Croft Farm is a working farm of about 200 acres. Originally purchased by the Gillett family in 1916, it was then called Commons Farm, which indicates the very sandy, heathland type soils which characterise most of the arable land. For this reason root and vegetable crops are important and can be successfully grown with the use of an irrigation system which covers most of the farm.
As with many smaller farms a contractor is now employed to work the arable land which means that little equipment is kept here at Croft Farm. They use very large machinery, which covers many thousands of acres in Suffolk during the course of a year. The farm has a number of grass meadows, which are used mainly for sheep grazing.
Most of the grassland is within the Suffolk River Valleys Environmentally Sensitive Area, which is a scheme designated to encourage low stocking rates and minimal use of fertilisers. We produce high quality lamb from these meadows, which is butchered and packed locally. In recent years we have looked at ways to diversify the farm business with alternative use of buildings, a small caravan site, and most recently the holiday accommodation.
