Windmill Park – A Farm On The Pembrokeshire Coast
Windmill Park is a family owned mixed farm, managed by the family for over 100 years. Although Cliff Cottage is sited on the farm, the main farm buildings are half a mile from the cottage.
We work on the premise that we are caretakers of the land and aim to leave it in good heart for the next generation. We farm approximately 400 acres – 120 acres of barley, 70 acres of potatoes, 80 beef cattle and seasonal grazing for 600 sheep. The farm is proud to be working with the LEAF Maque (Linking Environment and Farming) scheme. It is also affiliated to The Red Tractor standards, meaning our beef is reared to the highest standards of welfare and safety. The farm aims to maintain excellent soil health, set aside permanent acres for wildlife, plant trees and grow wild flowers as part of its sustainable farming practise. Farm and house electricity is generated by solar panels and a windmill,
LEAF (Linking Environment And Farming) — the leading organisation delivering more sustainable food and farming.
Integrated Farm Management | LEAF (Linking Environment and Farming)
Windmill Park – Integrated Farm Management Policy
1. To responsibly grow fresh produce in line with the ethics of the Root Zero brand.
2. Improve the resilience of the natural environment on farm, supporting the health,
diversity and enrichment of our food, farm and future generations.
To achieve this aim, we will:
• We meet all relevant legislation.
• We minimize all polluting releases to the environment
• We implement IFM into all of our practices.
• We monitor our use of water and energy.
• We will optimize our use of sustainably produced materials in our infrastructure
projects.
• We will ensure that all waste is recycled where possible.
To reduce and reuse waste we will ensure:
• Wherever possible we will recycle materials disposed of on site.
• All recycling is measured, stored and recorded accurately for collection by a
registered water company.
• Minimize all waste transferred to landfill where possible.
To improve the resilience of the natural environment on farm we will:
• We have conducted a Landscape and Nature Conservation audit and highlighted
some measures to protect and enhance species and habitat in the future.
• Implement a landscape and nature conservation plan that is an integral part of the
farming business.
To minimize all polluting releases to the environment we will:
• We will protect our Water, Air and Soil by following the Codes of Good Agricultural
Practice.
• Reducing the risk of polluting incidents by identifying sensitive habitats and field
areas and adjusting or avoiding the application of inputs on these areas.
• We will conduct an annual Carbon foot printing audit and ensure that all of our GHG
emissions are accounted for and reduced to a minimum.
We will optimize water and energy efficiency by:
• We will conduct an annual energy audit identifying all major uses of energy in the
business to reduce dependency on non-renewable energy sources and enhancing
our energy use efficiency.
• When purchasing new equipment, we will investigate into equipment powered by
more efficient energy sources.
• We will ensure that all water abstraction licenses are up to date and accurate whilst
monitoring water usage.
• Investigate the possibilities of to increase the percentage of water used from stored
sources over direct abstraction.
Short term objectives
• Wildlife – encourage wildlife habitats where possible and monitor key species as
indicated within the Landscape and Nature Conservation Plan. Sow nectar, pollen
and bird feed mixes where possible on uncropped land such as headland etc.
• Energy – Conduct a farm scale energy audit establishing the emissions produced
across the farming enterprise.
• Soil – Begin to monitor soil health with the aim of improving Soil Organic Matter
(SOM)
Long term objectives
• Explore alternative sources of energy for the farming business such as Solar PV and
Wind.
Implementing Integrated Farm Management (IFM) across the whole farm business ensures
that we account for and optimize all resources used on the farm from Soil, Water, Power
and Machinery. This allows us to monitor, protect and enhance our natural farmed
landscape and the species within.
Windmill Park – Linking Environment and Farming
Combining barley – usually takes place in September. Most of our barley is sold for seed and some is kept for winter feed for our cattle.
Cattle live out all summer on permanent pasture. In winter they come into barns and open yards where they are fed on home grown silage and barley.
