Norfolk armers explain how growing organic produce differs from conventional farming methods.

Organic farming has finally earned its place alongside more conventional farming methods at the 1987 Royal Norfolk Show. Although organic produce is 10-30% more expensive than non-organic greens, supermarkets are making space to include organic alternatives.

The Howard family of Mangreen Farm in Swardeston, Norfolk have been farmers for the last 40 years. Two years ago, after the introduction of milk quotas, Edward Howard decided to drop out of dairy farming and try his hand at organic growing. Speaking from experience, Howard confirms that organic farming is not an easy option. The work is labour intensive. As farm manager Graham Hughes explains, all weed control must be done with tractors and hand hoeing, as no chemical herbicides can be used. In the greenhouses, pests are kept at bay with the introduction of predators for problems such as red spider mites. Planting is carefully planned to miss the peak period of insect activity. The careful growing methods have paid off. Over the last year the farm's output has grown from eight to 20 tonnes of vegetables per week.

The reporter was Lindsay Brooke for this video, made to be shown in a news story on Anglia Television's early evening news / magazine programme About Anglia.

video, made to be inserted during live broadcast of Anglia Television's early evening news / magazine programme About Anglia. The live studio presentation provided context for the video as part of a news story or magazine feature within the programme. About Anglia was not recorded during broadcast, so it is usually just the pre-recorded programme inserts which survive. In the 1980s Anglia Television was broadcasting to a wide area in the East of England including Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Essex, Norfolk, Northamptonshire, Suffolk and adjoining parts of Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire and Rutland where there was some overlap with neighbouring ITV regions.