News From The Farm May 2026

2026 so far has been a year of contrasts weather-wise. At the beginning of the year we had 18 inches of rain in 10 weeks ( which is half of our normal annual rainfall! ) followed by only 1/2inch in April and to date, 3/4 inch in May. Like most years, some crops are enjoying the climate ( the wheat, rape and winter oats ), and others less so. Due to the very dry April and May, many crops have not tillered very well, ( which creates a thick crop ), but the heads on the wheat in particular, are big and if we are blessed with more rain, we may find the plants yield well. So fingers crossed for a good yield.

The spring barley looks better from the hedge than it does when walking the field, where again, it is a bit thin due to lack of tillering early on.

This year we decided to grow spring naked oats( rather than winter ones ) for your bird food. These are faring well. Planting spring naked oats helps control the grass weeds, particularly sterile brome and blackgrass, which are a real scourge, and the spring planting will help keep the farm cleaner, with less use of herbicides. The canary seed which normally doesn't like dry weather has established well and is looking promising

We are growing linseed and peas as break crops. The peas, as a legume, don't require any additional Nitrogen and the linseed uses only a small amount. With the continuing conflict in Iran, Nitrogen prices have rocketed by 50% and may continue to rise, quite possibly by another 20%, so using less Nitrogen dependent break crops makes financial sense. We are currently trying to book our fertiliser for harvest 2027, but it is in very short supply and we will have to take the opportunities when they arise -but it will be costly! Our peas are a variety called Mantara maple peas.They are a break crop for our winter wheat and are really loving the hot weather! They will be sold to Robin Appel Ltd , and will eventually find their way into racing pigeon lofts where they will fuel those speedy birds. Maple peas are high in protein ( 20-25% ) and are usually fed in combination with other cereals and legumes to help build lean muscle ( you don't want a fat racing pigeon! ) and repair muscles after arduous races

 Lots to like about peas and linseed, but they do have some significant downsides. Both crops can be a nightmare to harvest. Peas can go flat, which means we have to set the combine header very close to the floor, and on our flinty ground, the chances of damaging the combine with a large flint are high. Linseed on the other hand, has really tough wiry straw that loves to wrap itself around the insides of the combine, stripping out bearings! So we are bracing ourselves for some large repair bills over harvest, but hopefully it will be trouble free ( optimistic thinking on my part! ) Our final planting job of the year is underway as I write this; white millet. The red millet is already in the ground. Millet seed is very small and it needs to be planted shallow in dry soil, which is just as well because the fields are like dust bowls at the moment! We prepared the seed bed 4-6 weeks ago to allow the soil to settle and hopefully retain moisture, and now Richard is double -rolling close behind the drill to really firm the seed bed and maximise the seed to soil contact that the millet will need. This year we have over 100 acres of millet going in - all for our UK birds 

Last week we had a very enjoyable visit with the Hampshire Farmers Club to Summerdown Farm, near Basingstoke, the home of the Coleman family. Summerdown currently grow around 100 acres of organic Black Mitcham peppermint. 100 years ago it was a native variety, but subsequently died out. It was re-introduced by the family in the early 1990s and WOW what a plant! Standing in the field, there was the most glorious aroma of deep, rich peppermint. The plant leaves are harvested for their organic peppermint tea and are also distilled into organic peppermint oil which gives added flavour to their tea, as well as a range of delicious chocolates and scented home fragrances. After our tour, we were treated to a cup of peppermint tea and some chocolates and I can thoroughly recommend them! The business also grows organic camomile for tea and lavender for the oil. 

Our visit to Summerdown was also very nostalgic for Richard since his Mum, Mary, grew up with her parents as farming tenants on the Summerdown Estate. It has changed somewhat since those days! This photo was taken we think around 1945

 Exciting Barn Owl News! We finally have a Barn Owl nesting in our barn! We built and erected a Barn Owl box a number of years ago, but I think we got the location wrong and every year we have been disappointed. However - fingers crossed we will have a family this year. Last year was a terrible year for Barn Owl numbers in Hampshire, but this year seems to be a Bonanza - so I will keep you updated on how they get on and hopefully we will have some good news and a few photos to share with you in the next couple of months. These 2 cuties are obviously not ours, but I couldn't resist the photo.

