Consultancy, Presentations and Advice
Visit the farm
Individual consultancy visits are welcome at our farm, or, for a more cost effective visit, you may want to bring other colleagues with you. For many people this is an excellent introduction to how an organic system operates. We have been growing organically on this site since 1987 and are able to demonstrate:
- Stockfree field vegetables on 17 acres, an intensive rotation with widespread use of long and short-term green manures.
- Intensive garden crops in a 2 acre Victorian walled garden, again utilising intensive green manures and own produced composts.
- Out-of-season production in 17,000 sq feet of tunnels and glasshouse utilising our own vegetable compost.
- Own-plant propagation facilities in our dedicated greenhouse producing over 75,000 plants per year.
- Agroforestry systems within a horticulture unit
- Direct marketing. All our produce is sold through our own box scheme, local market and on-farm stall.
- Vegetable & woodchip composting for small-scale users.
Advice on your farm
Iain Tolhurst will visit you on your farm to deliver advice tailored to your personal situation.
- Farm inspection to assess the feasibility of the practical and financial implications of an organic conversion.
- Discuss with you the various options for business development.
- Conversion planning – designing your conversion, rotations, weed control, pest/disease management, fertility building, and soil management and cropping plans.
Office-based consultancy
Once Iain has visited your farm and discussed your various ideas and options, he will be able to complete much of the work from our office:
- Report on the feasibility of converting your farm to an organic system.
- Draw up a conversion plan, to include rotations, weed control, pest/disease management, fertility building, soil management and cropping plans.
- Financial study, to assess the financial implications.
- Machinery/equipment list, particularly useful to those farmers who may be embarking on a new diversification.
- Detailed cropping plans tailored to your proposed markets.
- Supply names and addresses of materials, services and organisations that you will find useful.
- Telephone service for clients. (This is something that people find invaluable.)
Workshops and Presentation
Iain has extensive experience in designing and delivering seminars on the practice of organic production.
The training can be organised to suit your specific needs, at your site or ours. These seminars will often take the form of a workshop, using participative training techniques. Where appropriate the seminar can be linked with outdoor activities such as a farm walk or demonstration.
Seminars at our farm can be catered for, using our EHO registered commercial kitchen and offering the best organic fresh lunches and refreshments. Please contact us.
Iain is also often invited to give presentations at conferences and seminars covering practice and policy on a range of organic subjects.
Farm Walks can be organised for groups of farmers, consultants, students, amateur gardeners or members of the public. With specific requirements, please email.
