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A time of reflection and learning

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As another week comes to an end it is not only sea buckthorn that fills my thoughts. The needless, mindless murder of Jo Cox MP makes for a fear for the future. The tactic of terrorists and self- publicists to unsettle ordinary people by such senseless acts cannot work as all it does it raise resilience in knowing what is right and what is wrong. What I feel is sad is that these acts have a deep seated root cause that has been years in the making.Some of it based on an erosion of standards, of respect for others and for authority. It may be overstating the issue, but I see the quality of the bickering and accusation of both sides in the EU referendum as a symptom of this. Whatever the decision after June 23rd, there will be divisions at the heart of government. We, the voters will get on with our lives, but if those lives are to improve we need to know that those that run the country can and will solve the problems that are around us. The loss of Jo Cox is the most bitter illustration of some of these deep seated problems. The causes of which will only be solved through unity and strength in a government that we can again look to with pride and admiration.

After such saddness it seems the rest of what has happened at Devereux farm has little relevance. But the highlight of the week was a visit from fellow sea buckthorn growers from Mongolia. It is always refreshing to discuss common interests with others who see a different perspective on issues. The Mongolian climate is a diametric opposite of east coast UK. Their sea buckthorn plants emerge from winter in late April. The plants would not survive without irrigation, for which they fortunately have an adjacent river that is fed with melt water from surrounding mountains. The sea buckthorn is grown organically, but harvesting method is still a primary issue. A post Soviet era country with an economy that is still adjusting to a free market has to find new industries to improve an uneviable unemployment problem. Growing sea buckthorn is a potential opportunity and  follows a historic tradition of using sea buckthorn within the country. We have all been brought up with a knowledge of Genghiz Khan, the 13th century leader who united the Mongol tribes and conquered all land from the Great wall of China to the German border and down to the Middle east. Sea buckthorn as a nutritous wild plant has almost cult status as a means of maintaining both human health, and in the 13th century also an important fodder for the horses that made the Mongol empire possible. It is interesting that the Mongolian government give all school children sea buckthorn juice daily, in a similar way to the time when all UK schools had free milk. Such a policy action is a recognition of the benefits that can be gained from the nutritous sea buckthorn berry.

June is a time when the plants at Devereux farm are finally showing the potential crop of berries for this harvest. As it takes six or so years for plants to mature to potential yield many of these Siberian plants still have some time to go. The fact that they also have to adapt to a mild climate and a soil that is the opposite to that which they are accustomed is also a factor.

Observing the development of berries on the plants has been tinged with anticipation. It is however the nature of a trial crop to hope for the best, but expect something rather more realistic.

Some varieties have little or no berries at all. Some started with a mass of tiny berries, but most have not filled and have dropped off. Others are showing some useful indications that the future will be bright. Krazy Klaudia, that every year wakes from dormancy in mid winter is possibly now looking the most reliable and successful with both lush healthy growth and a useful showing of berries. Chuiskaya, one of the older Lisavenko Siberian varieties is a strong, large  good looking plant that also has enough berries to indicate that it will be viable in the future. Inya, unlike Chuiskaya has a taller trait and it is showing great promise with large berries. Large berries should be a characteristic of Augustina. This variety has had some disease issues in the past but as experience develops ways to master the problems I am hopeful Augustina will also show promise.

Again – as a trial it is difficult to know what to expect. I regularly report back to the Lisavenko Institute for horticultural research in Barnaul, Siberia, as they supplied my plants. This last week, an exchange of emails with the Institute director is in agreement that the good news is that it is a significant achievment to have healthy plants. The fact that there are mixed results with berry yield we have agreed is probably down to poor pollination.

Sea buckthorn is wind pollinated with males sea buckthorn plants fertilising females within a 100 sq.m. area around them. This last winter we had a very mild December followed by a wet and cold late winter/spring. The males came out of that winter looking yellow and in poor condition. With pollination in mid April, this has to have been a problem.