Keeping cool! It has been a challenging few days for our staff processing orders in agricultural buildings in this heat, and we are always indebted to the work they put in on our behalf. I have been keeping the cold drinks and iced towels flowing - and it seems there is a number of ways you can wear an iced tea towel! Stylish guys.

 Please keep a close eye on what is happening in your garden – and if you have any doubts, queries or questions, I will be very happy to help you out in any way I can. You can send me your questions here.

Enjoy and take care of your garden birds!
Lesley

Spring has arrived and wheels are turning!

It is great to be out on the land again, after a long winter. The soil has changed quickly from being very wet to quite dry as a result of the cold N/NE winds we have been having.

Our spring naked oats have been in the ground for 10 days but have not yet emerged (I think it is too cold for them to pop their heads out!) and we have been discing the canary seed ground, getting it ready for drilling (photo above).

Other jobs have involved rolling our winter oats. We roll to press the flints into the ground to stop them breaking the combine at harvest and also, rolling winter crops encourages them to tiller (produce more stems) which should help improve yields.

We have had a few punctures recently as a result of our flinty ground. The large sharp 'Hampshire Diamonds' (if only they were!) are hard on tyres and farm machinery, particularly cultivator points which wear down quickly. Cultivator points penetrate and break up the soil. Because we have such abrasive soil, we need to use points made from tungsten carbide, one of the hardest materials used in farming. They are expensive to buy (what isn't these days?) but they are more wear-resistant than standard steel. This has lots of benefits: tungsten carbide will stay sharper for longer, improving soil penetration (and very importantly, especially at the moment, fuel consumption) since it is easier to pull sharp points across a field than blunt ones! With fewer replacements needed, they reduce the significant 'downtime' associated with changing points. Anything which reduces the time Merv and Richard have to be on their knees under farm machinery gets a big thumbs up!

On the subject of fuel, I was incredulous to hear Trump state that America will get richer on the back of increased global oil prices. Fuel is one of the largest variable costs on arable farms and of course the huge price hike we are currently all experiencing has coincided perfectly with the start of our spring land work. A large percentage of our farm is sown into spring crops (for your bird food) so we have to look at smart ways to limit input costs, whilst still producing good yields and quality seed. Richard is constantly assessing and revisiting our crop rotations, and until the seed goes into the ground, the plan can be subject to change. With all input costs currently so high, things like direct drilling and minimising 'passes' across the fields will all be used to conserve fuel.

PICTURED: Blackthorn in flower (left) and spring violets (right)

This year has been a true spring with a blackthorn winter. A 'blackthorn winter' is an old traditional term used to describe a sudden cold snap in early spring, usually happening around the time the blackthorn plant blooms.

Traditional folklore states that bad weather lasts whilst the blackthorn is in flower and as the flower wanes, better weather arrives. This year we have had warmth, cold, hail, frost, sun and rain with the flower. This changeable weather has made planting spring crops much easier this year (compared to last), since it has kept moisture in the soil. But the inclement spring weather has definitely been more challenging for garden birds; requiring more food to cope with the cold and the wind.

Golden Plovers on the Farm

We currently still have a small flock of around 30 golden plovers on the farm. They tend to be present on lowland farms from around October until March/April when they move back to upland breeding areas.

Whilst it is a relatively small flock we are delighted to be hosting them. They tend to fly as a tight flock and we often spot them as they lift off, showing golden flashes where the light catches their backs.

