FARM NAME: Lockerley Estate and Preston Farm, Hampshire
FARM SIZE: 2,000 ha
DESCRIPTION: Lockerley Estate and Preston Farms is a progressive, regenerative and successful farming business that champions an approach to agriculture where biodiversity, the soil, and the wellbeing of its community and future generations, is at the heart of all it does.
Notably, they are a diverse, rural estate with 1300ha arable crop production, 235ha agri environment, 330ha woodland, 40ha miscanthus, 45ha solar farm, 7.5ha vineyard, and 95ha grass pasture. Working in collaboration, there are also over 1000 grazing sheep and 100 cattle on the farm.
With 11 soil types ranging from Givendale clay to Andover chalk, they grow a diverse arable rotation, including agri environment options whilst matching soil type with end-user crop quality requirements. Around 500ha of cover crops are grown annually and grazed by sheep, and oilseed rape and some wheats are grown with companion crops.
In spring 2016, the Estate and Farm began their shift to regenerative practices and, to date, they have achieved a significant reduction in pesticide spend, a reduction of 53% in tonnes of nitrogen fertiliser in the same period, and continued increase in key soil indicators.
Craig forecasts for the 25’ season, they’ll earn between £75,000 and £100k on regenerative practice premiums.
THEIR APPROACH TO FEEDING THE SOIL:
Lockerley is guided by 5 main principles to support their regenerative approach to crop production:
1) Minimise soil disturbance physically and chemically
2) Keep soil covered and armoured
3) Living roots in the soil all year round
4) Diversity in crop rotation and plant species
5) Integration of livestock
Winter oilseed rape is grown with a three species companion crop, namely, fenugreek, clover and buckwheat, and just under 40% of the total wheat planted across the business is a three-way blend of group 2 wheat. As a grower of Wildfarmed wheat, they also have companion crop of clover with spring wheat
In addition, Lockerley have over 1,000 sheep grazing cover crops and leave 30% of crop residues behind. A super 10 species mix has been used previously but they have moved away from this to a bespoke 7-way mixture. Lambs graze heavier soils and lighter land sees tupping ewes.
In 2024 they started making compost along the Luebke method. Now all drilling is done with a compost extract liquid. They cover roughly 20 hectares per drill fill.
Seed treatments haven’t been used for the past 5 years but all seed is lab tested. No bagged P or K is used and is substituted with FYM, compost, fibrophos, cover crops and foliar products.
They have also been spreading farm yard manure (FYM) (a mix, including sheep and cattle manure) which they have combined with woodchip to sit for a year. They spread this muck at 10-12 tonne a hectare.
Across the estate Craig also has a complex agri environment scheme connecting the x2 SSSI and SAC. Whole field options along with rotational plot options are used with some fields seeing 12 different management options stacked onto the food produced whilst enhancing wildlife. Corn bunting, nightingale and stone curlew have been recorded in recent surveys. The farm have used an independent ecologist to collate data to ensure public money is delivering for the intended outcome.
CHALLENGES:
Higher soil Ph combined with heavy clay cap and high stone content brings challenges in nutritional availability at peak times. To tackle this, they use liquid potash but continue to interrogate SAP analysis to identify antagonisms with a view to balance crops through nutritional inputs.
Craig and his team are also practising the Johnson-Su composting method but have been having consistency issues. In the first year it was really dark, clay-like and humified but the next year it became too hot and dry – so this is an area they’re still working on.
Spring barley is the only crop they have inconsistency within their system.
TOP TIPS:
Appropriate soil movement is considered for every soil type in each field. A low disturbance subsoiler is used to ensure soils remain aerobic.
Seed rates are increased in a direct drill scenario.
The team at Lockerley have been quick to learn the Luebke composting technique. They have found it works well to make compost in their large barn when the sheep have finished lambing. The windrows of finished compost are then taken out onto surrounding ground to mature.
The team have realised the importance of using toptex covers to cover the windrows of compost to prevent them losing moisture and nutrients.
Not only are they using the compost on the farm there is also a strong demand for the compost in our veg shed