Applications every 3-4 weeks of liquid Life compost tea have reverted the males to large healthy, lush and dark leaved plants. Next winter I will start application of Liquid Life in February to help stimulate root growth and get plants off to a better start. The fact that we will only have a small crop this year is disappointing, but it will provide a learning curve and an opportunity as to developing how to harvest them.

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Consumer confusion and a milestone year

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I should consider this last week to have been a massive milestone – finally taking the plunge and signing up with the Soil Association to make the sea buckthorn at Devereux farm organic. In effect, it is already being grown organically – certification provides the verification that this is true.

Truth is becoming an issue as the EU referendum becomes closer. One side countering the other with statements that offer us the voter with little in the way of fact. This type of spat also broke out in the nutrition advice world as the National Obesity forum was accused by National health England of being irresponsible in the publication of its latest report. The forum saying that we should stop counting calories as these do not provide a simple resolution to the obesity crisis. National health England reads their advice as being irresponsible as it indicates that high fat diets may not necessarily be the evil they are portrayed as whilst starchy and sugary replacements can offer dangers in other areas.

As ever, the consumer stands back and looks and listens to experts whose publicly displayed disagreements result in further confusion. The results can be seen in a Mintel market report just issued that shows consumers are now turning away from healthy processed food that market themselves as “low in”, “light” or “diet” products. There is a call for clearer nutritional information and ingredient transparency – but when experts do not dispense clarity how can anyone make a rational decision. The unfortunate consequence is a loss of trust and respect. Mintel go on to suggest that in food terms consumers are looking for product that has nothing to hide – including that clarity on where it comes from and how it is made.

So it is also interesting that in a week when the EU is under fire and nutritional rationality is in a mess, that the EU committee on Internal Market and Consumer Protection was debating the problems of unfair practices in the food supply chain. This follows all those reports that big supermarkets offer farmers poor buying deals. Practices that result in fresh vegetables being ploughed back into fields or sold for very little for livestock feed because they are not a precise shape. Food is perishable and farmers and growers have a small window of opportunity to sell their goods before they are out of sell by date. With 90% of the EU industry represented by small and medium sized business there is a problem within a highly competitive  food supply chain when buying power is used irresponsibly.

This discussion has been on-going but finally the report from this committee indicates that there is a serious problem. It prompts the EU commission to look to competition law to ensure that producers should be fairly paid for their goods. In the end it is the consumer who will benefit from this. As diary farmers, fruit and vegetable producers go out of business because the market pays for milk and fresh produce at cost price or even below then choice falls and production ever moves into the hands of big business. The side issues – if they can be seen as such are a loss of product quality and diversity, much of which is based on old tradition and cultural background. This loss also adds power to the buyers who become stronger and gradually out compete smaller retailers who themselves go out of business. In the past the EU commission has focused on consumer rights, but this new committee report recognises that unless there is an even playing field for the whole supply chain then in the end those consumer rights to choice and quality are undermined.

I should now return to sea buckthorn. The siberian plants at Devereux farm have been susceptible to pest and disease. They are after all an exotic plant living in a new environment with a lot of adjustments to make for different soil and climate. The reason for only now signing up as organic is a reflection of the feeling that the plants are responding to how they are looked after and the risk of disease is lessening. having started in 2009 this has been a long haul, but this process has some benefits. This last week, while giving the plants their next feed of compost tea and quietly going about my business I have grown to appreciate the environment I work in. Early in the morning I have met up with a massive hare. I should not be so complacent as it could be the cause of the younger plants being chewn and broken back in the spring. But as such a magneficent animal – I can forgive this and just appreciate the moment of meeting with both of us eyeing each other  without fear or suspicion, before both returning to the job in hand. That evening our resident barn owl cruised over my head. The fact this year the area between the rows of sea buckthorn has been left uncut possibly allows for better hunting. Skylarks add to aerial displays with their characteristic tune filling an otherwise dull and cold sky with something to make me smile. None of this is part of the plan – it is just a consequence of finding a way to make the sea buckthorn grow. But it does make for a great place to work.

