Developed by RegenFarmCo, supported by Yorkshire Water as well as being sponsored by Levy UK + Ireland and QuornPro, the scheme has spent the last 12-months designing, developing and showcasing regenerative approaches to farming on a 92-acre plot.
Over 24,000 trees, shrubs, cover crops, system plants and herbs have been planted. This includes 9,000 fruit saplings, 2,000 perennial crops, 4,000 system plants, and over 1,000 hedgerow trees.
Rows of crop alleys have been established, new water irrigation features have been dug and beehives have been installed. Forty tonnes of ground calcium have been scattered, twenty tonnes of horse manure has been spread and 100kg of worms have been embedded in the soil.
Hundreds of senior hospitality and foodservice professionals, as well as industry leaders from across Yorkshire’s food and agriculture sector, have attended discovery days at the farm. Yorkshire Water have used their involvement in the BioHub project to promote their Beyond Nature programme.
Sports and entertainment caterers Levy has used the site to teach its culinary and operational teams, as well as clients, how precision agriculture, agroforestry and regenerative farming techniques can help the company achieve its ambitious climate net zero 2027 goal.
Kevin Watson, sustainability director at Levy UK+I, said: “We are incredibly proud of what we've accomplished in our first year at the BioHub. The project stands as a testament to the potential of sustainable and innovation-driven farming practices. It is not only a source of inspiration for our partners and teams to the farm, but also a model for the industry as a whole.
“At Levy we are moving towards our produce coming from regenerative sources, and the BioHub is a tangible way to demonstrate how we’re putting that commitment into practice. Further, we’ve been able to show client teams what can be done if you really want to make a difference.”
QuornPro, the foodservice division of the pioneering meat-free brand Quorn, has used the BioHub site to help educate, enthuse and inspire its staff about innovative approaches to ingredient development and food production.
Ellie Janes, foodservice lead for nutrition and sustainability at QuornPro, added: “We are driven by our pioneering spirit at QuornPro, aiming to become the best protein on the planet and always breaking new ground in the process.
"It’s been brilliant to be part of this pioneering project as part of that journey. Playing an active role in the development of the farm has been incredibly valuable to the whole QuornPro team and we look forward to watching it evolve in the coming year.”