Over 30 years ago, Henry and Richard started to notice a decline in the biodiversity on the farm, notably a fall in the abundance of cowslips, skylarks, butterflies and bees.
Growing up on the farm, and seeing a vast array of wildlife as children, prompted the Lang family to try to actively preserve and encourage wildlife for future generations, whilst running a commercial farming operation.
Today, the farm grows wheat, oilseed rape, and linseed in rotation with herbals leys and legume fallow. The Lang Partnership has diversified into natural capital projects, commercial lets, holiday accommodation, cricket bat willow cultivation, and renewable energy.
Having spent time travelling in Australia and New Zealand, Henry came back to the farm in 1976 and spent the early years of his farming career working alongside his father. He has been instrumental in the conservation and restoration work at Home Farm and what he doesn’t know about on our small patch of Somerset and wildflower meadows isn’t worth knowing! Henry is still actively involved when not on the riverbank or with his 6 grandchildren.
After a brief stint in London, Richard headed back to Somerset to join Henry on the Farm in 1982. He has been the driving force behind the commercial units at Bowdens Farm and is very much involved with the day-to-day running of the farm. When he’s not busy during the summer months, he can normally be found watching Somerset play cricket at The County Ground.
Harry joined The Lang Partnership in 2022 having worked across the South and South West as a Chartered Surveyor. Since returning to the fold, he has been pushed forward new opportunities around nutrient neutrality, BNG and glamping accommodation. He is on the Somerset Country Land & Business Association (CLA) committee and manages a couple of other estates alongside Home Farm.
At Home Farm, sustainability is at the heart of everything we do, balancing food production with environmental, economic and social goals.
We practise no-till farming and minimum cultivation, incorporating crop residues to improve soil structure, reduce compaction and minimise carbon release, along with fertility building legume fallow.
Wheat forms the backbone of our rotation (around 50% of the cropped area), complemented by break crops like linseed, oilseed rape and legume fallow to reduce weed and disease pressures.
Wildflower margins, or “linear hay meadows” as we call them surround all arable fields, protecting water quality and providing connectivity for wildlife.
The farm has been in various iterations of Higher Tier Countryside Stewardship for over 20 years. Throughout this time, unproductive areas have been repurposed for biodiversity. Small awkward arable fields now flourish as wildflower meadows, and wet corners have been transformed to enhancing biodiversity without compromising farm output.
Through SFI we have incorporated companion cropping over our arable area to help with pest, disease and weed management. We have also incorporated herbal leys in the rotation, which are cut for silage
We have recently grown a heritage wheat variety called Orange Devon Blue Rough Chaff, which was one of the last landrace wheat varieties to be widely grown in the South West. We sell a small amount of our heritage grain to a south west based miller, who supplies bakeries across the region.
The Lang family have lived and worked on the edge of the Somerset Levels since the 1700s, spanning 9 generations. Today, brothers Richard and Henry Lang, and Richard’s son, Harry, continue the long history of working the land in harmony with nature.
If you’re interested in BNG units or learning more, share your name and email, and our team will be in touch.
Contact
harry@homefarmsomerset.co.uk
Phone
+44 7731 381383
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