As we move into June the focus is always on the harvest. Between now and then the plants with the most berries on need to be protected against the rooks and jackdaws that so expertly came and helped themselves to last year’s harvest. Actually having a crop also means developing the best way to harvest. These Siberian berries should be larger and supposedly sweet. So, after so much effort these are not just berries but like semi-precious jewels.The plants are thornless so hand picking is possible. As the plants are still young, cutting off branches to freeze in order to remove the berries needs careful thought. With between 1-2000 plants coming into harvestable fruit this is a learning process. Then of course comes selling. 2016 will be a milestone year.

 

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Sea buckthorn – looking a picture of health.

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The original concept of growing sea buckthorn at Devereux farm was in the long term to establish a commercial crop, but the process of getting there was accepted as having to go through a number of trial stages. Choosing Siberian plants was a good in theory concept. Higher yield, multiple varieties, few or no thorns, sweeter and larger berries, an understanding of disease resistance all adding up to making theory sound like a good idea. Obtaining them from a Russian institute in Siberia was ably assisted by the InCrops Enterprise hub based at the University of East Anglia. Year by year though the practical issues of finding practical solutions to growing a plant that is out of its climate comfort zone has been a concern.

This week the plants have had their second dose of compost tea product called Liquid Life. This is bought in from Soil Hub International and apart from plant nutrients it also contains a diverse population of micro organisms that support the natural defence mechanism of the plant against pathogens and stimulates growth. The results have been revealing.

Before the first application the Siberian males in particular had not come through the winter well. They showed 60% or more of yellowing leaves. The female variety Altaiskaya, which suffered so badly last year from pest attack in  June also looked weak. The troublesome Elizaveta had survived the winter well but the leaves had a curl in them indicating stress.

Three weeks on and these issues are gone. Not only that but new growth is developing well in the base of plants. Berries are setting. Klaudia, the crazy variety that broke bud on New year’s eve is doing particularly well. Inya strangely has poor leave growth but almost more berries than leaves. Other varieties, Augustina ( projected as having the largest berries); Chuiskaya – the oldest variety, and Etna – the youngest all look promising. Some however show no sign of fruit. Sudarushka looks particularly healthy with lots of leaf but no berry.

I put some of this down to the condition of plants at pollination. Next year I need to move the compost tea application back into early April to improve the functionality of both males and females. I also think that maybe I should introduce some German males to spread the pollination period. As with Klaudia, most varieties are still adjusting to our strange soil. Pollination is key and if the males are out of synch with any of the female varieties ( such as Sudarushka ) then I need to find a way of reducing the risk of poor timing.

Improving soil quality and health has always been an issue. The compost tea will help with this, but ultimately a regular dose of true compost around the plants will help. This will happen later this year once the bespoke compost spreader arrives. In the meantime I have to consider how to manage weeds. Weeds are not just weeds. they are plants that can smother a young plant and compete for soil nutrients. They are also though potentially a habitat for predator invertebrates that can target pests. They may take their share of moisture from the soil, but they also shade the soil from direct sun. In commercial fruit growing terms I know I would be told that they should be kept down or destroyed. But I am coming to the conclusion that as the mature plants look very healthy then maybe the presence of weeds around the plants is not so detrimental.

Last year I cut the grass with a ride on  mower on both sides of each row of sea buckthorn. This year I think I will cut half the rows in this way. The other half I will strim down the tall weeds immediately next to the sea buckthorn plants and then cut a single mower width down the middle of the grass between the rows. This will prevent the weeds from growing into the sea buckthorn branches, but allow beneficial insects to be present in immediate proximity to the sea buckthorn plants. This is after all a trial. The strim and mow option will probably take slightly longer than mowing two rows alongside the sea buckthorn, but if it results in healthier plants then it is worthwhile.

My final comment relates to the Latvian varieties here at Devereux farm. There are 400 plants – 4 varieties ( Sunny; Mary; Tatjana; Goldrain ) with 100 plants of each. I am purposely not  giving them any Liquid Life or other fertiliser. They have to survive on their own. The result – they have grown larger and stronger than the Siberian plants for none of the effort that has to go into their Russian cousins. The downside is that they have thorns, but as a growing success they are an excellent example of ease and sustainability.

