Mike grew up and learned to farm at Deapp. A number of years ago, he was working as a tractor driver for the South Devon Organic Producers (SDOP): the organic farming co-operative started by our own founder, Guy Singh-Watson, over 25 years ago, who still supply us to this day. By working with the SDOP, Mike got to learn about organic farming, and also about Riverford.
“I liked the idea of going organic – the ethics of it. And I also liked the idea of growing veg for Riverford, which seemed like it would be a close fit for us. We would feel closer to the end customer by supplying someone so local,” Mike says.
They began the process of converting to organic, and have now been certified for several years. Initially they were exclusively vegetable farmers, supplying us with a variety of crops across the year – including leeks, Savoy cabbages, courgettes, broad beans, and red cabbages.
But in 2022, Mike wanted to diversify the farm. He spoke to Riverford to ask whether we needed any more eggs? We said yes please! So Mike set about getting his first flock of hens that summer. He’s rearing Warren hens, a popular breed which lay lovely brown eggs. “It’s been great to add a different dimension to the farm,” says Mike. “The muck from the hens obviously helps greatly to build fertility on the vegetable ground. And if we’ve got any excess veg, we can feed that to the hens – so it fits together really nicely.”
“We’re trying to create lots of enrichment for them,” he says. Organic is the gold standard of animal welfare, giving the hens more space and freedom than any other system, including free range. To keep his hens truly happy, Mike’s been getting advice from other organic egg farmers – including our mutual friend Jerry Saunders, who has been supplying us with eggs for many years.
Just a few years after converting to organic, Deapp Farm is already seeing the benefits to biodiversity in its fields. “Last year, Dad spotted some wheatears on the farm – that’s quite an unusual bird,” says Mike. “That was in the organic vegetable fields, so it shows what you get for being a bit more forgiving to the land.”
