Farm overview
Toby farms 700ha of arable land outside of Stilton in Cambridgeshire. He is a 2022 Nuffield Scholar, travelling to an array of farms across Europe and North America to research cover, catch and companion cropping within an arable rotation. This year, Toby has attended both Cereals and Groundswell to discuss his research, contributing to a variety of different discussions, including The Allerton Project’s session on cover cropping. The family farm has been focussed on soils for over 20 years, previously committed to min till and more recently moving into a direct drill establishment system. Toby is highly focussed on soil health and continual improvement and is always exploring new ideas and trials on the farm. This includes current trials on nitrogen-use efficiency and catch crops. Toby is a passionate regenerative farmer, currently working with BASE UK, Kings and other industry bodies as well as Wildfarmed premium wheat.
Project activities
- Creative Arena – an interactive event to discuss and evaluate climate friendly principles which can be adopted on farm (May 2023).
- Demonstration event – ‘Cover Cropping for Climate Neutral Farming’ (January 2024).
- Training – BASIS Certificate in Sustainable Land Management course at The Allerton Project (February 2024).
- Trials – Summer catch crops (Kings).
- Lead Commercial Farm visits – Boughton Estate, Brixworth Farming, Courteenhall, G.D. Jewers & Son, Manor Farm, Rookery Farm, Papley Grove Farm, Winwick Manor Farm.
- Demonstration Farm activities – ‘Environmental Payments and Enablers: Making the Most out of Opportunities’ (June 2024); Groundswell ‘Cover Cropping: Successes and Failures’ (June 2024); ‘Future Farming Focus and Funding’ (November 2024).
Related content
- Climate Neutral Farms Creative Arena | The Allerton Project (allertontrust.org.uk)
- Cover Cropping Event with Toby Simpson | The Allerton Project (allertontrust.org.uk)
- Summary of Cover Crop benefits | The Allerton Project (allertontrust.org.uk)
- Environmental Payments and Enablers: Making the Most out of Opportunities | The Allerton Project (allertontrust.org.uk)
- Cover Cropping – Successes & Failures – Groundswell 2024 (youtube.com)
