About James Foskett Farms

Henry Foskett was a first Generation farmer who came to Bromeswell and bought 180 acres at Low Farm in 1955. That year he married Joanne and started a farming partnership trading as H&J Foskett. Cropping in the 50’s and early 60’s was based round Malting Barley and Sugar Beet with potatoes, carrots and cabbages grown for Covent Garden.

Irrigation was installed in 1964 and was crucial to the profitability of the Farm and effectively turned very poor grade 4 land into useful vegetable land. Water is still one of the most important resources to farming in East Suffolk.

James joined the Partnership in 1979 after doing a three year diploma course at Writtle Agricultural College and travelling the world for a year. Guy joined the partnership in 1981 after studying at Shuttleworth agricultural college but soon became heavily involved with G.R.Greens a cricket bat cleft producing business bought by the partnership in the mid 80’s.Guy now successfully grows cricket bat willows and produces clefts which he exports all round the world.

James married Belinda in 1986 and has four daughters.

James Foskett Farms was formed in 2005 out of the partnership of H&J Foskett and James is the sole Director.

Through gradual expansion the land base now covers 1650 acres and is made up of owned and rented land within a 25mile radius of Low Farm, mostly in the Deben Valley. Potatoes are the most important crop to the business with onions not far behind. Other crops include sugar beet, brassica’s, cereals and organic vegetables..

There is now modern crop storage at Low Farm for 6500 tonnes of produce as well as modern grading facilities, blast chilling, weighbridge and farm office.

Apart from James and his wife Belinda who is company secretary other members of staff include;

Jonathan Tunmore and Mike Shapland as Farm Managers.

Tomas Motyka who manages all the casual labour and some of the Organic production.

Bob Page runs the farm Office

12 full time tractor drivers

2 students.

Several casuals depending on work load.

Marketing of the crops correctly is as important to the business as growing it. You have to be a marketer, coming up with the right goods on the right day of the right quality to suit the customer.

To help the business to market their produce we are 100% committed to GreenvaleAP who market all the potatoes, we are members of G’s Growers who market all the onions and some of the organic vegetables and Atlas Framlingham market all our cereals.

James Foskett Farms buys all the farm inputs through Atlas Fram which is a farmer owned buying cooperative based in Framingham .Having over 1000 members mostly in East Anglia but also round the country, they have huge buying power and are able to make sure their members are buying competitively priced inputs, this has been essential in the development of the business.