Welbeck Home Farm

Ray Beck and his team manage 1835 hectares of farmland across the Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire countryside.

The team grow a wide range of arable crops for sale on the open market, along with low-mile produce for the Estate - feed and bedding for livestock and the delicious asparagus sold in the Welbeck Farm Shop. 

The Estate’s farming policy is to operate sustainably and environmentally responsibly, preserving and encouraging the habitats necessary for the local wildlife. 

Our sustainable farming practices include the following: 

1. Improving soil structure and health – testing soil nutrient and pH levels began in 2008 and is now undertaken across the whole farm. 
2. Crop rotation – to improve soil health and nutrients while combating pests. 
3. Cover and companion cropping – soaking up any excess nutrients in the soil, helping trap carbon and acting as a guard to reduce water and wind erosion. 
4. Actively increasing soil organic matter – for better fertility, structure and health. Soil with more organic matter also absorbs and retains more water. 
5. We are reducing the use of inorganic fertilisers for environmental reasons and lowering emissions from nitrogen fertiliser applications. 
6. Conservation borders are sown with nectar and bird flower mix.  
7. We monitor and survey wildlife to ensure the natural environment flourishes alongside our farming enterprise.

Home Farm is part of the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI).