
Rothamsted Research farms cover over 800 Ha and are spread across 4 counties.
Our main base is at Rothamsted Farm in Harpenden (330Ha), home of the ‘Classical’ agricultural experiments started by our founder Sir John Lawes in 1843. We have 2 further arable units, one at Woburn Experimental Farm, 33Ha in mid Bedfordshire and Brooms Barn Farm, 77Ha in Suffolk.
North Wyke in Devon extends to 350Ha. Predominantly grassland the site is home to 360 Suffolk x ewes and a 120 head Beef suckler herd. State of the art housing and handling facilities provide the perfect facility for livestock research.
The farms are a major service provider to our science community and provide a platform for field experimentation in the arable agriculture sector, livestock and agri-environment.
We run more than 120 experiments throughout the year and can harvest over 12,000 plots during the summer. The dedicated team have many years’ experience in agricultural research and include trained BASIS and FACTS agronomists. We also have expertise in field planning, GPS systems and plot mechanisation.
On farm we have facilities to provide specific field conditions, rotational slots and different soil types across the arable land we manage. Operating a full fleet of commercial agricultural machinery to provide many different cultivation and seedbed scenarios. We also have a fleet of bespoke plot machinery to provide experimentation on these cultivated fields.
We can provide experimentation in the major UK crops alongside more niche crops for specific purposes, and have space for biomass experiments in willow and miscanthus. Finally we have secure sites available across the farms for GM cropping.