“Easy peasy, very simple,” is what Fred Bonestroo says about applying for the Stockfree Organic standard.
“All the rules apply to me, and all the limitations. I knew what I was getting into – I’ve been stock-free for at least two years.”
Having passed the inspection in February, he jokes that maybe a lot of vegan people in Tetbury, Gloucestershire, where he farms 25 acres on Close Farm, will read this article and buy his produce. But what is his real motivation for going for the vegan organic farming certificate? “I did it for the greater good and as an example for other farmers in similar situations.”
Dutchman Fred says most people don’t think about the environmental footprint of imported soil fertility, despite so many talking about food miles. Any promotion of good practice about how to create your own fertility without having to rely on other people’s farms or animals is useful: “I do advocate stock-free and it is very applicable to the way I grow and produce food.”
He was once a national serviceman teenage tank commander in Holland, originally from a farming background, which “was stirring within me.” So, he studied biodynamic agriculture for three years at Warmonderhof in the Netherlands. After seven years learning his trade, he saw an advert for jobs in England asking for farmers with experience. He and his wife were inclined to travel so thought they would give it a go.
They moved to Duchy Home Farm, part of Highgrove, King Charles’ country estate since 1985. Charles has turned Duchy Home Farm organic for livestock and crops. Fred joined the enterprise in 1999, without initially knowing of the history of the farm. He found Tetbury’s surroundings and organic farming suited him and his family: “We never left.”
Among Fred’s jobs when he started was working as a relief milker, and helping with the arable side of the farm and veg production. Luckily, after 10 years, I was able to move to completely vegetable production, where my passion lay, with the start of a farm shop and box scheme at Home Farm.”
Two years ago, he was offered the tenancy on the site. Prince Charles was giving it up, increasingly anticipating becoming King. “They approached me asking whether I wanted to carry on. I’m now a tenant of Prince William – I’ve not seen him yet but hope to. His Dad was very involved and enabled me to take over the tenancy because he was quite a supporter of how we grew. I will ask William his ideas about stock-free when and if the opportunity arises.”
Growing-wise, Fred has cut out animal manure since taking on the tenancy. Rather than buying in from other farms, he decided on using a home-produced woodchip stock-free system. He also operates long-term field rotation and field strips have a grass/clover ley as the fertility-building phase.
For 20 years he had been growing large amounts for box schemes: “I knew what works for me, I know what I can grow and what I can sell.” Now he grows 30 different veg in 100 varieties, plus 1,000 types of heritage apples in an agroforestry system. He sells via pick your own where people weigh and pay what they gather, open on Wednesdays and Saturdays; an honesty stall open 24/7; and wholesale to restaurants, cafes and to chutney producers – anyone who will buy his produce.
He relies on machinery (“you need it for 25 acres if you don’t want to employ a lot of people”). This includes a bed-former for the cropping strips in between the apple tree rows, a tractor-mounted flame-weeder, a brush weeder, a potato harvester, root grading and packing kit in the shed, and a 1970s Bean diesel ‘tool-carrier’ platform with seat on high thin wheels for use as a steerage hoe and multi-purpose engine-driven machine. He leased some of the machinery when he took the land.
Preference is to grow larger-scale crops (rather than time-consuming salads) such as roots (especially potatoes with a large number of different varieties), brassicas, squash, Jerusalem artichokes and pumpkins. Having several polytunnels and the help of volunteers and family helps.
The book The Lean Farm by Ben Hartman says don’t try too much that you haven’t tried before year-on-year and Fred agrees with that, so grows just 10% new varieties or crops, with the rest what he knows and is comfortable with and can sell. This also reduces waste. His “amazing” soil also keeps him going. “If it was stony, difficult ground with no joy I don’t think I would stay.”
The plan is to ‘keep growing – keep growing veg that is. “He can’t trade on the royal connection: “I don’t want to milk it. It doesn’t make the veg taste any better. It becomes a gimmick.”
With his certification, Fred’s no-nonsense attitude to growing shows that anyone can do it – demonstrating that stock-free really is the obvious, albeit not perhaps the easy way to transform the food system.
