Peat‑Free and Profitable: How a 5,000‑Acre Farm Is Rebuilding Soil and the Bottom Line

In this on-the-road edition, I sit down with James Caswell and Millie to unpack how a 5,000‑acre arable operation is future‑proofing itself by growing and bagging its own peat‑free compost. We cover the realities of input costs, soil health, and why “thinking outside the system” is no longer optional. James explains the farm’s five‑year herbal leys (clover, grasses, chicory), integrating willow from wet ground, and using straw to create a three‑component compost that’s boosting germination, plant vigour and water retention in my own trials. We also get into practical wins: rotational leys reducing synthetic nitrogen use, gypsum for heavy land, bringing sheep and bees back onto fields, and early on‑farm trials comparing compost with chicken manure. If you’re a home grower, farm‑shop owner, or a grower looking for resilient inputs as weather swings and costs bite, this conversation is a grounded walkthrough of what’s working—and how stocking a pallet of high‑quality, peat‑free compost can add real value without spoilage risk.'Caswell’s Eco Green Compost': https://ecogreencompost.co.uk'Harrogate Flower Show': https://www.flowershow.org.uk'British Garden Centres': https://www.britishgardencentres.com'Anglian Water': https://www.anglianwater.co.uk'DEFRA (Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs)': https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-environment-food-rural-affairs'Environment Agency (England)': https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/environment-agency