Field report
A market at five in the morning
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Oct 8, 2026 · 9 min
The Long Field: latest letters
This week · No. 142Field reportMembers
The quiet economy of seed
Who saves seed now, who sells it, and why a handful of small growers are rebuilding a library the size of a shed.
There is a shed at the edge of a market garden outside Hollin Bridge that holds, by Orla Fenn's best estimate, four hundred and twelve varieties of vegetable seed. It is not a large shed.
By Mara Ellison
· 14 min read
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Mara Ellison
Mara spent eleven years reporting on agriculture before starting The Long Field from a converted grain shed. She writes from the edges of farms, markets and supply chains.
Upper Wye valley · Writing since 2023 · Thursdays, plus Sunday dispatches for members