CA-WN field trip to Courteenhall
CA-WN was lucky enough to be invited on a tour of Courteenhall farm, which sits between Roade and the southern border of Northampton.
We are very grateful to Dr Johnny Wake and his colleague Jack for sharing their time and expertise. There was so much to see and learn about. If you want to visit yourself there’s an ideal opportunity on Saturday 6 June when the farm is participating in Open Farm Sunday, as well as hosting the Courteenhall Church Fete.
Courteenhall practices regenerative agriculture – it can be tricky to pin down what this means, but here they raise livestock (cows, sheep, poultry and pigs), grow arable crops, and manage part of the land under government Stewardship schemes.
The 60 cattle are Herefords, able to live outside all year round with no supplementary feeding. Their presence (and dung) has enabled the return of dung beetles, who play an unglamorous but vital role in the ecosystem.
The Stewardship scheme fields are planted with various seed mixes: legumes to fix nitrogen in the soil, wildflower mix for pollinators, and wild bird seed mix. The legumes improve the soil and suppress black grass which is a problem for wheat crops. After a few years this is replaced with an arable crop, which does mean spraying with glyphosate first. This is not ideal but the farm does aim to minimise inputs, no longer using insecticides and spreading ‘muck’ in preference to artificial fertilisers where possible.
The woodlands on the estate are managed with wildlife in mind, with new trees being planted and deadwood left standing or lying to provide crucial habitats for birds and invertebrates. Climate change is presenting some serious challenges, with hotter drier weather not suiting all of the native trees, and lack of truly cold winters allowing pests to thrive year-round.
Away from farming, oil-fired heating in the 300-year-old estate cottages is being gradually and successfully replaced with air source heat pumps. The estate also works with local schools and runs the New Leaf charity. The charity supports primary school children to thrive and develop through a range of nature-based activities in a structured programme that also includes personalised support and guided reflection. Find out more and donate to this very worthwhile cause https://www.newleafl.com/.
Courteenhall’s latest enterprise will be a farm shop and restaurant, opening in summer 2027.
This is just a snapshot of what we saw and heard, there is more on the estate’s website https://www.courteenhall.co.uk/