Golden plovers don't use farmland randomly, often returning to their favourite fields year after year. They do like open unobstructed ground (to be able to spot predators) and damp grassland, or a sparse crop of winter-sown cereal fits the bill. Being wading birds they have made the most of the flooding this year, where water-logged soil has offered up plentiful worms and insects. You can often identify them by their 'run-stop' feeding style, picking insects and worms and sprinting on! It won't be long before they head off up north but we will look forward to their return in late autumn.

Seed of the Month: Feeder Mix™

Feeder Mix™ is our SEED OF THE MONTH for April!

We've reduced the price of our Feeder Mix™ by 10% for this month only. Most of the seeds in this mix are grown right here on our farm – it's a delicious, free flowing mix that's particularly popular with finches and tits.

Here's a testimonial from one of our customers:

"This is the best feeder mix I've found, and believe me, I've tried an awful lot out on my garden birds! This mix doesn't have big dried-up stalks which clog the feeder and the birds love it. Delivery really quick and I definitely recommend this product and the company."

Buy Feeder Mix™ Now & Save 10%

Enjoy your birds!

With very best wishes,
Lesley

It's the perfect time to put up a new nest box or refurbish an existing one.

Pictured above: Minnesota Nest Box 32mm with Wooden Roof

Winter begins to wane, daylight starts to stretch and birds start to sing. Although it seems early, you will notice more activity in your gardens as many of your feathered friends turn their attention to claiming their territory, checking out new potential nesting sites and building energy reserves for the breeding season ahead. As bird numbers suffer a general decline (due in part to a scarcity of natural nesting sites), a successful mating season is critical to lay the foundations for success of the next generation. Species such as tits, sparrows, wrens and robins often begin preparing for breeding well before spring arrives, and they are gearing up! Having clean, repaired nest boxes in sheltered positions in your garden will help the house-hunting process and will ease their transition to the breeding season.

We are celebrating National Nest Box Week (14th – 21st February) with some fantastic nest box offers. You can save up to 20% on selected nest boxes plus we will put in a FREE 30g bag of nesting wool with each nest box purchased!*

See What's on Offer >>

*Nest box offers available until 21st February or while stocks last. We will automatically add a free bag of nesting wool with each nest box ordered.

A Cosy Home For Jenny Wren

SAVE 20%

This Schwegler spherical wren house provides excellent protection from predators. Hang the nest box in low-level undergrowth in a shady place.

Save 20% Here >>

A Stylish New Home for Woody Woodpecker

SAVE 20%

This woodpecker nest box is handmade in solid, sustainably-sourced cedar with a 55mm entrance hole. Install it high up on a mature tree in a quiet location and wait for the new family!

Save 20% Here >>

SEE ALSO: Where to Put a Nest Box

Premium Seed of the Month

High Energy Blend™

Order our High Energy Blend™ before the end of February to save 10% on the normal price!

Here's what our customers have said about this seed mix:

"This is an excellent blend and has been attracting many garden birds this spring including sparrows, tits, robins, bullfinches, chaffinches, goldfinches and woodpecker. No mess because anything discarded by birds at the feeders gets picked up by others on the ground." – Kay

"It's a beautiful quality feed and the birds are absolutely loving it. Highly recommended." – Phillipa

"I am thrilled that your bird seed has brought so many wild birds to my garden. Absolutely recommend and also your bird feeder with rain protection." – Eve

Small birds have big energy needs, and there's no feed more packed with energy than our High Energy Blend™. With a free-flowing formulation and a 10% saving in February, it's the perfect choice for this cold, wet time of year.

Buy Now from Just £8.95 >>

Snack Smart!

Consider adding some high-energy suet to your bird feeding station at this time of year. It's delicious and high in calories – your birds will thank you!

SAVE 10% ON SELECTED SUET PRODUCTS! Just enter the code SNACKSMART10 at the checkout to claim your discount. Offer available until 21st February or while stocks last.

Honest 2 Nature Suet Cakes

High quality suet cakes with plastic-free and fully recyclable packaging. A great ECO choice!

Find Them Here >>

Peckaballs with Insect

Highly nutritious 'smaller' fat balls. High in calories with great texture and taste, and very versatile!