June is the month when pests are likely to become an issue. Sea buckthorn fly particularly is one that reached Germany in 2013. It is a scourge in Asia and can destroy 50% and more of the crop. I have sticky traps to identify them. Aphids attacked Altaiskaya last year in June. I am hopeful however that with the plants in good health, and knowing the issue then it will be able to control the problem before it gets out of hand.

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2016 – a year fo.r decisions, but time will tell

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Devereux, and our other farm, Walton Hall  are like rural enterprises across the UK looking to the future. The principle arable enterprise bumps along with incomes that go from unexciting to  non-contributory to the business. The days of a nation wide network of government funded agricultural research stations are gone. The term food security for the UK raises its head occasionally, but not ahead of economic viability. In fact food security and climate change are two huge issues whose importance is accepted, but neither gain political traction for long enough to develop a cohesive long term plan.

It is an old farming adage – live as if you will die tomorrow, but farm as if you will farm for ever. Live well, but look after the land because it is a vital resource. 2016 will be a pivotal year for this farm as we grapple with whether we should have a long term view on protecting our land from the sea. It seems that within five years the natural cliffs that protect our farm from the sea will have been breached by the sea.

Records for Walton Hall farm go back to the 12th century, when St.Paul’s of London owned the land. There were sea defences then, but clearly nothing like our 5m high sea walls. All the same the farm, not only was a sizeable part of the farm lost to the sea but a whole village with it. Their lives commemorated in a pew created in the cathedral for the purpose. Through the centuries there has been a continual battle of both government and private investment to hold the line against the sea, with varying degrees of success.

1953 was our last failure. A tide that cost the lives of 300 along the East anglian coast and 1800 in Holland and Germany. The resultant new wall  on the Naze was constructed with 100% government funding both to rebuild the wall, but also to start a ten year process to re-juvenate the soil into productive arable land. Land that had been used for sheep grazing improving yields by one third following huge leaps forward in plant breeding and mechanisation.

The land now has a capacity to grow four tons of wheat, but within a global market, this enterprise is hardly profitable in an industry that demands high rates of investment in machinery to keep productive.

So if the land is economically non-productive – should we just abandon it and let it go to sea? If wheat can be imported cheaper, what is the reason for continuing?  If UK agriculture requires public funding to keep it solvant, is this sustainable either politically or economically?

But as that old farm adage indicates, we should respect the value of the soil because you never know when you might need it. In 1953, Europe was starving and that was the driver for government to maintain farm assets and maintain productivity. History tells us of the times when we needed these assets to feed the nation and these were times when the nation was great, but then plunged into crisis.

Our challenge here is a climate change issue. A rising threat of unpredictable and long term proportion. Coastal farmers in other parts of the world have already given up their land because they do not have an option. But on the East Anglian coast we do have options. Partnerships are developing and innovative ways of reducing flood risk are being trialed. The risk has grown. Walls are bigger and stronger, but as I reflect that our 5m wall came within 0.4m from being overtoped in 2013 and that this was a surge tide that we see every five years the risk is real.

This was one of the drivers for Devereux farm developing an alternative enterprise by growing sea buckthorn. Farmers have diversified for years and the drivers for this have always been economic. All businesses have to react to market changes and have to evolve to survive. Our position here is no different to one reflected on all low coastlines.

Farming is an industry that looks to the long term. Land may be handed down through generations but with that comes responsibility. In an age where short term accounting and success is gauged on business growth not survival, there are few places to look for for advice. What is for certain is that where there is a will there is a way. The sea buckthorn enterprise is working and looking forward to its first crop. It has taken time, and so it is good to allow time to resolve problems and find the ways to reduce the mountain back down to a molehill.

