Higher Barn Farm

Higher Barn Farm The Farm is 19.41 Acres and 7.8 hectares set on a north facing field with magnificent views towards the Quantock Hills, Exmoor and the Welsh Brecon Beacon. The soil is silty clay loam, with almost 5% organic matter and a high level of Microbial activity. It is made up of two fields. The small farm has been farmed industrially for cereal crops via contractors for some years. The farm is just inside the Exmoor National Park area. Cerys, Amer, Bob and Anne are living there as an extended multi generational family with the two children Olive and Oak, and two further brothers and their families that might join in the project. The overall aim of the farm is to create a place where the whole family can live sustainably, where the children can be raised to learn about food and crafts. Whilst the aim is not to be 100% self sufficient the family would like to primarily provide for themselves and then sell surplus, and added value food like bread, and run courses to generate an income. This report and drawing is to suggest how the farm can be developed and managed to create a sustainable and abundant home, and livelihood for the family and for many other creatures. The Functions of the Farm have been identified as; To produce food To produce craft materials To produce fuel crops To be a learning centre for Ecology and regenerative agriculture and “Field to Fork courses” To generate income To provide a safe space for the family To support biodiversity To sequester carbon and be resilient in the face of climate change For play and recreation of the whole family THE SOIL The soil is a silty clay loam, with almost 5% organic matter. It has a high microbial activity and as such is a very healthy soil to start with. However when we dug a few holes on the farm there was very low worm activity and it did show slight signs of compaction. The pH is 5.5 and as such is slightly acidic, which in turn is removing the available phosphate and potassium availability to plants growing in it. The pH needs to be adjusted to 6.5 and then the P and K levels should naturally rise. This can be done by adding 1.5 tonnes of lime per acre as stated by NRM. This can be done by a company called Glendenning ( as in the concrete). The “lime man” is called Graham and he is on 07976913712. They are based in Ashburton but he will know a haulier that could deliver it and I am sure your neighbour David will know someone to put it on for you. This is the balancing out of the pH of your soil after the nitrate fertilisers etc have made it acidic. The lime used is suitable for organic status. Soil improvements already begun has been the sowing of a rich, deep rooting humus building green manures over most of the farm This can be topped with the tractor or it can be grazed off with local sheep, and as this is cut it will add organic matter to the soil and feed the microbial activity and worms in the soil. This can be improved by aerating the soil with a subsoiler, across the contour or on the key line. Allowing the water out and the air in. This has to be done in the summer months when the ground will not be compacted by the tractors. A simple single leg subsoiler can be found second hand for £1-200.(Facebook Marketplace, can be shipped by Pallet line - Farmers are all very used to doing this !) The Microbial activity can be improved with the application of manures, this can be imported from local farms, but you would want to get something older than 6 months old so that any antibiotics or chemical additives in the cattle feed is decomposed. ( This is the Organic standards). Or you can use compost teas. ( see www.soilfoodweb.com for instructions) However as your soil is already high in microbial activity it will probably recover quickly with the green manures for 1-2 years, and possible subsoiling. Measuring the changes can be done simply by counting worms. The Opal Worm test is a good reflection of soil health and is part of a national project run by Imperial College. Anne might find this interesting to do with the children. https://www.imperial.ac.uk/opal-soil THE HOUSE and BARN Cerys is an architect and Amer is a builder so the design of all the buildings will be carried out by them. The Barn will be retrofitted with a lean-to glasshouse to provide a space for plant propagation and Microgreen production in the winter months. Rainwater harvesting has already been installed on the barn for the glasshouse, polytunnels and for the intensive beds. The barn will be split into three sections as a packing space for crop sales, as a training space with integrated food processing kitchen and the third as machinery and tool storage. I would also recommend if possible that as much mezzanine space is provided for storage as this is always at a premium in barns. The barn roof can have PV panels fitted although it is asbestos I have seen similar types of roofs fitted with PV in farms. Cold storage could be provided in the packing barn. A 2m x 3 m room would be big enough, however they do require a lot of electricity, so if the aim was to be off grid then another solution would be needed. Cold storage is necessary for chiling crops as they come out of the field and helps with the management of harvest times and delivery times, especially with high value crops such as soft fruit, salads and herbs, but also for long term winter storage of crops for the family such as potatoes, apples carrots and beetroot. The cold store allows them to be stored up to March, and will also keep them vermin proof. If you decide not to have a cold store a vermin proof store is very important, a shipping container works well but gets hot in the summer and damp in the winter. You can also buy the panels used for cold stores cheaply and slot them together, these are slightly insulated. We bought an old Tesco delivery van unit, without the van. It cost £2000 and you simply plug it in. A root Store Cellar is a possibility as long as it is vermin proof. ZONE ONE Public Social Area Immediately in front of the Barn there will be an outdoor kitchen outdoor pizza / bread oven and eating area for participants of courses, and a slightly raised viewing platform that will provide overwintering parking for the shepherds hut. The Rainwater harvesting tank is installed in this area, slightly buried into the hillside. This will create a slightly “industrial” or working farm feel to the area. It can be softened a little with some planting up of culinary herbs for cooking. The seating area outside will probably be too hot in the summer so providing some sort of overhead “sail” or pergola attached to the water tank with a grape vine ( Boskoop Glory) will provide some protection, with a large outdoor table underneath viewing the farm. However care would need to be provided not to limit the tractor access in and out of the barn. Behind the Barn there will be a suitable dark cool area for mushroom production. Whilst I don't know much about this myself I do know that Grocycle offer training to produce oyster mushrooms, their business is set up in a small shipping container. Mic Eaton has just set up a Lions mane and Reishi Mushroom growing business in Dartington. They both use straw and Mic uses bran from Dartington Mill for the substrate to grow the mushrooms on, which will be a product coming from your farm in the future. For more information on this contact www.grocycle.com and Mic Eaton contact Bob for his details. I have put a 8ft x 20 ft shipping container in the drawing. Private Social Area A covered area on the south side of the house is planned. This can be planted with peaches, olives and apricots espaliered along the sides of the house or sunk into the patio. Irrigation will be required and this could be done via rainwater harvesting and a simple tap linked to “T tape” lines put in and literally turned on and off a few times per week. The barrels could be topped up from the borehole water if it ran out. ( Peach Amsden June, Apricot Tomcot - Plumridge or FP Matthews)) This leads onto a grassy lawn planted up with mature trees providing a shady play area for the children. I would recommend removing the trees that are not wanted at this point such as the conifer and replacing them with trees and shrubs that you can enjoy, giving scent, flowers, food for the birds and butterflies, and play opportunities for the children. (see list of trees in Appendix 1 for Biodiversity). Behind the Linhay there is a “hot” wall that can be planted up with espalier fruit trees such as Pears - Williams or Comice, and Cherry such as Sunburst or Stella, or Passion Fruit and Kiwi. A Brown Turkey Fig tree would probably do well in this area. (Plumridge or FP Matthews) with careful consideration of the placement of the windows of course.

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