Parrish Farms is a family run farm in the beautiful Bedfordshire countryside. Our farm has been managed by three generations of Parrish families, dating all the way back to 1927 when Frank Parrish first bought the land for a dairy farm, supplying the local villages with fresh milk each day.

The rich sandy soils of the Greensand Ridge are ideal for onion and shallot growing and we have been growing onions for 30 years on these pastures. We are passionate about supplying great tasting onions and shallots in the most sustainable way.

 

We pride ourselves on being environmentally friendly and take great care of the land that we farm on. All of our fields are ringed by strips of uncultivated land, which are rich in wild flora and fauna, and encourage biodiversity.

 

We farm over 150 acres of shallots and still, to this day, neatly sow our shallots in lines which are planted exactly 40mm apart and 20mm deep by automated tractors controlled by GPS technology. This combination of modern and traditional technologies allows us to farm in the most effective ways, saving energy and reducing waste whilst growing quality products.

 

Sustainability 

Sustainability is always at the core of what we do, which is why we have adopted precision farming techniques throughout the farm to optimise resources required to grow onions and shallots. This includes controlled traffic farming techniques, which helps to maintain soil structure.

 

We have also invested heavily in state of the art storage facilities to ensure our produce is kept in the best condition for longer. This includes cold storage, controlled atmosphere storage and ethylene controlled storage. Renewable energy is used to help run the stores with over 400kw of solar panels installed over the farm.

 

L.E.A.F

Our produce is grown under the L.E.A.F. (Linking Environment and Farming) protocol, which is the leading environmental growing programme in the UK. The LEAF approach is built around the whole-farm principles of Integrated Farm Management (IFM), which achieves a balance between the best modern technology and sound traditional methods, whilst enriching the environment. By purchasing LEAF Marque certified products, you will be supporting sustainable farming and a greener future. To find out more, visit www.leafmarque.com

 

Technology 

Irrigation is a vital part of the allium growing programme. Over the years the business has invested in winter storage reservoirs to ensure that there is enough water even in the drier years. Sophisticated monitoring equipment is used to ensure the crop has the right water applications at the right time so as to achieve optimum growth and quality.