Farming
Info > Information Pages C-F
Farming today
Farming is no longer the major employer it once was, but it is still of vital importance to the country. Farming contributed £14.5 bn to the UK economy in 2024, while the agri-food section as a whole contributes £153.2 bn a year to the economy or 6.2% of our GDP (DEFRA - "Farming evidence - key statistics").
Even though thousands of people live in the urban area of Longfield - New Ash Green, our area is surrounded in green space. Government statistics (Land Use in England 2022) found that our three parishes of Ash, Hartley and Longfield have a total area of 2,325 hectares, of which 1,088 hectares (47%) is devoted to farmland and farm buildings. In addition a further 362 ha (16%) were taken up with woodland, grassland or water.
The table below shows the land use figures for each lower level super output area (about a quarter of each ward).
Area | Hect-ares | Farming (percent) | Farming Hectares | Forest Water | Houses | Resid Gardens | Transport Utilities | Industry Commerce | Comm-unity | Outdoor Recrn | Undev Vacant Unknown | |||||||||||
Hartley & Hodsoll Street (004A East Hartley, 004B S Hartley & Hodsoll Street, 004C West Hartley, 004D Wellfield) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
004A | 77 | 1.7% | 1 ha | 23.1% | 10.2% | 51.4% | 7.7% | 0.1% | 1.7% | 1.0% | 3.1% | |||||||||||
004B | 1,141 | 62.7% | 714 ha | 20.1% | 0.8% | 8.1% | 2.1% | 0.1% | 0.5% | 2.9% | 2.7% | |||||||||||
004C | 76 | 11.5% | 9 ha | 17.6% | 8.5% | 40.3% | 9.5% | 0.1% | 1.2% | 6.5% | 4.8% | |||||||||||
004D | 20 | 0.3% | 0.1 ha | 5.3% | 14.9% | 52.0% | 15.0% | 0.0% | 0.2% | 0.6% | 11.7% | |||||||||||
Ash (016A NE New Ash Green, 016B W NAG & West Yoke, 016C SE New Ash Green, 016D SW New Ash Green & Ash) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
016A | 37 | 10.1% | 4 ha | 13.9% | 9.2% | 17.8% | 12.7% | 1.1% | 8.4% | 0.9% | 25.9% | |||||||||||
016B | 137 | 43.4% | 59 ha | 6.4% | 2.6% | 8.9% | 5.3% | 0.5% | 0.0% | 24.1% | 8.9% | |||||||||||
016C | 57 | 4.2% | 2 ha | 35.2% | 7.7% | 32.2% | 11.5% | 0.1% | 0.0% | 0.7% | 8.4% | |||||||||||
016D | 431 | 40.3% | 173 ha | 9.8% | 1.2% | 9.0% | 2.8% | 0.2% | 0.2% | 32.9% | 3.6% | |||||||||||
Longfield (013B Longfield Village, 013C New Barn E & Longfield Hill, 013D New Barn W) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
013B | 165 | 46.5% | 77 ha | 8.0% | 4.0% | 14.5% | 10.7% | 0.7% | 4.6% | 3.0% | 7.9% | |||||||||||
013C | 105 | 40.3% | 42 ha | 2.5% | 7.5% | 38.0% | 8.3% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.5% | 2.7% | |||||||||||
014D | 79 | 8.3% | 7 ha | 10.9% | 8.7% | 50.2% | 11.7% | 0.0% | 4.2% | 2.6% | 3.5% | |||||||||||
Farmers have an annual census form to complete on 1st June each year. All farms have to complete the form every ten years but in other years only a sample are contacted. From this data, the government department DEFRA compiles parish returns, but these are only publicly available up to 1987. When farms cross parish boundaries, they are allocated to one parish, so the "parish" is an elastic concept.
DEFRA have published data on land use in 2000 and 2010 within 5km2 OS grid squares. TQ66NW covers Longfield, Hartley, New Ash Green, North Meopham and Istead Rise. TQ66SW extends from Ash down to south Meopham and Fairseat. It suggests that arable is the most important form of farming locally.
Crop | TQ66NW | TQ66SW | TQ66NW | TW66SW |
2000 | 2010 | 2000 | 2010 | |
| Wheat | 450-600 ha | 300-450 ha | 150-300 ha | 300-450 ha |
| Barley | 0-100 ha | 0-100 ha | 0-100 ha | 0-100 ha |
| Oil Seed Rape | 0-100 ha | 100 - 200 ha | 0-100 ha | 0-100 ha |
| Maize | 0-100 ha | 0-100 ha | 0-100 ha | 0-100 ha |
Livestock | ||||
| Cattle | 0-250 | 1,000-3,000 | 250-500 | 250-500 |
| Dairy Cattle | 0-125 | Over 1,000 | 0-125 | 0-125 |
| Beef Cattle | 0-125 | 0-125 | 0-125 | 0-125 |
| Pigs | 0-500 | 500-1,000 | 0-500 | 0-500 |
| Sheep | 0-1,000 | 0-1,000 | 0-1,000 | 0-1,000 |
| Poultry | n/a | n/a | 0-10,000 | 0-10,000 |
Local working farms
There are a lot of places called "farm" locally but most are not working farms any more, except perhaps with a pony paddock.
The main working farms are listed below.
Hartley Bottom Farm
A large mixed family run farm of 1,600 acres which extends to Hartley, Ash and Meopham, employing 25 people. However it started out in 1912 with only 6 acres! It has a country store and in 1998 added the award winning Butcher's Shop. It also offers agricultural contracting and is home to a pony sanctuary. In 2019 it won the award for the best family run farm in the South East Region.
Links:
Sizzling sausages win silver award for farm (News Shopper 2002)
Prize-winning butchers are on a sausage roll (Dartford Messenger 2014)
Celebrating the Region's Best Farmers (South East Farmer, 2020)
New NFU county chair says it's time to champion farming (NFU Online 2026)
Manor Farm, Longfield Hill
This is a mixed farm of over 200 acres run by C E Broomfield Limited, a company formed in 1945. The farm extends southwards from Manor Road, Longfield Hill over Orange Hill and Skinners Hill almost as far as Shipley Hills Road. I am not sure but it is probable Nurstead Hill Farm is also in the same management, as it was the registered address of the company until 1998.
Links:
Pinden End Farm, Longfield
This arable farm is run by J & B Martin (Crayford and Fawkham) Limited. According to Companies House, the firm is also involved in haulage and quarrying. The company was formed in 1913 but J & B Martin were a partnership before then.
Links:
Ash Place Farm
This farm borders New Ash Green to the south; the farmhouse is situated in Church Lane by the Parish Church. The land bordering Redhill Road is mentioned in the draft Sevenoaks District Plan as a site for 580 homes.
Oncoland Limited
The farming arm of the Billings Group of Gay Dawn Farm, Fawkham. They have a number of holdings in north Kent totalling about 4,000 acres (1,600 ha). As well as arable, dairy and beef, they have hops and vines. Locally they own the land stretching from Downs Valley in Hartley to Fawkham Valley Road.
Links: