Farmer Focus: Why Holkham Estate is my happy place
© Tim Scrivener I’ve been reading a fascinating book I was given for Christmas – Land Healer, written by Jake Fiennes, who is conservation manager at the Holkham Estate.
The tagline on the dust jacket reads: “How farming can save Britain’s countryside”.
I’ve never written a book review for very good reasons – however, this book gives me a sense of connection and has rung so many bells in my head that I feel compelled to share.
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About the author
In 1992, with my mind set more on career progression than anything else, I changed employers and took on the challenge of setting up a brand-new breeding unit in very rural north Norfolk.
Accompanied by my wife and sons, I headed off on an adventure to a region of the country I knew little about, but the aforementioned agricultural estate of Holkham, where my new job was situated, did not disappoint.
We settled in quickly and started soaking up the wonderful 400 years of pioneering farming history that surrounded us, and we loved the spectacular coastal landscape, which became home for the next four years.
The Holkham estate is vast, with 4,000ha (10,000 acres) of farmland, 809ha (2000 acres) of woodland, 4,451ha (11,000 acres) of nature reserve and a truly spectacular 182ha (450 acres) of sandy beach.
By comparison, the 64ha (160 acres) of pig-filled fields I’m responsible for are miniscule, but I believe we all have a part to play in this revolution, and it’s our thinking that needs to be joined up just as much as our landscape.
My attitude towards nature, sustainability and the environment on-farm has changed drastically in recent years – largely thanks to the ambitious work of people like Jake.
Regardless of whether you’re the custodian of a country estate or simply working or living in the countryside, this thought-provoking book makes a clear case for why we should put farming at the centre of the restoration of our countryside, and how to change our ways and start producing food in harmony with nature.
I’m lucky in that I can return to Holkham most weeks and observe some of the changes first hand. Once my workplace, it’s now my happy place. And we all need one of those.