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Still stable in changing times

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As you sow , so shall you reap goes the saying. There is an undercurrent in the world of dis-satisfaction to a degree that we have never seen before. The rise of Donald Trump in the USA, in spite of his maverick status and uncompromising retoric is ruffling the feathers of the conventional political system. The world has racked up layers of issues which will require immense diplomacy to solve. These are not problems that money can solve but one’s that will require working together, compromise and wisdom. The world is always changing and there is nothing to fear in change. Change though needs to be anticipated, understood and managed so stability and progress through changing times is positive.

So where will 2016 take us. The US elections will probably result in a more conservative outcome as happened with the Scottish referendum. As I drive around my local area and see other farmers with “Vote leave” posters up in their fields I see this as a protest vote. A vote of dis-satisfaction.  No one can predict what leaving the EU means, so understanding why one would want to leave the EU is not easy. Migration through open borders in a small country such as the UK is emotive. But unfortunately we also need most of the migrant workers to do jobs that need to be done. EU legislation is cited, but these laws are ratified by Westminster, so they have become UK law and if agreed by UK politicians then is the problem EU or UK regulators. Democracy and sovereignty are emotive issues, but when it comes to elections there is often a poor turnout in the UK. All this together comes from an underlying dis-satisfaction here, as in the US. Dis-satisfaction that will only become worse if the outcome of the EU referendum ends up with less stability rather than more.

Which just goes to show that life is not simple. Over the last week at Devereux farm the sea buckthorn is enjoying the sunshine. The last varieties – Inya from Siberia, and all the Latvian varieties are flowering. This could be a concern as the males across the site have looked poor with yellowing leaf. They have all been fed with compost tea and the leaves are responding, but whether this will impact upon pollination it will have to be seen.  The compost tea I am using this year is “Liquid Life” provided by Simon Parfey at the Soil Hub. The rapid response from the plants is proof of activity. But it is the fact that it comes in a ready to use form that has made so much difference. In the past, the compost tea has had to be brewed. A time consuming process. As the tea brewer here only has 100lt as one brew is finished, spraying has to wait another 24hours until the next one is completed. With 5000 plants to feed the whole process becomes protracted and untimely. The new process, one litre of Liquid Life is diluted to 20lt of water and that covers some 120-140 plants depending upon size. The whole job has been halved in time, even though it is still manually applied from a back pack.

The plants on the whole look well, but walking the lines shows a variety of issues. There are the odd plants that have died. A few that have whole branches where leaves have just started to show, then not developed. There are some varieties that have shown to be disease prone that are already showing problems. It would seem that an additional second dose of compost tea a week after the first, is helping with this problem. These diseases are variety specific. To identify the disease would be possible, but add another cost to our development. As the site is being managed organically, the options are limited, but they are working. knowing what the disease is would be interesting, but it is the management outcome that is important at this stage.

Vapourer moth have been trying their best to  infect the site. Spraying on the Liquid life compost tea has provided the opportunity to inspect every plant and around 30 small infestations have been pulled off the plants. There will be more to come.

It was in late May last year that the Siberian variety Altiaskaya was attacked by aphids. The worst affected lost branches and look weaker plants this year. Now the plants look well and strong new growth is coming up from the centre of many plants. It is the nature of a trial that each year one becomes aware of issues and how to manage them. Unfortunately the farming cycle is annual, so the learning curve is long.

The next focus is on marketing. Turning a new crop into sales is more than an art. Sea buckthorn is not only highly nutritous, it has a unique citrus sour flavour. This month will need our marketing plan to develop in order that the 2016 harvest creates a stir, that a new ingredient should. So although the world has problems with change, all is well at Devereux farm and I look forward to finally seeing how UK grown Siberian sea buckthorn performs – particularly the sweet varieties.

 

 

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Spring review of Siberian plants and their management.

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Spring is a time for being upbeat and now that field work has started some management issues are coming to light.

The fact that variety Klaudia decided to break dormancy on December 31st has not made any difference to its wellbeing. For ease of growing it has been great. The long wet spring has not helped our heavy clay soil. This last week I applied the first dose of Liquid Live, compost tea, supplied by the Soil Hub. Using both compost and compost tea focuses the mind on soil micro organisms. Although the soil surface might be aerobic, when it becomes waterlogged this will not help the development of a healthy soil.

