There were 9 weeks of drought over the summer, and now it seems hard to recall a day without rain. I am asked how we have been impacted by the weather this year and, so long as your horizon is near, it isn’t all bad: the sunlight and warmth of the summer did wonders to our (well irrigated) vegetables. Many farms also reported bumper crops of fruit. Conversely, we took half as much hay off the same area of land as we did last year. So; a mixed bag. But the thing to note is that it is unpredictable. How then do we forecast next year’s volume of food grown on the farm?
The simple answer is that we make a best guess. As with any prediction of the future, you take what has been historically achieved, add in any factors that you expect will make next year different to past years and add a bit of magic / gut instinct and you have a number, whether it is kilos of leeks, number of eggs, or the cost of compost. And the only number you are certain you won’t achieve next year is that exact number. Our resilience as a farm is a function of the number of things we grow and rear and it is ok if we don’t hit the individual targets for a given crop as we know (hope) that things will balance out over the year and across the myriad of food we produce. I would not sleep well if we only had one or two crops in the ground at any given time, as many farmers do.
While this update isn’t supposed to be about our climate strategy, any update about the last year and our plans for the next is about our climate strategy. Diversity is, in essence, our strategy and, while this encompasses the number of enterprises within Good Small Farms and the fact that we have a mixed herd and 50 different vegetable crops and multiple sales channels, at it’s heart is having a passionate and capable group of people. Therefore I wanted this update to be about the team:
Stuart moved from co-running the market garden to being head of ‘trading’ meaning that he has the unenviable task of trying to sell all that we produce. Bella has been supporting Stuart by going to every market, all the time, everywhere. We are currently attending 8 markets a week which is a mammoth exercise that she takes in her stride. On the food box front, Rachael joined us to help with packing and delivery, bringing a smile and a giggle, whatever the weather. Michelle is working quietly in the background producing all our lovely artwork, flyers, images and signs.
Athene now runs the show in the market garden, excellently supported by Max (who is also working on the market garden’s biodiversity plan), Andy and Hugh (who is also working on building our farm shop). Athene was concerned with the increased responsibility but has taken to it with aplomb, growing such an abundance this year as has never been seen on the farm.
Matt, now the proud and tired dad of delightful Daphne, had his first year of running broiler flocks in addition to the layers and cattle and, despite the increase in work and stress, wants to do it all again next year. Nat has been helping Matt three days a week and it is like she has always been part of the team. We now graze the fields at Oakbrook so her insights there are very welcome too.
Jessie graciously inherited 350 fruit bushes that were planted in the wrong place (by me) and so weren’t getting enough love and attention. She already has plans to increase the number so keep your eyes peeled for some delicious soft fruit turning up at the markets in 2026. Clara is now in charge of the culinary herbs part of the nursery where we are looking to develop our organic nut tree capacity too.
Scott joined us in finance, trying to grapple with how we have created such a complex system in such a small company but thankfully he appreciates that this is necessary for us to understand each element of the business. Anne-Carney, who supports Scott, is on maternity leave, looking after her gorgeous three-month old Gus.
Miranda has managed to organise 12 school visits this year which have been as amusing as ever and, even though the visits don’t feel long enough, we see messages on Instagram from grateful parents showing that there is impact. We have worked with the Sustainable Food Trust and the University of Bristol to host two cohorts of a green social prescribing pilot over 6 weeks each and hope to repeat this next year. We are now a Beacon Farm, demonstrating our commitment to not only agroecological growing but also extending our reach through educational visits and engaging with the wider community. I continue to host farm visits, whether for MSc Agroecology students at the RAU or farmers wishing to learn more about natural flood management.
I was going to continue this update with details of our plans for 2026 but I think that can wait until January; everyone deserves to be able to reflect on this year and be proud of what they have achieved, without having to immediately feel the need to think about next year.
It leaves me to say thank you to all our customers and friends and the wider community that supports growing tasty food for local people. May you have a peaceful and restful break.
Eric xx
