Conservation
Farmers and brothers Henry and Richard Lang created Bowdens Farm business centre over 15 years ago with the aim to diversify from the family farming business. Once home to a dilapidated dairy, Bowdens Farm presented an opportunity to provide the local area with well-equipped modern offices and shops in a beautiful setting. Brown and Forrest ran the original smokery and fisheries from Bowdens when it was established over 30 years ago. The Lang partnership accommodated its success and built Phase One of the Bowdens Farm developments; providing Brown and Forrest with its first shop and café and then also converted the old granary and dairy parlour into sympathetically designed offices.
At about the same time Henry and Richard started to notice declining biodiversity on the farm (especially seeing the decline of cowslips, grey partridge, skylarks and marbled white butterflies). Growing up on the farm and seeing an amazing array of wildlife as children prompted the Langs to try to preserve and encourage wildlife so that future generations can enjoy it too.
Promoting greater biodiversity on the farm and sensitivity toward the natural environment are very important to the Lang family. This year alone a solar installation facilitates nearly 25% of businesses at Bowdens Farm and some farm operations to run off energy generated from these panels. Other step taken include:
- Solar park installations providing 120kw of power
- 15 acres of woodland established
- 3 traditional cider orchards re-planted
- 48km of wild flower margins around fields
- 42 acres wild flower meadows created
- 7 ponds and lakes created for wildlife
- 21 acres of wild bird seed plots
- Conservation and re-building of traditional farm buildings
The Lang Partnership and Bowdens Farm supports the local community by hosting the Somerset Kingfisher Award where local primary schools create a project on habitats, food chains and wildlife which is followed by a presentation day. The farm also runs training days for Natural England staff, Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust, BASC, Farmers’ Conservation Group, as well as involvement with the RSPB’s Farmer Volunteer Alliance.
The development of former dairy buildings into a thriving business community which includes the Brown and Forrest smokery, restaurant and small retail and business units, has also bought numerous employment opportunities and commerce into the local area.
Bowdens Farm is a part of a working farm and the Langs wanted to demonstrate that commercial farming could co-exist with sensitive environmental care and plenty of wildlife.
Awards
- FWAG Silver Lapwing 2nd place - 2001
- FWAG Silver Lapwing 2nd place – 2010
- Somerset Farming and Wildlife Award – 2008
- Somerset Farming and Wildlife Award – 2000
- Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust Bronze Partridge Award
- BASC Stanley Duncan Conservation Award
- Numerous Farm Management Awards
- Commendation Somerset Building Awards 2012
