Podehole | Farm
15776
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THE FARM

Pode Hole Farm lies to the east of Peterborough on the edge of the fens just outside the village of Thorney. The farmstead is the hub for 1200 acres of land which is mainly arable some of which lies in blocks a few miles to the east of the main farm. The first land in the area was purchased in 1986 and the acreage was most recently added to with the purchase of 170 acres at Glasshouse Farm to the east of Thorney village in 2010.

The main crop is winter wheat with oilseed rape, combinable peas, sugar beet, and maize for forage also being grown. The farm is in both ELS and HLS and benefits have been seen in the wild bird populations with several species that have seen a decline thriving on the farm including skylarks, lapwings, yellow hammers and reed buntings. We even see the occasional king fisher!

Some of the land at Pode Hole has been quarried for gravel and returned to farmland – mostly grassland – but land being restored now is arable which creates its own challenges. The land blocks to the east of Pode Hole are closer to the edge of the fen and are good wheat growing land.

Charles and Harry manage the arable enterprise with Harry being responsible for the spraying and combining, Charles mainly does the drilling with the cultivations being shared.