I just finished my interview with Iain Tolhurst, better known as Tolly to his friends, and learned so much about his farm. Tolly has been running Tolhurst Organic Farm in the UK for the past 30 years, and what sets them apart from other organic farms, is that they do it without using any animal inputs! The farm is made up of 17 acres over two fields and 2 acres within a 500 year old walled garden. Their farm was the first to attain the ‘Stockfree Organic’ symbol in 2004, and they do it through a systems approach which includes a lot of green manure, (cover crops), crop rotation, and the encouragement of insects. Tolly said that the farm averages 13 million earthworms per acre, which is a testament to healthy soil!

During the Covid pandemic, they have seen their customer base grow, and the need for local produce has gone up. Tolhurst Organic Farm produces between 120-150 tons of vegetables per year, and most of it is distributed locally within a 10 mile radius. Tolly shares his knowledge with other farmers, and takes on interns during the growing season. You can check out what they do on their website at http://www.tolhurstorganic.co.uk/

If you missed our interview, you can listen to it here.

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