As sea buckthorn is wind pollinated the ability of males to fertilise females is key. The Russian males, Gnom variety, have a sad yellow tinge to their leaves. I have found that these plants have been susceptible to problems in the past. The females of all varieties do not have this problem. When planted, some, but not all our plants have established nitrogen fixing root nodules already established. The presence of frankia in the soil is an essential for this process to work. Technically the process operates best in a soil pH of 6-7.1 ( Zhitskaya et al 1987). Excess application of nitrogen as a plant feed inhibits the  efficiency of this nitrogen fixing operation, but this is in a natural state. Molybdenum has a role in the formation and functioning of the system but at a rate of 330 micrograms/kg. At Devereux farm all the females are healthy. The males need managing, but we are registering as organic I need to ensure that additional treatments fit with the Soil Association regulations.

Recognising that Gnom has been sceptible to disease is an issue. It also tends to have more surface roots and throws up more suckers. I take from this that as a plant it finds growing roots on the surface as easier. But of course in a wet winter/spring, heavy rain will flush out nutrients, so these surface roots will be less able to access available soil nitrogen and other nutrients. The treatment for now is a foliar feed of Liquid Live together with a soil drench of the same material. This will be repeated next week. Each plant will also have an application of organic chicken manure based pellets. The ground still being wet is also holding off the ability give each plant a heavy mulch of compost but this will be the next operation to start to improve the organic matter in the upper root level that should improve the fungal population.

Non organic growing methods would provide a wider armoury of intervention, but organic  for me is a learning curve. Building soil health is a slow and continual process. It is crucial that the males are healthy to provide their role in the fertilisation process. I shall look forward to next spring now with knowledge that this year there will have been heavy applications of compost right across the site with the aid our bespoke deisgned mechanical spreader.

The use of machinery saves time. Time is a precious resource, but how it is used is equally important. Applying compost tea using a back pack sprayer, rather than tractor mounted machine is slow. The process does mean that each plant gets a good soaking, but as importantly it gives time to inspect every plant.

As I have been applying the compost tea this week, observations of different issues become apparent. There are the occasional plants that have full leaf on the majority of the plant, but retarded growth on a single stem. This could have a disease implication, but the leaves are still emerging and looking healthy. So these plants will need marking for regular observation over the next two weeks.

There are plants with vapourer moth nests. Not many, but again possibly ten which if left undestroyed would spread into neighbouring plants. These caterpillars can strip a plant in a week.

This period of plant observation allows the chance to look at how the Altaiskaya variety is recovering from the impact of last year’s pest invasion. A severe attack of aphids weakened many plants. It was variety specific, but caused concern for the ability of the plants to recover at all. This spring these plants are looking better, but where the soil type is heaviest it is marked how these plants are weakest. Again, like the Gnom males, these will need some special attention to build them up over this spring and summer.

The variety Elizaveta was also identified as one prone to disease. I see this as being associated with its fast growth and lush leaf character. The mature plants look really good, but amongst these there are still some plants, particularly immature ones, that have some dessicated leaf issues.

When considering this I now treat these Siberian plants as exotic then compared to the German varieties that were planted two years ahead of the Russian stock. The Siberian plants will have bigger, sweeter berries. Mostly they are thornless making harvesting so much easier. They should in the end have larger yield potential. But against this they will require a much higher level of management input. But then they will be unique in the UK market and provide a new innovative ingredient that otherwise would be only found thousands of miles away to the east in the depths of Siberia.

 

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Progress for now and the future

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The UK has always prided itself on its ingenuity, its ability to innovate, design and invent. Often all of these develop as a result of necessity. The world is always changing so standing still is not an option. This last week Ben and I went to a farm which is in environmental terms at the cutting edge of agri-environment innovation.

Just as every year we know that the weather will be different, so is the global economic climate. Change is dynamic and ignoring it is counter productive. The UK/European issue is deeper than just the referendum and as a business we need to be reviewing our options and continually assessing options that might be good for the next ten/ fifteen years.

