Dig Deep Volunteers Visit to Redbournbury Mill and Hammond's End Farm

On the 07th June the Dig Deep volunteers accepted a very kind invitation to visit the farm where the wheat seed for our wheat field came from.

Hammonds End Farm is 300 acres of cropping, grass and woodland located between Harpenden and Redbourn in Hertfordshire. The Roberts family have farmed the land for over 50 years and converted to organic farming in 1998.

As well as producing cereals and livestock they have a range of traditional and modern buildings which have been used for stables and the on farm processing of cereals.

http://www.hammondsend.co.uk/

Our guide on the day was Howard Roberts, who showed us around his wonderful farm and taught us about the processes involved in growing and harvesting a variety of cereals organically. We visited various fields, barns and looked at the machinery involved in the process. We were all very interested in the organic aspects of the farm including areas to encourage wildlife such as green and wild borders around the fields. These borders give a home to beetles that will eat any pests that would damage the crops. One field in particular was growing a wonderful range of flowers that will become green manure. This was particularly interesting as we have planted our own green manures at Dig Deep to dig back into the soil.