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04
Aug 2024
The sustainable ethos behind Ripon's viral wildflower meadow
While the sign might be hard to miss – painted boldly in white letters, alongside an illustrated duck with his hat jauntily askew – the first sight of Mallard Grange’s pick-your-own wildflower meadow is something that visitors have to work a little harder for.
It’s not until you’ve walked through the developing sunflower patch and reached the clearing in the field that you’re greeted with the full resplendence of colourful blooms.
According to James Johnson, part of the multi-generational farming family at Mallard Grange, the big reveal only adds to the experience.
He said:
The sunflowers will look amazing in a few weeks but for now, you can see people either confused when they first arrive, or stopping to take pictures and you’re thinking, just a bit further, then you’ll really get the full effect.
It’s lovely to see people have that moment when they first see the fields, they’re just blown away by how it looks.
The wildflower meadow
Primarily a working farm and a B&B, this is the first year Mallard Grange has opened a wildflower meadow, and the venture has proven hugely popular so far.
A jar of blooms will set you back £6, with a medium bucket costing £15 and a large bucket priced at £30. While he acknowledges that a shop bought bouquet can have a similar mark-up, James believes that the experience of hand-selecting the flowers is the real draw.
When you buy flowers at a supermarket, you’ve not got the same memories attached to it - you've not spent the time picking them yourself, and you can't look at them and be reminded of that experience.
The irony isn't lost on James that while encouraging people to reconnect with nature, social media has played a key part in raising Mallard Grange's profile.
A recent TikTok documenting one user's visit to the meadows has racked up a staggering 80,000 views, with many others following suit and uploading their own videos.
The farm has its own online presence – largely in the hands of James’s partner Emily – but the family certainly never expected to achieve the level of viral attention the new attraction brought them.
However, it's proven to be a useful springboard from which they can further educate people on Mallard Grange's wider ethos; namely their passionate for regenerative farming.
James explained:
We’ve moved away from conventional techniques and we’re looking at restoring soil health, improving ecosystems around us, and adding to the nutrient richness and density of the food we supply.
The trailer in the PYO meadow
'I believe in our methods'
Regenerative agriculture is a refers to the practice and promotion of sustainable farming techniques.
Six principles underpin this concept: topsoil preservation, increasing biodiversity and natural ecosystems, integrating and managing livestock, understanding context, minimising soil disturbance and maximising crop diversity.
While chemicals such as pesticides are still used - although ‘mindfully’ and with a view to always reduce usage where possible – the emphasis is placed on causing as little-long term damage to the environment as possible.
In recent years, there’s been an increased government drive to encourage more agricultural businesses to follow this ideology, through grants such as the Sustainable Farming Incentive.
The Johnson family may have been operating the farm since 1933, but it wasn’t until James’s time presenting as part of the National Farmers Union (NFU) at global agricultural conventions, that he decided to explore alternative farming methods in earnest.
He said:
I’ve always loved talking to people about farming, but I’d find myself thinking, why is it that way? Why do we do things like that?
If someone asked me a question now, I feel like I know exactly why that decision was made and the benefits behind it. That’s how we build trust – I’m happy to share with anybody our methods and reasons because I believe in their importance.
Charles Johnson with his cattle
Mallard Grange has been following regenerative farming methods for nearly seven years now. One example of the principles in practise is how their livestock lives alongside one another; their 'more than free range' eggs are laid by hens who stroll where they please, snacking on the insects and produce from a naturally encouraged ecosystem around the farm.
Part of the community
To James, the pick-your-own wildflower meadow ‘epitomises what Mallard Grange strives for’.
While the venture’s success is welcomed – he remains cheerfully tight-lipped about any plans for next year, but promises there's much more to come – it’s just one element to what they’re trying to achieve.
Having already diversified the farm’s offering with a well-established B&B, a delivery service of fresh eggs and meat to Ripon’s residents, and a burgeoning pumpkin patch for the autumn, he believes it's all part of a 'bigger picture', to educate and inform the community.
He added:
Because farming is very visual, having the wildflower meadow is one of the best ways to build a relationship with the community, and to invite them to find out more by coming to see for themselves.
We have wildflower borders around the fields to encourage natural ecosystems to develop, so it's actually a good representation of what we encourage anyway.
It also brings people to the farm and lets them experience everything we love about Mallard Grange - we're passionate about what we do, and this gives the public an insight into what we're about.
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