About the farm
In 2000, we purchased Hope Farm, an arable farm in Cambridgeshire. It is contract farmed by one of our neighbouring farmers.
About Hope Farm
In previous years, we predominantly grew autumn-sown crops because they were considered to be more profitable. Recently, we have introduced a greater area of spring-sown crops, to help deal with pernicious weed problems and maintain overall profitability.
During the first five years only two crops were grown - wheat and oilseed rape. These were grown in a three-year rotation (wheat - wheat - oilseed rape). The rotation has evolved to take account of market opportunities and help implement a robust integrated pest management programme, so for harvest 2016 we grew winter wheat, spring barley, winter beans, winter linseed and spring millet.
Along with the arable land, there is also permanent pasture, which is grazed by horses and sheep. The soil is predominantly heavy clay.
Key facts
- Total farm area: 181 hectares
- Area of cropping: 161 hectares - harvest 2010
- Area of pasture: 6 hectares
- Soil type: Hanslope calcareous clay loam and Evesham clay loam
- Smallest field: 0.93 hectares
- Largest field: 34 hectares
- Length of hedgerows: 10.3 kilometres
- Area of woodland: 0.5 hectares
Our farming blog
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Working for Waders across Scotland
If you live in Scotland it is more than likely you will come across at least one species of wader when you are travelling around the countryside. Scotland holds a significant proportion of the UK population of curlews, redshanks, lapwings, oystercatc...
Posted 21/11/2018 by Kathryn Smith -
Getting down to business with wildlife friendly farming
Georgie Bray, Assistant Manager at the RSPB's Hope Farm shares her experience of joining with other nature-friendly farmers at an event in Westminster to show that Nature Means Business Currently, the Ag Bill is being discussed amongst MP’s in the Ho...
Posted 20/11/2018 by Kathryn Smith -
Agriculture Bill: A step forward for nature but there’s still much to do
Guest post from Tom Lancaster, Principal Policy Officer in the RSPB's Land Use Policy team The Agriculture Bill presents a once in a generation opportunity to secure a better future for wildlife, in a way that also secures the future of farming andpr...
Posted 06/11/2018 by Kathryn Smith -
Seeds of success: Working together in East County Down
Guest blog by Seán Woods, RSPB NI’s east County Down Conservation Advisor working with over 70 farmers and landowners in and around Strangford Lough in County Down, Northern Ireland. Image: (c) Claire Barnett, RSPB The east County Down landscape is h...
Posted 06/11/2018 by Kathryn Smith -
The Butterflies and the Bees - Hope Farm 2018
Sophie Mott, Research intern at Hope Farm, provides the 2018 results of the butterfly and bee monitoring season. As you may have seen in an earlier post, the extreme weather of spring and summer 2018 meant a tough year for farmers and wildlife alike,...
Posted 01/11/2018 by Kathryn Smith -
A helping hand for curlews in the South West
Richard Archer, Senior Conservation Officer, explains more about protecting breeding curlews on the Somerset Levels The national decline in breeding curlews has been well publicised, especially on the upland moors, where most of the breeding pairs ar...
Posted 31/10/2018 by Kathryn Smith
How you can help
At Hope Farm, we're developing farming techniques that will benefit wildlife.
