Late winter 2026
The close of winter is often one of the quietest periods on the farm. Crops are only just beginning to stir back into life, the fields remain too wet to carry machinery, and the slower pace offers a welcome opportunity to service and maintain equipment ahead of the busy months to come.
Yet, despite the wind, rain and lingering cold, there has been no shortage of activity at our marsh farm. The beavers have been hard at work. Recently returned to the River Stour and its surrounding marshes, these peckish residents have certainly made their presence known.
Below are a few photographs capturing the evidence of their work across the farm, a reminder that even in the stillness of late winter, nature is quietly shaping the landscape.
Beaver activity on Poplar trees.
Coppicing effect from the Beavers
Back on the main farm at Quex, the team have been making the most of every dry window. Recent work has included applying nutrients to the over-wintered oilseed rape, sowing our third succession of broad beans, and incorporating over-winter cover crops following a tidy-up graze by sheep.
We are incredibly fortunate with our Thanet soils. The free-draining nature allows us to travel earlier in the season and stay on the land later than many others can, a real advantage at this time of year. After a welcome 24-hour break in the rain, the ground was power-harrowed to create a fine, level seedbed ahead of drilling the broad beans.
These beans will be harvested later in the season and will be available through our on-site farm shop and as part of our seasonal veg boxes, with all contents grown right here at Quex.
Massey Ferguson - on the transplanter, planting broad beans
To conclude this update, we are delighted to have received 37 Dutch Elm resistant elm trees. These have now been carefully planted in locations where parkland trees once stood, as well as within our hedgerows and woodland areas, restoring lost features of the landscape and strengthening habitat connectivity across the farm.
This planting has been made possible thanks to the generous support of a grant from The Tree Council and Network Rail’s Community Tree Planting Fund, delivered in partnership with Kent Plan Tree.
We are extremely grateful for their support in helping us secure these iconic trees, ensuring that elm once again has a place in our landscape for generations to come.
Be sure to keep an eye out for our spring update, with plenty of farming activity!