The Knepp farm estate is based on a 3500 acre farm in Sussex. Like Devereux farm it was an arable farm. Also like Devereux it had a diary enterprise – although 600 cows rather than our 120, but that reflects the scale of the business. 15 years ago the owners assessed the profitability and work input as unsustainable. They took the unique and unprecidented step of withdrawing from conventional high input, high investment agriculture and adopting a very low input system. The system is called “re-wilding”. Over a period of years the whole estate has been fenced into large area blocks and allowed to return to nature. Traditional breeds of cattle and pigs then roam through this environment on a ranching basis, but in numbers that allow the environment to develop in a controlled manner. Traditional breeds are hardy and suited to the system. But all animals feed in different ways and on different plants. Adding deer and ponies to the cows and pigs creates a mix of grazing which has a synergy within this environment. The most amazing thing is that as the environment has developed it has attracted back species that have colonised the area. Nightingales, turtle doves and a list of rare species of national importance. The farm has then developed a glamping facility again unique to its setting. Visitors take the opportunity of trips into this re-wilding environment and it is magical.

This is an example of true innovation, but it also works hard to deliver the other holy grail of modern business – sustainability. So often this is just a marketing phrase. It is not an easy one to truely deliver and it requires real commitment. So this has become the latest inspiration to look to how we model Devereux and our other farm at Walton Hall. Sea buckthorn remains a driver but we cannot forget the rest of the farm and the spectacular environment in which it is set.

Returning to sea buckthorn finally. Last year, despite the use of kites, rockets, flashing tapes, scare crows – birds striped every last berry on our Siberian plants. The year before the problem had been weeds and disease. Each year that progresses presents and issue which we work through and find solutions for. 2016 it is the birds. So this week starts the delivery of a netting system to cover the whole site. It is second hand, having come from a cherry farm, and as the lorries arrive with poles, hoops, bins of wires and netting the task ahead of constructing it across the site looks daunting. But the birds only become a problem as the berries finally ripen, so we have time and we could not have started before now. Ground conditions are still wet, but like all projects the first and main task will be in working out how to put it up where it will not be in the way of tractor access when mowing, compost spreading and so on..

So that’s been this week – and as spring really has arrived, it has been a productive one.

 

 

. Commodity crops find a price based on sale and demand. Politics and speculation add to the mix. The fact that the EU Common Agricultural Policy distributes subsidies to farmers across member states is a reflection that the farming industry needs this support to make ends meet. The fact that dairy farmers produce milk at below cost is lunacy and is resulting in a continual shrinking of the UK dairy industry. Knepp had 600 cows. Produced milk, ice cream and dairy products. The rest of the farm was conventional arable. The sad fact was that for all the effort the farm was not profitable. 15 years ago Knepp started a process of withdrawing from this conventional farming system.

The result has been, in my view the most amazing transformation. A brave move 15 years ago that required vision. In the last 5 years sustainability has been a catch phrase. True sustainability is a holy grail, but all to often it is more a marketing phrase than a reality. Knepp have reverted their arable land – all of it, back to nature, a process they have called re-wilding. The old business involved heavy investment in machinery, in agro-chemicals, in energy. With all this goes a huge amount of management input, risk and stress. The re-wilding process removes all cultivation, and allows the land to revert to its natural state. The soil at Knepp is horrible – heavy clay with very poor drainage. They do have however a core of woodland with some wonderful woodland. So how do they now make an income? All great ideas are simple – although the process that supports it might be complex. The process involves fencing in the whole farm and introducing a mix of grazing animals – long horn cattle; tamworth pigs; deer and ponies. All of these act differently in controlling and interacting with this environment. The result is not uncontrolled reversion of land to what farms used to call rack and ruin. Each breed of livestock chosen has an inherited ability to survive in a wild environment. Low cost management is the ultimate in sustainability and what is more the environment to

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Definitions of quality

britishseabuckthorn

There are some great bonuses with farming. Early this morning I was planting out some Siberian plants and saw a bird who has almost become an old friend. The gliding ghostly image of our resident barn owl cruising above the sea buckthorn on the hunt for small mammals. What was really special this morning was the appearance on the other side of the site of a second one. The owl boxes at Devereux farm have been up for maybe ten or more years and it is great to see the potential of a breeding pair in the immediate area.

