Wild Ken Hill reserve in Heacham and Snettisham makes steps towards producing organic produce

A wildlife reserve is taking steps towards bring organic produce to the market by 2026.

Wild Ken Hill, a rewilding and farming project which started in 2019, can now start its two-year approach to becoming organic due to the area being almost completely free of pesticides and fertilisers.

The site which spreads across parts of Heacham and Snettisham, gained national fame through featuring on BBC Springwatch.

Wild Ken Hill reached this point because of an intense focus on the health of its soils.

Through a combination of regenerative practices and a unique process for creating compost and scaling it up to the farm-wide application, Wild Ken Hill nourished its soils to the point where key biological processes are self-sustaining.

A spokesperson from Wild Ken Hill said: “That process has taken a journey of learning, experimentation and rigorous testing, with farm director Nick Padwick ultimately achieving the status of being the first UK farmer to become a soil food web consultant in 2023.

“Being able to bring organic produce to market is a welcome byproduct of this process.”

“Organic” is a legally protected term that means consumers can trust produce meets specific standards, particularly around the use of pesticides and fertiliser.

Soil Association chief executive Helen Browning said: “It has been a delight to watch the journey that Wild Ken Hill has been on these past few years.

“Their efforts, incorporating wildlife and plant diversity into their business, are living proof that food production and nature can thrive in perfect harmony together.

“The farm already embodies the values of organic in prioritising the health of soils, ecosystems and people, so I am thrilled they are joining the movement.

“I can’t wait to see what they do next to bring healthy, sustainable food that people can trust to people’s shopping baskets.”

Nick Padwick, estate director at Wild Ken Hill, said: “To wean ourselves off chemicals is a fantastic milestone.

“It’s a great sign of how we have learnt to work with nature and not against it. We’re now looking forward to going through the conversion process and bringing organic produce to market from 2026.”