About Pollybell Organic Farm

Pollybell Organic Farm is the organic farming business of the Brown family who have been involved with farming in Lincolnshire for over 120 years. The farm, part of Loveden Estates, is in the area known as the Isle of Axholme which was originally drained by Cornelius Vermuyden between 1626 and 1633 and includes three Sites of Special Scientific Interest and a historic monument.

Pollybell Organic Farm is one of the UK's largest growers of organic vegetables producing approximately 26 million portions per year - enough for 14,000 people to have their 5-a-day every day of the year. We produce broccoli, cauliflower, four types of cabbage, curly kale, bunched carrots, beetroot, leeks and onions.

We started the conversion to organic from conventional farming in 1997. We have 3,500 acres that are fully organic or in conversion and which will be certified organic by April 2011. All the land being farmed lies at or below sea level and is protected and drained by a network of dykes and drains that crisscross the farm.

In 2008 Pollybell Farms was named Organic Grower of the Year, in 2009 it was runner-up in the Progressive Farmer of the Year award, and in 2010 it won the North East region in the Beautiful Farm Awards.

Organic Farming at Pollybell

The strict organic standards outlined in the What is Organic? section mean that an organic farmer like Pollybell has to follow a system of growing crops that keeps soil fertile and, at the same time, controls bugs that attack the crops, weeds and plant diseases. In addition, taking out the harvest must be balanced with putting back fertility, while constantly ensuring that environmental protection and conservation are maintained.

In order to achieve this delicate and difficult balance we need to rotate crops around the fields as well as ‘rest’ the fields (i.e. leave them fallow) to ensure that fertility is maintained and pests and disease are controlled. The health of the crops is achieved using this programme of rotation and rest which reduces the need for artificial fertilisers and pesticides. A very small list of mostly natural chemical treatments are allowed to control pests, weeds and disease.

Our people

The team at Pollybell consists of 15 full time and up to 80 part time staff, with a wealth of farming experience. Read more...

Our environment

Our farms are sympathetically and actively managed to monitor and encourage a number of species on the government’s bio-diversity action plan. Read more...