Just recently previous blogs have been more general comment than sea buckthorn. As I was digging this morning I thought this seemed a good moment to reflect on the important of soil type. Sea buckthorn  grows in poor and light soils. 5500m up in the Himalayas; on stony river banks; even establishing in sandstone rock. I remember on my visit to Lisavenko in Barnaul, Siberia being impressed by the crumbly, balanced soil – and reflecting on whether their plants will survive in our heavy clay at Devereux farm.

The soil at Devereux is not uniform. There are some rows of sea buckthorn that are in particularly heavy clay and they are stunted. 4m away and the plants have grown well. There is no doubt that growing in the wrong soil  creates a penalty. So as I plant now I use a fork to pull out a metre square of soil, mix it with four shovels of compost so that the clay crumbles in nodules. I then dig the compost rich soil out approx 250mm deep. Throw another shovel of compost into the bottom of the hole, then fork that down into the next 250mm depth of subsoil. This will allow the new plant to grow its tap root deeper, faster and with less energy. As we live in an year of low rainfall ( 450 -600 mm pa), it also means the plant has deeper roots that can access moisture when the top soil has dried out. This double digging is time consuming, but for a plant that may be productive for more than 20 years – extra effort right at the beginning is a sound investment. Every time I walk past the dwarf like rows 13 and 14 in the sea buckthorn I am reminded that the natural environment is my factory floor.It is sometimes challenging but there are normally ways to work with that environment that can alleviate most issues.

It is this acceptance that growing sea buckthorn is possible by working with the environment  without use of chemicals  that has finally created the decision to apply to the Soil Association to go organic. The product that we import from Germany is Bio dynamic and organic. The fact that there are no chemicals licensed by the EU for use with sea buckthorn means that growing the crop is organic anyway. Reluctance in the past to register has been a recognition that growing sea buckthorn at Devereux farm has been a trial and that we have had pest and disease problems. Now it is becoming clear that most management issues are solvable organically the time has come to register.

Having mentioned the products that we import from germany, one of those is oil capsules. I have been taking sea buckthorn oil capsules since 2009. I find that they keep winter ailments away and I also believe that they provide stamina to keep going when work becomes particularly physical.

Having attended and presented papers at European conferences since 2010, the relationship with european growers, researchers and processors has developed. It seemed right therefore that British Sea Buckthorn Co, as our company based at Devereux farm, should source capsules from Europe. Love or hate EU regulation, but it is the EU regulations that safeguard quality so sourcing capsules that are accredited in the EU provides guarantees.

As most of the plants at Devereux farm come from Siberia there is a natural connection to source the oil for capsules from Siberia. Our links to the Lisavenko Institute in Siberia started because they are the worlds oldest research institute into sea buckthorn having started in 1933. In a world were the environment is becoming increasingly polluted, Siberia’s vast expanses offers a clean refuge from the industrial world. So combining product that comes from this environment, contain oil from the plants that we also grow at Devereux farm and then sourcing it through a company that complies with EU reglations produces several layers of quality guarantee. When one adds the EU organic certification then I feel we have sourced a great product. But just to make sure, I am the guinea pig to test these capsules out and compare them with the brand that i have been loyal to since 2009. After four months they have certainly stood the test, so it won’t be long before these will have ticked my box and be ready for market. Quality is king only if you can honestly say that those qualities are up to the mark.

(( For those who might have seen the original version of this blog I have just updated it. Sea buckthorn growers, Cornish Seaberry, telephoned almost as soon as the blog went live amazed that when planting I dig down 250cm – then fork compost into the next 250cm!! What a difference one little “m” can make. It is of course not 250cm but 250mm. My sea buckthorn capsules might give me stamina to keep digging, but not all the way to Australia.)