Find Them Here >>

Peckish Extra Goodness Nuggets

Perfect for small beaks and available in 2 different pack sizes.

Find Them Here >>

Well! I don't know about you, but I am a bit fed up with this incessant rain and I am really looking forward to spring and all the wonderful things that it brings.

Enjoy your birds!

With very best wishes,
Lesley

P.S. Don't forget checkout code SNACKSMART10 to make smart savings.

Our 4kg Pick & Mix Bags are on special offer right now – some great savings to be had!

• Order 3 bags, pay for 2 – SAVE £8
• Order 4 bags, pay for 3 – SAVE £8
• Order 5 bags, pay for 4 – SAVE £8
• Order 6 bags, pay for 5 – SAVE £8

Pick & Mix allows you to order 4kg bags of any of our seed mixes, straight seeds, peanuts or suet pellets. The more bags you order, the more money you save...and this special offer means that, for a limited time, one of your bags is FREE if you order three or more 4kg bags!

So why not try something new for your garden birds today? Simply head over to our Pick & Mix page, click each item you wish to buy, and once you have made your selections, click the 'Add to Basket' button.

Choose Your Bags >>

OCTOBER SEED OF THE MONTH

Native Finch Mix

SAVE 15% (Offer Ends 31st October)

Our Native Finch Mix contains 12 different seeds, and this wide variety is guaranteed to attract not just finches but an assortment of small birds to your garden.

This mix is ideal for filling up seed feeders, but you can also pop it on your bird table or scatter it on the ground for all the ground-feeding birds to enjoy.

Buy Native Finch Mix >>

Who Is Eating All the Nuts and Acorns?

We are!

Did you know that we sell our own home-made Really Wild Squirrel Food?

This mix is deliciously fresh and loved by squirrels! It comes with FREE DELIVERY, plus you can order it as part of your Pick & Mix order.

Our squirrel food is packed with delicious home-grown ingredients and nutritious seeds, plus high-energy oilseeds and peanuts! What more could a squirrel want?

If you are having trouble with squirrels raiding your bird feeders and stealing your bird food, why not put up a squirrel feeder just for them? Place it in a different part of your garden and encourage them to help themselves to our bespoke squirrel food – a bistro just for them!

Really Wild Squirrel Food is now available in 15kg sacks. So many customers wanted MORE, so we are now offering larger sacks of food for your squirrels. Great value at only £2.19 per kg!

Order Your Squirrel Food

Enjoy your birds (and squirrels!)

Best wishes,
Lesley

P.S. There is a bountiful supply of acorns around this year, and some fairly amazing mushrooms and toadstools are enjoying the season. Just a word of warning: be diligent when walking dogs, since many of them may be poisonous.

Well, that's a wrap!

Harvest 2025 is finally finished! It's a long old season – most farmers tucked their combines away in August having had one of the earliest harvests on record, but we had to sit it out and wait for the spring bird seed crops to ripen. The plain canary seed was cut 5 weeks early due to the very dry weather; unfortunately canary seed doesn't like dry weather, so whilst the quality was excellent (and it came in dry) we only had 60% of our normal yield.

As the days shorten, the number of available hours to combine crops reduces significantly. The heavy morning dews and the damp coming down in early evening means that there is usually only a 4–5 hour daily window to cut crops.

Our red millet was harvested on 22nd September and the white millet on 1st October. Those two crops were the stars for the year, with both the quality and the yields being excellent. It was nice to finish the year with two crops that have done really well. Good news for us and your garden birds!

And now there is a big dash to plant our winter wheat, while the weather is favourable. Agronomists like us to plant autumn crops as late in the year as possible as this helps with disease control and grass weed problems, which ultimately will help us to bring down the cost of production. However, with late planting, there is always the pressure of the weather bearing down. Will it stay fair for the next month or will it be wet and stop us getting on the land? That is always the big question and there is too much at stake to gamble on the former, so the dash is on to get the job done during this window of fine weather.

