Three Roads to Stockfree Farming

Thorncroft

Visiting the Orkney archipelago for the first time, it is striking how the landscape is almost completely dominated by livestock with some patches of cereal crops here and there. Yet, tucked in amongst all of this, on the island of Westray lies Thorncroft…

Tolhurst Organics

A living example of a thriving farm business set in just under 20 acres in Oxfordshire, using absolutely no animal inputs and producing a vast array of vegetables and fruits for a local customer base.

Gina Bates, Highland Veganics

At the start of February, 2020, Gina and a crew of volunteers began planting an orchard of 312 hazelnut trees on her 80 acre Highland croft. Gina and her crew planted 6 different varieties of hardy hybrid hazelnuts. Wild hazels, already growing next to the four-acre orchard, will help with pollination.

The Artisan Grower

Four years on, the Sullivans (aka: the Artisan Grower) were supplying around 36 hotels in Inverness, Aberdeen and Edinburgh with microgreens, edible flowers, fruit, and veg. A remarkable achievement from just one acre!

Zonnegoed,
Joost van Strien

For roughly 25 years now, Joost van Strien has run his 90-hectare vegetable farm, Zonnegoed, organically and just last year he took it a step further, obtaining the Biocyclic Vegan Standard. Farming by this standard means that Joost manages Zonnegoed without any animal-based inputs (e.g. manure and slaughterhouse waste products), nor with any synthetic fertilisers or agrichemicals.

Bio-Farmland

At the start of 2021, Bio-Farmland became certified with the Biocyclic Vegan Standard, making them one of only a few cereal farms in the world right now to be run using stock-free/veganic methods.

Green Grow Food

Green Grow grows mushrooms and mycelium in refurbished shipping containers in a medium of waste coffee grounds using waste heat from a well-known Speyside distillery to create the microclimate for growing. After growing, the coffee grounds and any mushroom waste are used as compost for reforestation and environmental projects.

Crate to Plate

Grow Veggies Anywhere!
If you think you can’t grow veggies in your part of Scotland, think again! Former investment banker, Sebastian Sainsbury, founded Crate to Plate – a company growing greens in hydroponic towers in shipping containers.
Spinach, kale, lettuce greens, herbs and microgreens are amongst the produce they are selling both to private homes and to businesses. The company predicts up to 12 harvests a year once all the containers are operational.