Meet the farmers

Tim Pratt - Watisden Hall Farms

Wantisden Hall Farms based near Woodbridge in Suffolk have been supplying Albert Bartlett with potatoes since 2006. We grow around 500 acres of potatoes consisting of Rooster, Maris piper, Marfona and Maris Peer. Our other acreage is made up with wheat, barley, sugar beet, peas, carrots and onions.

We are involved with many environmental schemes on our farm. I am a member of LEAF which has an Integrated Crop Management scheme that advises farmers about the best way to use their land i.e. contour ploughing can prevent soil erosion. Additionally the creation of a conservation pond has encouraged many different species of wildlife to the area we farm in. We are also coming to the end of a 10 year commitment to Countryside Stewardship Scheme. We are also enrolled into the Entry level Stewardship Scheme, which we will be upgrading to the higher level now the Countryside Stewardship.

Our farm is also home to the largest area of ancient pollard oaks in Europe. The following traditional English woodland management system has been used on our trees. A selection of broadleaf trees within a wood were traditionally cut to the ground every 7 or 8 years or so. This would cause the root stock to throw up a large number of straight growing stems. When long and thick enough the resulting poles could then be harvested (again at ground level). They could then be used for fencing, building, or pit props etc. Meanwhile a new crop of poles would be allowed to grow, and the whole process repeated ad infinitum, often for hundreds of years on the same rootstock. This form of management was called coppicing (from the French "couper", cut), and the woods themselves known as coppices, and later copses).

Away from the farm I am a keen rugby player and try to play at every opportunity, I also enjoy the social aspect of the sport. I also like to participate in many other country pursuits. Back to Farmers