Manor House Farm is situated in the small Hamlet of Prestwood on the Staffordshire Derbyshire border. Prestwood was originally called Priestwood as it lay on the route the priests would walk between Croxden and Calwich Abbeys and would, as the name suggests, have been mainly wooded. There is a small amount of ancient woodland surviving on the farm, approximately 2 acres, but all of the remaining land on this hill had been cleared for agriculture. The photo above shows this woodland, and its bluebells, an indicator species of ancient woodland. An additional 12 acres of new woodland has now been planted on the farm.
The Ball family came to farm this land in the 1840's and we have now been farming here for six generations. During that time agriculture has changed greatly, moving from smaller farms based mainly on principles of self sufficiency to larger farms with a drive for maximum productivity and financial reward.
Today we are seeing the effects of this drive toward maximum output on a world-wide scale. 'Modern' practices and their reliance on synthetic chemicals have led to depleted soils, pollution and a decrease in biodiversity.
Farm on the Hill is now farmed using only sustainable and regenerative techniques, our focus is on increasing biodiversity, restoring habitats and finding sustainable ways to produce food and fibre. We are not certified organic but farm without any use of synthetic chemicals and always will do.
To learn more about our current farming methods please visit our Regenerative Agriculture page.