Environment

As a family that have enjoyed this corner of NE Hampshire for several generations, we recognise that we are custodians of this landscape and believe in preserving it for future generations to enjoy.

We have embraced many schemes over the years that benefit local flora and fauna and work closely with other local landowners to encourage and assist them with their own environmental stewardship. Currently all the land we farm is included in an environmental scheme (either Higher Level Scheme or Countryside Stewardship). Under these schemes most fields have grass margins, providing habitat and feed for various bird species. We also plant wild-bird mixes which provide a continual food source for various bird species throughout the winter. Low-input meadows now have a huge diversity of plant-life, which in turn, has proved a welcome source of food for birds and insects. Over the last few years, we have seen a rise in populations of many different species, including barn owls, little owls and grey partridge.

Over the years the farm has planted several miles of new hedgerows made up of traditional and native plant species. We only cut our hedges every 2-3 years, this allows the hedges to bush out and provide better and safer nesting to small bird species.

In a couple of our fields we have allocated hectre plots in the middle of the fields. These plots are undrilled allowing for natural plants to grow and establish, this provides perfect habitat for ground nesting birds such as skylarks.

Under the HLS scheme we leave some of our land as stubble over the winter period. The reason for this is it acts as a feed source for seed eating birds which feed on any spilt grain from the harvesting process.

We liaise closely with a local bee keeper who keeps several bee hives dotted around the farm. The bees play a key part in our crop production as the bees help to pollinate our crops resulting in more flowers and better yields from our Oilseed Rape, beans and Linseed.

In the past we have had many visits from the RSPB who have carried out several bird surveys. We now have a dedicated and highly experienced bird expert who carries surveys throughout the year. We are always interested to find out which species of birds we have nesting on our farm.

Across the farms there are numerous footpaths allowing the general public to enjoy our piece of the beautiful Hampshire countryside.  Being situated so close to the Village of Crondall ensures that we get a lot of locals using these paths. Due to this we have also opened up some of the farm tracks to the public so that they can walk a complete circuit around some of the fields. We take pleasure in opening up our farm to the public so that they can enjoy the natural scenery and wildlife as much as we do.

Here at Clare Park we are very fortunate to own several old natural woods, one of which surrounds the ruins of an old Anglo Saxon castle. These woodlands create a suitable habitat to a range of wildlife and helps to increase bio-diversity on the farm. In the spring time many of the woods flourish in beautiful blue bells covering the woodland floor in amazing colour. We recognise the importance of preserving these woods and carefully maintain them by felling any damaged trees. Over the years we have taken land out of production to create several new woodlands in order to encourage more wildlife to the farm.

At Clare Park Farm we have recently started a programme to clean out and reinstate old ponds around the farm, forming vital habitats for a range of species.

Seven years ago, we installed 40MW of solar panels on a barn roof at Clare Park Farm and this has allowed us to run our grain dryer and workshops on clean, renewable energy.