Environmental Stewardship Placement

Strategic placement of environmental features at a landscape level can help maximise benefits for pollinating insects. Sheltered sunny spots are preferred for insects and in these locations the intense noise from there beating wings is a magical humming experience.  

Within our potato farming, tramlines and irrigation headlands are not planted for operational reasons. Instead of allowing the land to stay bare, these areas are sown with intense annual flowers making a highway and perfect foraging ground for bees. Simultaneously allowing free movement of beneficiaries within the growing crop helping to control pests and diseases, while benefitting soil health for the following growing crops.  

Woodland Management 

To increase the flora diversity, we implement cyclical mowing of the rides every two years, and an annual mowing plan to encourage and increase prolonged flora diversity. Woodlands are managed under continuous cover forestry with some areas of coppice to increase flora species through the woodland. 

Across the estate cover crops are a key factor to the extensive crop rotation and investment in soil health, although primarily used for soil health, this method protects and increases the soil flora and fauna but provides much needed late pollen and nectar for pollinating insects.  

The grass and wildflowers margins that are against the edges of the fields provide foraging and shelter habitat for various species, allowing movement through the landscape along these species’ rich corridors. Blocks of pollen, nectar and wild bird cover features are evenly spread through the landscape to enhance the pollen and nectar provisions with the margins. Voluntary features link these corridors providing increased pollen and nectar that can be enhanced by altering drilling dates.  

The use of advanced technology means the team monitor each stage of development, from seedling to fruit, tending to micro needs and the crop as a whole. Innovation is at the heart of Dyson Farming and the team at the glasshouse are constantly exploring how technology can be harnessed to achieve the optimal growing environment. 

The giant glasshouse is 424m long holding 832 rows of strawberries, this latest crop consists of 700,000 strawberry plants which will produce approximately 750t of strawberries for British consumers. 

Harnessing the power of renewable energy

• The glasshouse uses heat and power from the neighbouring Anaerobic Digestor plant which contributes to the overall circular farming model.

• Digestate and a small amount of strawberry waste (strawberry plants and coir), are applied to nearby fields as an organic fertiliser to improve soils and crop yields. In the future, we are expecting to also use CO2 from our AD plant.

• Rainwater is harvested from the glasshouse roof and stored in a lagoon, which is then used to irrigate the plants.

• Crop growth is optimised by the mechanics of the hanging gutters which hold the plants. By enabling them to ‘swing’ from side to side, this allows 15% extra crop to be grown in the same area.

Every strawberry is carefully picked by hand by our experienced team of 70 glasshouse workers who will pick up to 14t a day. We ensure quality control, before weighing, packing, labelling and storing the fruit ready for transit in our on-site cold store.  

Dyson Farming strawberries are available to buy in M&S stores nationwide from April.  

Dyson Farming is proud of its commitment to sustainability and responsibility to maintain low food miles. Our livestock travel the minimum 10-12 miles to an abattoir and then straight to the farm shop or restaurant. Our longstanding relationships with local businesses and restaurants mean that customers can be assured of where their food has come from and trust in the great taste when they see a Dyson Farming label on the counter or listed in a menu. 

A list of places local to the origin farms, where you can buy or try Dyson Farming beef and lamb; 

Farleigh Road Farm Shop, https://www.farleighroadfarmshop.co.uk 

HE Williams & Sons Butchers, Frome https://www.hewilliams.co.uk 

The Bull, Hinton https://thebullathinton.co.uk 

The Rose & Crown, Hinton Charterhouse https://www.theroseandcrownbath.com/en-GB/homepage 

Our beef and lamb supplies the cafes and restaurants that serve 4000+ employees at the Malmesbury campus for Dyson Technology, under the guidance of Joe Croan, Dyson Head Chef.

We also independently entered the Great British Food Awards and the Taste of The West 2021 competition where our topside roasting joints, fillet steak, leg of lamb and lamb chops achieved GOLD awards, with our leg of lamb quoted as the best tasting lamb of the competition in the Great British Food Awards 2021.  

Panel judge of the Great British Food Awards on the quality of our meat:  

“The leg of lamb was simple to cook, and the flavour was phenomenal. After resting for 20 minutes the lamb was so tender it could be sliced using a butter knife and was enjoyed by us all. Simply put this was the best lamb we cooked. Taste 10/10” 

From soil health to hi-tech agronomy and cutting-edge cultivation techniques, we are committed to a long term, regenerative model that leaves a positive land legacy in 100 years’ time. 

The team are also currently busy ‘truss teasing’. This is where individual trusses which bear flowers (and eventually strawberries) are gently pulled from inside the crop to rest on the crop supports away from the leaves. As the strawberry fruit develops, it will naturally move downward, making picking 50% quicker rather than searching through the plant. It also allows the glasshouse team to have clear visibility of the plant and its progress towards perfect ripeness.

This latest flush will be ready to be picked by hand at the end of March.

A critical part of Dyson Farming’s sustainable circular farming approach, the glasshouse uses advanced technology to maintain optimal growing conditions to be able to grow British strawberries at a time of year when traditionally it is too dark and cold, avoiding unnecessary food miles. It is powered with renewable electricity and surplus heat from Dyson Farming’s adjacent anaerobic digester (AD), where cut strawberry plant leaves are stored and spread with solid digestate to fertilise the surrounding farmland. Rainwater is also harvested from the roof and used to water the plants.

Whilst still in its infancy, due to the long-term environmental benefits, the Dunston Beck project has proved hugely successful, and Dyson Farming will continue to monitor the progress of this site as the area develops.

“Not only does this restorative work enhance important niche habitats such as the aquatic life within the beck but at a land parcel level the floristic sward, grazed with sheep increases the number of insects that has wider benefits at a landscape level with species such as bats that have maternal roosts in the adjacent landscape features of Nocton Wood.”
Ian Willoughby, Environmental Coordinator, Dyson Farming

We will revisit the Beck in the coming months to report the ongoing development and progress of the site.