In glorious weather we met Jane Quicke who very kindly gave up her Saturday morning, along with husband Matthew, to show us some of the ways the farm is managed to balance commercial efficiency with care for the environment. The farm is 3000 acres in total with about half managed woodland. The whole landscape looked stunning, bursting with vibrant growth.
Quicke’s has received some funding through the Higher Stewardship Scheme, designed to support sustainable land management but Jane explained that any funding has to fit the overall strategic objectives: soil, grass, milk and cheese. They are currently experimenting with different seed mixes to evaluate which offers the best crop. We visited ‘Dungeon’ (Jane named all the fields we saw) where mixes of crimson and white clover, chicory, burnett and plantain are being cultivated. Some ‘field corners’ are left to natural growth and greater biodiversity. We stopped at a field known as ‘Twitchum’, its name traceable back to Anglo-Saxon times, where there was diverse flora, including marsh orchids later in the summer, and just to illustrate the benefits of a less intensive approach, a slow worm wriggled across the path! In a similar marshy ‘field corner’ we encountered a frog. Even these more natural areas need to be managed otherwise bramble will come to dominate, ideally by light grazing or occasional mowing, the challenge is to justify the costs of this when commercial margins are so small.
In one area of the farm the Newton Environmental Group are helping by coppicing. Harvesting the hazel has stimulated re-growth of the ground including primroses and ferns, wood piles have been created for habitat and excess timber offered as free fire wood to the community. We had almost got to the end of the tour before Jane turned to the less appealing topic of cow poo and how it is managed – essential for efficient operation of the farm and critical to protect the environment. Back at the farm shop we were treated to delicious samples of the famous Quicke’s cheese and a final chance to ask questions. A really enjoyable morning and a marvellous opportunity for a mix of people to learn more about Quicke’s, one of the best known local food producers, and how they farm.
We hope to arrange more visits to local farms this year – please keep an eye on the newsletter for information.
