Bottom Farm

Farmer: Duncan Farrington

Address: Hargrave, Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, NN9 6BP

Website: www.farrington-oils.co.uk

Twitter: @rapeseedoilman

Member since 2001 LEAF Demonstration Farm since 2003

Certification:

• LEAF Marque
• Carbon Neutral
• Plastic Neutral

The Farrington family has been farming in Northamptonshire for four generations – managed by father and son, Robert and Duncan Farrington, alongside Farm Manager, Stuart Tabernor. Bottom Farm is an arable enterprise growing combinable crops. Additionally, it is the home of Farrington’s Mellow Yellow cold pressed rapeseed oil range, giving a genuine ‘field to plate’ view of food production. Bottom Farm engages in several environmental measures such as tree and hedge planting, investing in minimum tillage practices, and establishment of wildflower areas. In 2020 they became the first farm business in the UK to be certified as carbon neutral by the United Nations. Adopting modern farming technology, whilst being sympathetic to the environment, are both key to an Integrated Farm Management approach to create a long term sustainable future for the farm.

The Farm

Bottom Farm is an arable enterprise of approximately 730 acres growing combinable crops. A broad crop rotation of winter and spring crops grown produced to LEAF Marque standards, including wheat, barley, rapeseed and beans, and grown with an eye to the local market. The farm is a member of Camgrain grain co-operative, adding value to the wheat and barley, whilst the rapeseed is used on farm for the production of cold pressed rapeseed oil. Farrington’s Mellow Yellow Rapeseed Oil is the world’s first food product to be certified as both carbon and plastic neutral.

Activities

In 2021, Farrington Oils was awarded the Queen’s Award for Enterprise for Sustainable Development, the most prestigious business award in the UK.

Farming practices revolve around creating healthy soils, integrated with high environmental and conservation measures. Cover and companion crops are grown, integrated with non-inversion cultivation techniques and direct drilling of crops which has led to increasing soil organic carbon content and general soil health since 1998.

The farm is investigating the use of biological initiatives to reduce reliance on synthetic nitrogen fertiliser in a quest to further reduce its greenhouse gas emissions, whilst growing healthy crops.

Bottom Farm engages in several environmental measures, including tree and hedge planting; establishment of wildflower areas; wild bird crops; field margins; erection of owl boxes and restoration of farm ponds. Bottom Farm is often home to nesting lapwings, which are particularly rare for the area, whilst skylarks, other farmland birds, wild fauna and flora are all part of the wider farm environment. The farm installed two solar panel systems in 2018 which generate electricity to power the Farrington Oils factory and to help run the farm grain store and grain dryer. Bottom Farm is open to visitors, showcasing the link from the soil under our feet to a finished food product sold in our shops.

Particular interests/farming issues:

• Soil management in arable systems
• Global warming issues and causes
• Regenerative farming principles
• Branded food manufacture, sales, and marketing

Visit this farm

Click here to arrange a visit to this LEAF Demonstration Farm.