William Oliver

LEICESTERSHIRE

Arable & Indoor Poultry

ARABLE & INDOOR POULTRY, LEICESTERSHIRE: Will is the fourth generation of his family to run his farm of around 2,000 acres (810 hectares) on the Leicestershire/Warwickshire border. The farm has a historical claim to fame, as it stands on the site where the Battle of Bosworth, the last significant battle of the War of the Roses, took place in 1485.

Once just arable, the farm now consists of a mix of enterprises, including sheds housing around 175,000 chickens, which are bought in as one-day-old chicks and reared until they are 39 days old when they go off to be slaughtered and sold to supermarkets.

The chickens’ manure is used as fertiliser on the farm’s fields, reducing the need to buy in man-made fertilisers, which have been becoming increasingly costly. Will grows wheat, maize and winter beans, all sold for animal feed. Some wheat is kept back to feed the chickens.

Other sources of income include a family-friendly glamping field accommodating six tents, a small herd of pedigree Aberdeen Angus cattle which are bred for beef, a dog walking field (let out by the hour), and several residential and commercial lettings. In addition there’s a livery yard, two fishing lakes and quarry, which are let out.

Will says he aims to farm in a sustainable way. “We are in charge of our environment and as farmers we care about our land more than anybody.” He keeps man-made fertilisers and soil disturbance to a minimum, and has planted hedgerows to encourage nesting birds and other wildlife. Over winter he plants ‘cover’ crops such as rye and vetch to pull and fix nutrients into the soil. He is scrupulous about measuring everything on the farm, from chicken manure to soils, yields and wheat protein levels. “This data is invaluable, and hopefully helps us farm both efficiently and sustainably,” he says.

Brought up on the farm, Will can’t imagine doing anything other than farming. “I have spent my whole life on the farm and never wanted to do anything else. Still today, I live and breathe farming. It’s an obsession, and one I thoroughly enjoy. I believe it’s the only industry that starts the day with a discussion round the family kitchen table. Being able to see my young daughter grow up on the farm is brilliant.”

Will loves the variety and the challenges that come with the job. “You do something different every day and have to think on your feet and adapt to situations. I enjoy that – it’s something you can’t always get in other industries.”

At the same time, Will is aware that farming – especially indoor poultry - sometimes gets a negative press, something he’s keen to rectify. “When farmers feel they have to hide what they are doing, it limits growth and improvement. If we can be open about our production systems, we can improve things together, whether that’s changing consumers’ eating habits or the way their food is produced.“

He believes it’s important to educate children about farming, to dispel some of its negative stigma. “Knowledge exchange at school level is absolutely essential for the future of our industry. Today’s children are tomorrow’s consumers, labour, politicians and so on. They may all have an impact on what we do one day.”

Will’s farming methods and his efforts to improve communication with the public have won him numerous awards. In 2022 he was named Arable Farmer of the Year in the Farmers’ Weekly Awards, in 2021 he was named Cereal Grower of the Year in the National Arable and Grassland Awards, and in 2023 he was awarded a chartership by the Society of the Environment.

Contact William

Will enjoys walking his four dogs, skiing in Austria, playing rugby and spending time with his family. He also likes meeting new people and socialising.

Talking Point

Indoor poultry farmers sometimes come under fire but Will says that by raising birds at scale indoors he is simply meeting consumer demand for cheap chicken. “Consumers want cheap food, particularly during the current cost of living crisis. Also, their spending priorities have changed – my grandmother would have put food above heating, for example. Today we have more choice, and sometimes people prefer to spend their money on phones and Netflix and so on.

I’d like to see consumers being more flexible in terms of chicken cuts, so that we waste less. Consumers have got used to eating chicken breast, rather than thighs and wings.

We raise our chickens to the highest welfare standards, and power the sheds with solar panels and ground source heat pumps. The chickens eat the farm’s wheat, and their muck is then returned to the land to grow more wheat. Their manure has had a hugely beneficial effect on the farm’s soils, and reduced the amount of fertiliser we now need to buy in.

Raising chickens indoors, rather than outdoors, has some strong advantages. Rearing outdoors has challenges such as reduced yield, higher costs, bird flu, and pests such as foxes. By reducing our risks we can cut our costs and supply a consistent quantity of chicken at an affordable cost. Basically we’re growing what consumers want. If they all wanted asparagus I’d start growing that – or try to, at least. It’s supply and demand.”

Farm diversification

A family-friendly glamping field accommodating six tents, a dog walking field (let out by the hour), and several residential and commercial lettings.

Declared interests

Member of National Farmers Union (NFU) and Country Landowners Association

On council of Maize Growers Association

Member of NFU National Crops Board

Vice Chairman of NFU Midlands Crops Board

Chairman of NFU Market Bosworth

Ambassador for Clean up Britain Campaign

Media experience

National and local TV and radio, featured in agricultural podcasts and in Farmer’s Weekly magazine. Addressed various national agricultural conferences

Happy to talk about

adding value agricultural machinery agricultural policy agritech agrochemicals arable arable production attracting staff Avian Influenza bees biodiversity biosecurity Bird Flu bird health Brexit broiler production broilers CAP carbon emissions carbon footprint carbon neutral carbon reduction Cereal production Cereals changing consumer tastes cheap food chemical use chickens climate change Common Agricultural Policy conservation agriculture cover crops crop growing crops depression diet direct sales diversity drought education Environmental Land Management Scheme (ELMS) environmental stewardship extensive agriculture factory farming family farming farm assurance farm diversification farm education farm safety farm shops farm succession farm suicide farm to fork fertiliser flooding fly-tipping food safety food waste forage fungicides glyphosate ground source heat pumps growing a business hare coursing harvest healthy eating herbicides horses indoor poultry production insect production insect protein insecticides intensive farming labour shortages local food 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 obesity oilseed rape pesticides planning permission policy development pollinators poultry poultry production public access public engagement public money for public goods Red Tractor reducing inputs regenerative agriculture renewable energy retail rise of veganism robotics rural crime rural planning policy rural tourism slurry management soil health soil management solar panels specialist crops straw stress subsidies supermarkets tractors water quality wheat wildlife work/life balance young entrants Young Farmers zero till

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