Frankie Colwill

WORCESTERSHIRE

Arable, horticulture & diversified enterprises

ARABLE, HERBS, VEGETABLES, COURSE FISHING, WORCESTERSHIRE. Frankie is a fourth-generation farmer, with his father and uncle still on the family farm. He runs 650 acres which includes his family farm and his neighbour’s, running a very diverse mix of enterprises including land in environmental schemes.

He grows arable crops for feed and seed, as well as herbs, occasionally onions and carrots on contract, the farm hosts other farming businesses such as a fishery and clay pigeon shoot.

Frankie studied engineering at Harper Adams University and is a fan of technology. He enjoys making and fixing equipment himself and learning about, developing and applying technology to make the job easier. He especially enjoys working with electronics and the Internet of Things (technologies that connect and exchange data with other devices over the internet.)

As a farmer, Frankie loves the variety and responsibility of producing people’s food, caring for the environment and the people around him, but he says the downsides of farming include the hours, noise of modern machinery, arduous conditions, chemicals and the isolation that working alone can bring.

Contact Frankie

Frankie loves extreme sports and motorbiking about the world. He also enjoys engineering, making things and learning how stuff works.

Farm diversification

Fishery and clay pigeon shoot.

Declared interests

Member of the NFU and Worcester NFU branch chairman.

Happy to talk about

2018 drought adding value agricultural machinery agricultural policy agritech agrochemicals agroforestry air quality animal feed animal rights activism arable arable production attracting staff bacon badger cull badger vaccination barley basil bees biodiversity biofuels biomass biosecurity brassicas Brexit buckwheat CAP carbon emissions carbon footprint carbon neutral carbon reduction Cereal production Cereals changing consumer tastes cheap food chemical use climate change Common Agricultural Policy conservation agriculture coriander cover crops crop growing depression direct sales engineering environmental stewardship extensive agriculture family farming farm assurance farm diversification farm education farm safety farm succession farm suicide fertiliser fishing flooding fly-tipping food safety food waste fresh produce fungicides glyphosate ground source heat pumps growing a business hare coursing harvest hay herbal leys herbicides herbs horticulture hunting insecticides intensive farming irrigation lab-grown meat labour shortages linseed low inputs manure management mental health in farming min till mixed farming national electricity grid National Grid nature friendly farming neonicotinoids new entrants next generation Nitrate Vulnerable Zones (NVZ) nitrates oats obesity oilseed rape organic cereal production organic vegetable production pesticides pollinators public access public engagement public money for public goods Red Tractor reducing inputs regenerative agriculture renewable energy retail rise of veganism robotics rural crafts rural crime seasonal food second income self sufficiency soil health soil management specialist crops straw stress subsidies supermarkets supply chains synthetic food technology top fruit traceability tractors urban agriculture vegan activism veganism vegetables water quality wheat wildlife wildlife crime work/life balance working off farm young entrants