is an increasing threat, with some bud damage being seen last year due to the pest.
Further down the line, there’s an ambition to bring livestock into the vineyard – with chickens currently the front runners.
Harvesting is done by hand in September/October, with the grapes used to make English sparkling wine and white wine.
Winery
Like the farm, the Penn Croft Winery has to have minimal impact on the environment.
Designed with that in mind, it has solar panels on the roof, high levels of insulation and low-energy lighting throughout.
All the wastewater and washings are recycled through wetlands – first being collected in a tank before going over a straw bale filter and then being pumped to the top of a reed bed.
Once it’s filtered down through the bio-bed it comes out into a willow coppice, with tests showing that it meets the lowest level acceptable for drinking water.
“Every one litre of wine produces 5 litres of dirty water,” reveals Simon. “So it was really important that we could deal with that and have a positive outcome.”
Simon Porter was talking to Farmers Weekly during a recent Base-UK farm walk.
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