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South West Grain Network

Wishay Farm, Cullompton Devon

Hosted by Paul and Kim Baker

Their 350 acre farm, largely rented from the Duchy of Cornwall, comprises of grassland and arable, with large areas adorned with wildflowers. The farm is net carbon negative, due to a reduction in emissions and the vast amount of carbon being sequestered in the soil. There is an organic and non-organic system being run concurrently, with a range of arable crops and approaches in both systems. The changes in cultivation go hand in hand with the building of soil fertility, using composts, manures, and cover crops.

Throughout Wishay Farm, Paul has been experimenting with various innovations in his system. These include:

Cultivations and seed establishment
Composting systems – including Bokashi, food waste, vermicompost, and using starter cultures
Application of organic matter and microorganisms to most effectively benefit soil and crops
Applying molasses to feed soil bacteria
Reducing agro chemicals
Experimenting with cover crops, mixes of wheat varieties, and combining different crops
Adding woodland soil in to compost

Paul was a finalist in the 2025 Soil Farmer of the Year competition.

Check out Paul’s Instagram for more inspiration: Experimental Farmer https://www.instagram.com/the\_experimentalfarmer/

(Text adapted from Farm Carbon Tool Kit)

Schedule for the day:

10:00 - 10:30 Arrivals and refreshments

10:30-11:30 Welcome and introduction to Paul and the Farm

11:30-13:00 Farm Tour

13:00-14:00 Lunch - this is not a catered event - you will need to bring your own lunch. There are not shops nearby to buy food on the day

14:00-15:30 Time for questions and network connections

15:30-16:00 Closing round, thank you and goodbye.

Travel and Parking :

It is not easy to travel to the farm by public transport. The nearest Train Station is Tiverton Parkway.

Please reach out to those around you to lift share or use this lift share document to organise shared transport.

Please use what three words for an exact location of the farm - https://w3w.co/accented.fattening.impact

This is a google maps link - https://maps.app.goo.gl/8DxCP897MnAJHSLUA

There is parking in an empty field - this may be an issue in heavy rain or drought. Please try to lift share!

What to Bring:

You must bring your own lunch and snacks for the day. Tea and coffee will be provided.
Any personal medication - If you have a wasp or bee allergy and you use an epi pen please bring this
Bottle of water
Note book and pen
Phone or camera for photos
Sunscreen/hat or waterproofs - be prepared for all weather
Sturdy shoes for walking across fields and around farm yards

Cost:

Our events are a way for us to build the financial stability for the SWGN and last year we raised nearly £1000 through events. The ticket price for this event is, as always, at a sliding scale to try and enable everyone to attend. If you can pay a bit more please consider doing so to support the growth of the network.

Should cost be a barrier to your attendance please contact Robyn on 07877580825 or swgrainnetwork@gmail.com and we can find a way to support you.

Tickets:

This is a little clunky - please bare with us.

When you click to buy a ticket you will be redirected to Open Collective - this is how we receive funds for the network.

Open Collective charge a 5% fee for all transactions.

They will invite you to make a donation to them but **do not feel obliged to do this. **

Where you see this text “ Help us keep Open Collective sustainable ” you will need to click ‘ edit ’ then un-click the box on the left.

Make sure you have the correct total before pressing pay

Dogs:

Guide dogs are welcome but please do not bring your pets.

Accessibility:

If you have any accessibility needs, or questions about the event please contact Robyn Minogue, South West Grain Network coordinator on swgrainnetwork@gmail.com or 07877580825.

Wishay Farm Visit