Working with nature
Adam Henson is passionaite about UK farming and feels that we must bridge the growing knowledge gap about where our food comes from, if we are to feed the nation and restore the environment
For Adam, addressing the lack of knowledge about food production and its environmental impact is essential if people are to be persuaded to avoid the cheapest option
Sustainable British farming
Adam's farm's both arable and sheep on his tenated farm, situated in the Cotswolds National Landscape AONB. Like many farmers in the UK Adam is having to diversify and look at different ways of farming to stay ahead of the curve.
His farm has been in Higher Level Stewardship (HLS) for over 25 years, which has paid for a wide range of conservation measures. In the arable fields, beetle banks and 50 acres of pollen and bird seed mixes provide wildlife corridors. Half his grassland (about 300 acres) is permanent pasture and half of that isn’t cut until the end of the summer, providing acres of habitat for wildflowers, wildlife and insects.
The results are impressive, with plant and bird surveys showing an increase in species and abundance over time.
Educating our children
Addressing the lack of knowledge about food production and its environmental impact is essential if people are to be persuaded to avoid the cheapest option, that don't have any benefit to our UK farmers.
Adam's Cotswold Farm Park is founded on this principle. It was started in the 1970s by his father Joe, founder of the Rare Breeds Survival Trust, to fund his heritage livestock collection, now an important national resource. Today, the park welcomes 100,000's of visitors a year, with education and entertainment at its core.
As well as getting a chance to interact with the rare breeds informative displays around the park explain how modern farm management and conservation can be integrated. It is absolutely crucial that people of all ages learn about farmland conservation.”
What I care about
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![Adam & Cotswold Ram (1)]()
Rare breeds
Rare breeds Dad started saving them in 1971. I'm still at it, with over 50 flocks and herds.
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![Adamtractorportrait]()
Feeding the nation
Helping people see where their food comes from, and who grows it.
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![Adam In Rape Field (15)]()
Nature on the farm
Hedges, woodland and wildlife working alongside the crops and stock.
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![Joe Henson Son Adam With Oxen E1622896979756]()
The next generation
Backing young farmers and the rural communities they keep alive.
