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Hollow Trees Farm – The Sustainability Journey

13th Jan

Robert Bendall, a third-generation farmer and dedicated steward of Hollow Trees Farm, reflects on his journey toward embracing sustainability and working in harmony with nature.

On the environmental and sustainability front it’s been a long journey of discovery for a farm boy of the seventies.  I enrolled into agricultural college in 1975 and, at that time, it seemed science had an answer for everything and the answers were backed up by a huge agrichemical industry.  My father was an arable farmer who, like many others, farmed in ways that were promoted as the way forward at that time. Agrichemicals played a part and we mustn’t lose sight of the fact that these farming practices provided the country with a reliable food supply in the post war years. Now however the pendulum is swinging the other way and increasingly I am finding that working with nature brings massive rewards to me and to the life of a small farm like Hollow Trees. 

Following in my grandfathers’ and father’s footsteps farming was my chosen career and I have been privileged to be the custodian of the Hollow Trees Farm for the past 30 years. From an early age I discovered a love of the land and interest in the natural world, especially trees. 

As I child I recall collecting conkers from the large horse chestnut tree at Semer church and taking them home to plant them on the farm. Since then, I have been referred to as a bit to a of a ‘tree geek’; fascinated by trees of every kind and as a result planting hundreds on the farm. This has in turn, led to the creation of habitats for small insects through to larger mammals like deer. As a business, our steer towards more sustainable farming practices have evolved over time. One of the main changes we have made is to stop using commercial nitrogen anywhere on the farm. It used to be one of the first spring jobs, giving the grass a boost, albeit with an artificial fed source. Now, with nature in mind, we now grow mixed species grass in the fields where our livestock graze, the mix includes clover, legumes and herbs and we then use our own composted farm yard manure to feed the grass. The common worm (referred to as the ‘farmers friend’) loves this rich food source and will quickly break down the manure giving the grass the fuel for a burst of growth in the spring time. Other recent projects we have embarked upon include the creation of a butterfly garden, specifically designed as a source of learning and inspiration for our school visit programme. With over thousand school children visiting the farm each year we hope to pass on the benefits of working with nature and to enthuse the next generation.   

Farmers have a saying that when the time comes, they want to pass on the farm “in a better condition” than when they took it on. Whilst we should not disrespect the past generations who have farmed and fed us all in the ways they thought best, it is right that the tide is turning now and at Hollow Trees Farm our direction is set to be one of farming sustainably and at one with nature.