At Thoresby we farm 2,900 hectares (7,200 acres). 2,200ha of this is arable land, with the remaining 700ha used as grazing for our ‘heritage’ livestock.  About half is heavy land on a soil known as Keuper Marl with a combinable crop rotation of wheat, oil seed rape, spring beans, rye and spring barley. The remainder is light sandland with the same combinable crop rotation, with the addition of sugar beet, maize, potatoes, carrots and onions all of which need carefully managed irrigation to cope with dry summers.

The grazing land has never been cultivated and is managed very carefully with livestock to restore and enhance the ancient woodland habitat. We have one National Nature Reserve (NNR) and several Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) which have long term management plans agreed with Natural England.