Linscombe Farm - about the farm

Where are we?

Linscombe Farm is situated in a quiet valley in the heart of rural Mid Devon, 4 miles from the small market town of Crediton. Nestled in amongst the rolling hills typical of the area, nearly half of the farm is permanent grassland that is home to an incredible array of plants, animals, bugs and fungi. Some 30 of the farm’s 64 acres are currently used for the production of vegetables and the loamy soil seems to impart an exceptional flavour to whatever is grown in it. More recently in 2006 we acquired a further 120 acres of Red Devon soil on the boundary of the parishes of Upton Pyne and Newton St Cyres, just 4 miles from central Exeter. After two years of organic conversion, this land has recently acheived its full organic status on 1st September 2008 and some of our later maturing crops have been grown here this season.

What do we do?

We aim to provide the best possible seasonal produce to local people who care about what they eat and where it comes from. As much as we can, we aim to manage the growing process ourselves, so that we can control the quality of our produce at every stage. With Linscombe produce, from the seed to your table, you can be confident in the origin of your vegetables. The aim of this is to provide the freshest possible vegetables, so that the families who buy them get the full health benefits, whilst genuinely reducing food miles.

Due to increasing demand for out of season favourites like tomatoes, exotic vegetables such as sweet potatoes and other produce that we don’t have the facilities to grow such as mushrooms and fruit, we may buy in produce from other organic farms. Linscombe Farm has been certified organic by the Soil Association for the last 12 years.

What we don’t do!

We do not aim to compete with the supermarkets. We believe that “Local Food for Local People” should mean just that. We also aim to produce top quality food at a fair price - there is plenty of “cheap” food available but we believe that this comes with a hidden price tag that is paid by the health of the consumer and the environment.

Who are we?

Linscombe Farm is run as a traditional family farming partnership with Mum (Helen) and Dad (Phil) ably assisted by four strapping sons - Tom (7 years old but impatient to be 15 so he can drive the tractor), David (considered a good bet to replace our accountant) and James (aiming at the sales and customer relations position) who are both 4. Baby Sam was born in July 2008. (We also directly employ 8 people to help us!).

How do we produce your vegetables?

Plant Raising

Plant Raising 98% of the vegetables that we grow on the farm are raised from seed by ourselves – we remain defeated by the whims of celery and celeriac transplants which we get from a specialist organic plant raiser who seems to have a knack with these capricious vegetables! To meet the demands made upon it by our local customers, our seeding schedule, which runs throughout the year, covers more than 300 different varieties of vegetables and includes many heritage varieties that we have selected for their superb colours and flavours.

Field Crops

We grow some 45 acres of open field crops. Areas of traditional crops, such as potatoes (20 varieties), carrots (15 varieties) and onions (6 varieties) are mixed with exotic crops like winter squash (such as the popular butternut) and sweetcorn – you don’t know what this can taste like until you have eaten some of ours! For sheer diversity, the brassica family is hard to beat and red, yellow, white and green cauliflowers mix with an incredible array of cabbages, broccolis and calabrese. In the early autumn it can be hard to see where the vegetables end and the work of art begins…..

Polytunnel Crops

When polytunnels are mentioned, most of our customers will initially think of the summer cornucopia that comes forth Polytunnel crops nurtured by the benign microclimate of these simple structures. Tomatoes (no, not all tomatoes are hard and acidic) are cropped alongside stunning aubergines, sweet peppers, chillis and even melons – all surrounded by fragrant basil for the salad bowl. However, it is in the winter when the polytunnels really come into their own as they allow us to produce mixed salad bags, lettuce and baby spinach all through the winter without the plants becoming damaged and toughened by the worst that the Devon weather can throw at them. In the spring, our polytunnels help to bridge the dreaded “Hungry Gap” when the previous season’s produce has all been used up or gone beyond its best and the new season field crops are still waiting for the sun. French beans, sugar snap peas and tender early chard are always a welcome addition to the diet after the long winter.

Soil and Compost

A rainbow over the farm Linscombe Farm was selected by the Soil Association to be its first National Demonstration Farm for Composting and Soil Management, demonstrating best practice for the productive and safe re-use of farm wastes: soil management is vital to any farm but is make or break for an organic farm.

The health of the soil directly reflects in the health, nutritional status, size and appearance of the vegetables and so a huge amount of time and effort is put into soil management. Local community green waste from parks and gardens is hot composted on the farm before being applied to the fields to improve long term soil structure and fertility. Crop rotations, green manures and careful attention to the timing and techniques of soil cultivations are all employed to maximum benefit at Linscombe.

Conservation and wildlife

Conservation and wildlife are at the heart of our farm and we work closely with Devon Wildlife Trust. We have been Foxgloves planting trees and hedges since we came here in 1996, including over 5000 trees on 5 acres in 2003, and a further 2000 trees and hedgerows in 2004. We have areas of rough grassland to provide habitat for small (and not so small) mammals, plants, insects and fungi.

Our irrigation needs are supplied by the two ponds we created when we first came to the farm; in addition to supplying the irrigation water, the ponds are superb habitat for a huge variety of insect, bird and plant life. It can be exhilarating to see the masses of swallows and house martins perform their stunning aerobatics as they hunt, drink, wash and play over the ponds without ever appearing to collide with each other. The ponds are also home to water fowl who have found their way there, including families of coots and mallards. The frogs and toads that have invaded the ponds migrate around the farm and are especially welcome in the polytunnels where they engage in a bit of much appreciated slug and snail control.

In the vegetable fields, the wide diversity of crops supports a multitude of insects and weed seed which provides food and cover for many bird species throughout the year. Barn owls, kestrels and a host of dragon flies can be seen going about their business, alongside yellowhammers and skylarks.

Social Responsibility

We never forget that people are at the heart of everything that we do. We provide local families with fresh, nutritious, seasonal produce, giving an additional local focus to the community. As the community supports our business, we reciprocate by re-investing the communities’ “food money” back into the local economy by, wherever possible, ensuring our suppliers are other local businesses. We also supply vegetables to local shops, pubs and other Organic Box Schemes based in Devon, to help them reduce their dependency on imports, so perpetuating this cycle of local regeneration within the rural economy. Within the farm itself, we pay our permanent staff fair wages for fair work, actively promote a safe and healthy working environment and provide regular training courses and opportunities for career development.

Many studies have highlighted the social and economic benefits from organic farming systems such as the one at Linscombe Farm. A recent one by the University of Exeter is summarised below:

Key findings from the University of Exeter study

· 39% more jobs per farm in organic systems (6.40 compared to 4.60)

· 64% more jobs per hectare in organic systems (4.21 compared to 2.56 per 100 hectares)

· Organic farmers are, on average, five years younger than non-organic farmers

· 31% of organic farmers are new entrants to farmers, compared to 21% of non-organic farmers

· Better educated - 51% organic farmers have been through higher education, compared to 30% of non-organic farmers

· Greater businesses diversification - 56% of organic farms, compared to 45% of non-organic farmers

· More direct and local marketing - 39% of organic farms, compared to 13% of non-organic farmers

· More computer literate - 82% of organic farmers use ICT, compared to 61% of non-organic farmers The next generation of farmers

The survey covered 302 organic and 353 non-organic farms in three catchments in England: Devon, East England and North England in 2003. This accounted for 44% of organic farms and 35% of organic farms in these areas, but only 12% of organic farms in England and 7% in the UK.

Added to the environmental, ecological and nutritional benefits, this makes a strong case for a local organic farm to be at the base of everyone’s individual food chain.