How mail-order business adds value to farm’s hay and straw

A Kent farmer is successfully adding value to hay and straw by selling it boxed direct to pet owners across the UK.

Shelvin Farm, run by Rupert Phillips, sells about 10-15 hay and straw boxes daily – weighing 5, 10 or 15kg – which are collected by a courier and delivered to customers’ doors.

“It’s about offering convenience and quality to the people who don’t have access to these products for their pets and gardens in cities,” says Rupert.

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How it started

Rupert began a small horse sales and livery business 25 years ago on a 2ha plot, which he has grown into a thriving 240ha farming enterprise in south-east Kent.

“The horse sales and livery business is where it all started and accounts for about two-fifths of our total revenue,” says Rupert.

Though a first-generation landowner, farming runs deep in Rupert’s roots, having grown up on a 800ha estate that his father managed.

He started selling hay and straw for horse owners in 2010, and has since diversified further into a unique box selling initiative known as The Friendly Farmers.

By offering stock online, The Friendly Farmers complements Rupert’s direct sales to the local horse and livestock market.

He runs an active social media page on Instagram and a website to advertise his business, as well as an eBay shop to promote the products.

All wheat, barley and oat straw is sourced from neighbouring farmers within a five- to 10-mile radius of the farm, which they then contract bale and transport themselves.

Hay and straw sales now contribute to nearly half the business’s total revenue, with about 15,000-20,000 small bales and 5,000-6,000 large bales of straw and haylage produced annually.

“It’s been a tough season this year,” says Rupert, explaining that only 50mm of rain fell over a five-month period, followed by 175mm over one weekend early August.

Wildflowers and compost

Rupert Phillips has also diversified into growing 6.5ha of wildflowers, destined for seed.

The wildflowers are cut similarly to a crop of hay, before being turned and dried into a mulch and despatched in 5kg boxes that are sold to customers to plant in their lawns or paddocks as wildflower meadows.

© Ethan Graves

Made from a blend of woodchip, horse manure, garden waste and vermicast, Rupert has developed a product called Agrimagic compost.

He has used bacteria and fungi to help improve soil health and structure. It’s had outstanding reviews from both gardeners and farmers and is available in 15kg, 25kg and 300-400kg bags or a small 1.5t tipper trailer can be arranged.

Shelvin Farm delivers lorry loads to farmers for them to enhance crop health and build a nutrient-rich soil without artificial fertilisers.

The Friendly Farmers also supplies various wools, including Romney Merino and alpaca, in 1-5kg boxes, which are designed for garden use as slug repellent and mulch bird nests.

© Ethan Graves