Shoo fly!

This year has been particularly bad for a pest called the 'turnip sawfly', the larvae of which feeds on newly-planted winter oil seed rape crops. Their numbers can build rapidly, and boy, do they they feed voraciously, sawing out young plants and leaving them as plant skeletons!

The turnip sawfly (left) and plant damage caused by its larvae (right).

Wheat and barley

We are very pleased with our new grain store (erected late last year) and it is helping hugely. We can now hold much more of our own grain on the farm instead of sending it to a central store, which works out extremely expensive. Grain prices are really poor at the moment, with wheat trading at around £165 per tonne. We are hoping that, by holding onto our own grain, we can wait for prices to improve before selling...but with the way things are globally (there is a global over-supply) that may be a pipe dream this year.

We have grown a lot of spring barley this year, all of which achieved excellent malting barley quality, which is great in itself. However, the malting barley market in the UK has collapsed. Much of the UK's malting barley would normally be exported to maltsters in Europe, but this year they have been undercut by the Chinese who have produced large tonnages of cheap (inferior) malted barley for European brewers. So we currently have no home for our barley.

It would be fair to say that, in all the years Richard has been farming, this is one of the toughest to date. But we have to stay positive – and stay farming – because that is what we do and what we are good at!

On a brighter note: your garden birds are still enjoying our produce!

OCTOBER SEED OF THE MONTH

Native Finch Mix

From only £7.60 (SAVE 15%)

Our Native Finch Mix includes millet, oil seed rape, wheat, naked oats, plain canary seed and black sunflower seeds – and to make it even more tasty, we have added niger seed (which goldfinches particularly love), making this the perfect autumn bird food for finches and other small, hedge-loving birds.

Buy Native Finch Mix Here

Special offers

There are some great deals to be had on our Special Offers page right now! Here are just a few of them (offer details correct as of October 2025):

• 15% off floating swan and duck food! Take an autumn stroll down to your nearest river or pond and feed the ducks! Bread isn't good for them, so this is a great alternative.
  
  
• 10% off Apollo two-port seed feeders! Apollo™ seed feeders help to make bird feeding simple. The base, lid and ports are easily removed for cleaning and refilling.
  
  
• 10% off the Vierno Tavern seed feeder! A domed roof and round arches create good visibility of birds' surroundings, helping them to feel secure whilst feeding.
  
  
• Save £7.70 on this hedgehog feeding dish with niblets! Get an adorable 'I Love Hedgehogs' ceramic feeding dish plus a bag of hedgehog niblets for only £9.95!
  
  
• Vetark Citrosan for only £5.50! Natural water sanitiser for your bird bath. Helps to reduce disease transmission.

View Our Special Offers Here

Discover Our Birdie Basics Range Here

Well, that's all from me for now. Enjoy your birds and, as always, thank you for your custom!

Kind regards,
Lesley

September is nearly upon us and there is definitely an autumnal chill in the air! You may have noticed just how laden the hedgerows are with fruit, berries and nuts this year – an incredible crop of nature's bounty. It's true that gardens become quiet as our feathered friends head off to make the most of these natural resources; however, we still recommend putting out some additional food to keep the birds in your area, and to ensure that their diet is 'topped up'.

Check out our Birdie Basics bird seed range, which includes a wheat-free seed mix. Just like our premium feeds, these more affordable mixes are packed with home-grown ingredients from our UK farm. And with prices starting from just 70p per kg (including free delivery!) they're a great choice to keep those feeders ticking over.

Order Your Birdie Basics Here!

August Seed of The Month

Original Farm Gold™

SAVE 15% (offer ends 31st August)

Homegrown is always best and this delicious, nutritious Original Farm Gold™ bird seed mix lets the harvest sunshine spill out of it.

September and October are often glorious 'golden' months as the mornings become just slightly colder. Original Farm Gold™ is a perfect autumn bird feed, and a fantastic premium choice for your garden birds at this time of year. Offer ends 31st August so don't miss out!

