Coppicing has recently got under way at Farnah House Farm – the home of popular Derbyshire farm shop Croots – as part of future sustainability plans.
Co-owner of Croots Farm Shop, Steve Croot helped to gain grant funding for the work before he sadly passed away last year.
His wife Kay, whose family own Farnah House Farm, on Wirksworth Road, Duffield, and who now runs Croots Farm Shop, said she was proud to be carrying on Steve’s legacy.
The work, which is being funded mainly by the Government’s Countryside Stewardship scheme, involves coppicing many of the hedges on the farm to allow new re-growth, plus the planting of new hedgerow plants in the gaps.
“It will then be fenced off to protect it over the next few years whilst it grows back,” explained Kay. “This project is majority funded by the Government’s Countryside Stewardship scheme and was something that Steve was very passionate about, and he helped us gain the grant funding. I’m really proud that we can continue his legacy and fulfil this project which will take place over the next couple of months. So if you do walk the dogs over the footpaths on our farm, it may look a little odd without the hedgerows but longer term it will be much better for our local wildlife and bird population.”
Coppicing involves cutting the main stem as close to the ground as possible. The aim is to achieve a bushy structure arising from the base of the hedge.
Countryside Stewardship (CS) schemes provide funding to farmers and land managers to improve their local environment. CS supports a range of enhanced environmental outcomes from restoring wildlife habitats and creating woodlands, to managing flood risk.
This is the latest in a number of sustainability projects that Croots Farm Shop and Farnah House Farm have embarked on. The shop recently installed new counter display fridges for the butchery, deli and pâtisserie to reduce energy use, and last year replaced six open display fridges with open display cabinet fridge and three doored fridges that use the latest technology and are more environmentally friendly.
Over the past few years, Croots has introduced a string of initiatives to reduce its impact on the environment and promote sustainability, including cutting out plastic water bottles and straws, banning plastic carrier bags, reducing the use of clingfilm, increasing its plant-based vegan and vegetarian ranges, and switching the trays in the butchery department to a more recyclable type to reduce landfill waste. Croots has also installed LED lighting in the café, back of house and in the shop.
The sustainability plan was spearheaded by Steve Croot and Kay has vowed to continue with the plans.
Croots Farm Shop is open 9am to 5pm Monday to Saturday and 10am to 4pm on Sundays and Bank Holidays. The café is open 9am to 4pm Monday to Saturday and 10am to 3.30pm on Sundays and Bank Holidays.
To find out more about Croots, visit http://www.croots.co.uk Find Croots on Twitter @crootsfarm_shop or on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/Croots-Farm-Shop-127012538821/
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