The Lapwing Estate

The Lapwing Estate is an agricultural estate of over 5,000 acres across Nottinghamshire, North Lincolnshire and South Yorkshire. Its Pollybell Farms operation focuses on managing lowland peat soils, and the estate trials new land-use methods on its own fields before wider use. Ventures developed or hosted on the estate include Earth Rover, a chemical-free weeding system using precision light; Reverse Coal, which turns farm biomass into biochar and renewable energy; and FLOW, which designs and delivers large-scale reservoirs in farm environments.

The estate supplies produce to Browns at the Buttercross, a restaurant serving seasonal food. It is also home to the Pollybell Innovation Centre, backed by The Frederick Spence Investment Fund, which offers a farm testing site for startups and entrepreneurs working with farmers and academic partners.

The company is headquartered in Doncaster, England, and was incorporated in 1966. James Brown, the fifth generation of his family to oversee the estate, leads it. The estate is a member of the Countryside Stewardship Scheme and works with the RSPB and Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust on biodiversity, and the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology has installed six flux towers across the land.

Product: Farming on a 5,000-acre estate (Pollybell Farms), Browns at the Buttercross restaurant, and the Earth Rover, Reverse Coal and FLOW projects.