Farming

With farming being an industry that is passed down many generations, there is more incentive than in most sectors to ensure practices taken are sustainable and that the family will be in business for many years to come. As a result, the family have become keen advocates of regenerative farming practices, with more than 50% of our land now no-tilled (sowing crops straight into the previous crops stubble) and that figure increasing year on year!

What is regenerative farming?

Soils are at the core of any farming business, and looking after them today ensures the generations to follow will still be farming the land! The plough, even albeit a farming icon, can deplete the organic matter (carbon) reserves of the soil, if used year on year. This not only reduces the fertility and yield potential of that soil, but more importantly, releases CO2 into the atmosphere; which as we know, is a powerful greenhouse gas contributing to climate change. That’s not to say the Plough is the enemy, it is still an essential tool when growing root crops (Potatoes & Sugar Beet), but if we can reduce its use then this could help with mitigating against climate change.

No till (definition above) can help capture carbon from the atmosphere and store it in the soil, as the residues of the previous crop (and the carbon captured in those residues) are left on top of the soil. Because of this, Parker Farms have increased their percentage from 0-50% no till in the last 5 years, with an aim to increase that further in the coming years!

After the country came out of World War 2, there was a huge drive to increase food production for the country to make sure the country never went short on food again. This led to the ‘green revolution’, an introduction and ensuing large increase in the usage of fertilisers and pesticides. Nowadays, although there is still a requirement to feed the growing population, due to an increase in awareness of environmental issues, there is now a need to ‘grow-more-from-less’. Whilst pesticides and fertilisers aren’t all bad, as they have allowed us to produce food to feed 8 billion people across the world (which wouldn’t be possible with organic farming), their use has become too prescriptive. Therefore, Parker Farms are looking to reduce their requirement of pesticides and fertilisers by utilising modern application and crop pest forecasting tools, focussing more on crop nutrition and health to fight pest issues, along with some good old-fashioned attention to detail! This regenerative way of farming not only produces healthier crops, but also healthier and more nutrient rich food for you!

If you are interested, there is a brilliant documentary called Kiss The Ground on Netflix

ENVIRONMENT

Growing up in the countryside undoubtably produces a love of the great outdoors and mother nature! Over recent years, Parker Farms have planted 3.2ha (nearly 5 football pitches!) of farmland into winter bird food and pollen mixes for insects and farmland birds. We have also planted over 2km of hedges to further help farmland birds with nesting sites and food, and scatter over 1.5t/year of bird food between December and April (the hungriest months of the year for farmland birds) to help with their survival over winter!

We are also looking into green ways to help power our commercial buildings to help further reduce the carbon footprint of the business!