LEARN ABOUT THE ESTATE’S FARMING ACTIVITY
SUSTAINABILITYOur goal is to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.
OUR APPROACH
The farm's ethos is to produce the best quality products sympathetically to the environment.
We use a mixed farming system that rotates manure to maintain organic matter in the soil. We rarely use inorganic fertilizers on our grassland, and we are part of an agri-environment scheme to provide habitats for farmland birds and small mammals. We are also working on other sustainability projects. Please subscribe to our emails if you'd like to stay current on our progress.
ARABLE FARMING
Our farming operation at Downton Hall Estate spans 3,500 acres, of which 1,650 are in arable cropping and 1,850 in grassland. We've recently switched from traditional tillage to direct drilling. This method preserves soil structure and biodiversity, reduces greenhouse gas emissions, and improves soil health. It also leads to higher crop yields and is more sustainable and efficient.
We grow diverse crops, including legumes, cereals, and oilseeds. We can use various cover crops with a mix of autumn and spring planting. We dedicate 60-100 acres to herbal leys for three to four years to improve soil health. The silage produced from our land is used for our cattle.
Cattle
The Estate, responsible for raising 300 Aberdeen Angus cattle for Sainsbury's, has implemented a sustainable farming approach. During the winter months, the cattle are fed a combination of grass hay and dry peas/barley, while in the summer, they are free to graze on 120 acres of lush grassland.
The Estate composts 2000 tonnes of manure annually and limits fertiliser use to minimise environmental impact. This sustainable farming approach benefits the environment and prioritises healthy and ethical cattle raising.
environmental projects
Downton Hall Estate has found ways to use unproductive areas of their farm to benefit the environment. One of their successful projects involved transforming an 11-acre arable field prone to water logging into a wetland meadow that now serves as a habitat for wading birds. The meadow features several swales and scrapes that help slow water flow.
Additionally, the project involved planting and managing 6000 trees as a Short Rotation Coppice. These trees provide wood chips for cattle bedding, increasing fungal activity and diversity of micro-organisms in the compost returned to arable soils.
Biodiversity Net Gain land
We have recently agreed to turn over approximately 40 acres of the Estate to create and manage an enhanced habitat leading to increased biodiversity. The land consists of lowland meadows, neutral grasslands, broadleaved woodlands, scrubby areas, watercourses, and ponds.
The gain in biodiversity we create will eventually be sold to housing developers to help offset the harm caused by new developments. We partnered with Environment Bank Ltd to deliver this project at the forefront of landscape-scale nature recovery in the UK.
