Tonight I'm heading all the way down to West Sussex to talk to flower grower, Ben Cross @AlstroemeriaBen

We talk about the fact that he's a 4th generation grower at Crosslands Flower Nursery, that was established by his Great Grandparents in 1936 starting on the LSA (Land Settlement Association).

We go into the ten years he spent as a Marine Scientist, before the call of home proved too much, and his return to the family business growing Alstroemerias. We talk about the flowers themselves, how they're grown, how the greenhouses are heated, how they're harvested, and how they're sold, with a large proportion of them going direct to florists and farm shops.

We discuss the severe challenges he faces as a British flower grower, with a staggering 90% of cut flowers in the UK being imported from countries such as Ecuador, Cambodia, Colombia, and Kenya, and the associated environmental impact that has, and how he's campaigning to raise awareness of the benefits of British flowers. 

Ben's incredibly passionate about both his family business, and the British Flower industry, and it was an real pleasure to talk to him and learn more about what he's doing. 

Look for 'Crosslands Flower Nursery' on Facebook to see some of the fantastic videos he's putting out straight from the Nursery.

Check it out folks.. 

 

 

 LONDON MARATHON 2019: As required by Universal law, much like if you're a vegan, if you're doing a marathon, you have to tell people about it. Well I'm doing the London one in April 2019, and I'm raising money for the incredible charity FARM AFRICA. If you want to see more about the AMAZING work they do please visit www.farmafrica.org & if you'd like to sponsor me the link is www.justgiving.com/fundraising/william-evans12 - thank you!

 

Episode Sponsor: 

NFU Cymru - for more information please visit www.nfu-cymru.org.uk

 

Podcast Partners:

Farmer's Guardian. For the biggest range of news and features from across the Ag industry, please visit www.fginsight.com

Rock & Roll Farming is proud to be a part of the Farm & Rural Ag Network. To find more great podcasts and vlogs, please visit www.farmruralag.com