Order Before September & SAVE 15%

Enjoy your birds!

With best wishes,
Lesley

Our High Energy Fledgling Mix™ has done its work for the season...but garden birds are still hungry, so don't miss this opportunity to stock up one last time!

Be sure to order your High Energy Fledgling Mix™ before 25th August 2025. After that, this mix won't be available again until next year! Buy now >>

Why buy High Energy Fledgling Mix™?

• Highly digestible
• Packed with energy
• Mini bites make for easy feeding
• No mess mix – everything will be eaten
• Tastes delicious!

This family says 'thank you!'

Order Your Fledgling Mix™ Here >>

August Seed of the Month: Original Farm Gold™

15% off this month!

Home grown and delicious, our Original Farm Gold™ bird seed mix is a great choice for autumn feeding!

But you don't have to take our word for it...

"We have more garden birds than ever since we started feeding with Original Farm Gold™.

"Blackbirds, robins, blue tits, etc.

"But the pheasants love it as well!"

– Karen, Holmfirth

Order This Month to Save 15% >>

This year looks like it's going to be a bumper one for nature's bounty. Our hedgerows and bushes are festooned with nuts and berries. We have been out and about picking blackberries for crumbles and pies...and perhaps a few bottles of blackberry tipple to see us through the winter months!

The hazelnut bushes in our garden are laden with nuts; the main problem we have is how to harvest them before the squirrels pinch them all. It's proving quite a challenge!

Many of our customers worry at this time of year that their garden birds will desert them. This is normal; they need time to moult, and then they will head off into the hedges to enjoy nature's food. But please don't worry – they will return. And while your feeders are quiet, it's a good opportunity for repair work and cleaning.

With very best wishes to all our customers,

Lesley

P.S. Don't forget to make the most of our special offers!

The premium Tidy Garden™ seed mix is always our number-one seller, but never more so than during the summer months when people are out in their gardens and don't want to be looking at messy sprouting seeds and untidy feeding areas.

Of course, this year's drought has made it more difficult for left-over seeds to germinate – but it's still great to know that everything is eaten up and your garden will remain mess-free!

We've taken 15% OFF all Tidy Garden Mix™ pack sizes for the month of July. Prices start from just £9.31 for 2kg of bird food. This is a really good opportunity to try a fantastic feed at a great price!

Save 15% on Tidy Garden Mix™

And don't forget: you can save a further 15% if you CLICK & COLLECT from the farm!

Another pick of the month for us: pulling wild oats!

We have taken on more land this year, which will enable us to keep up with the demand for all our bird seed crops. Unfortunately the new acquisition has some quite large patches of wild oats growing, which need to be removed before harvest. If they are allowed to remain, they will profusely shed their seeds and create an even bigger problem next year, and the only way to do it is to get out there are pull them up by hand!

Luckily, we have fantastic staff members (and a daughter home from uni) who have been willing to get onto the land and give us some help. We are very grateful to them all. We have a great team working for us; everyone willing to muck in.

Left: a handful of wild oats. Right: another glorious day and a 7am start to beat the heat!

As I write this, the harvest has just started. Richard is off to start combining our oilseed rape. The first day of harvest is always an exciting day, usually filled with trepidation and the big question: 'will the combine be trouble-free?!'

There is a huge amount of work undertaken in the weeks running up to harvest time. The combine is thoroughly serviced and checked for any parts which need replacing (and there are invariably some significant repairs and replacements needed). This year it was the water pump – always an expensive item to replace – and the poor design of this particular combine meant that accessing it was extremely tricky; a real headache for our mechanics. All the trailers and grain moving equipment are given a 5* clean, as are the grain stores which will be housing our newly-harvested crops. Shiny and spotless!

Lots more news to tell you in my next newsletter, but until then.... stay out of the heat and enjoy your garden birds!

With very best wishes,
Lesley

P.S. I may need a physio after this!