Food
you can taste....
Food you can trust....
Sheep Geese Chickens Cattle Pigs Dogs
The family partnership was created in 1951, when my grandfather was a member of the Soil Association. I have inherited his deep passion for farming, and organic farming in particular. Our conversion to organic production in 1997 not only gave us a marketing opportunity but has allowed me to farm in the way I have always wanted to farm. There is a wonderful array of vegetables, herbs, fruit, cut flowers, mixed arable crops, sheep, beef, pigs, chickens, geese and horses. The place is teeming with activity, enthusiasm and dare I say it, passion. Passion for what we do each day, and ultimately that is producing the finest, freshest food we possibly can.
A good crop rotation is they key to the success of the whole farm. We build fertility more than we exploit it. The inclusion of clover in the ley mix, grazing by livestock and the application of well composted FYM build up sufficient fertility, organic matter and soil microbiological activity. Maintenance of soil structure and timeliness of operations are also fundamental to growing successful crops for us. The vegetables in particular benefit from a wide rotation.
Weed control is managed through a combination of stale seedbeds, a tined weeder (einbock), a steerage hoe, brush weeder, topping, mowing and of course long (hand) weeding.
Arable crops are grown for home consumption by the livestock during winter. The straw is baled and provides us with our entire bedding requirements.
Areas of permanent cropping include 30 acres watermeadows, 80 acres wildflower meadows and 15 acres permanent crops (soft fruit, top fruit, asparagus, rhubarb, globe artichokes, seakale)
The farm has always been at the centre of the local community and a huge magnet for local children. We are now allocating more resources to educating the wider public about organic farming and how we produce their food. Watching my children, embracing life on the farm, learning about their role in the environment and the food chain, makes me want to provide these wonderful opportunities to other children. I believe it should be a fundamental part of every child’s life
.
Our role in the community is central to the way we farm. Our high local penetration is largely due to the strong links we have built up. As a farm and a family we offer great accessibility and openness. Shopping at the farm is a family treat.
My greatest pride and satisfaction is talking, often daily to the people who eat the food we produce. The strength and loyalty of our customer base is testimony to our success. I also take great pride in the performance and gross margin of the sheep flock, which I bred myself. The chickens too, have become a personal quest to maximize their grazing performance and therefore, I believe, welfare and eating quality: healthy livestock, healthy humans.
And as a farmer with great interest in natural history, I take great satisfaction from our environmental achievements. The working atmosphere on the farm buzzes with enthusiasm; our labour force is taken from the surrounding farming and yachting families. I love the fact that I work with my family, and that my children are growing up in such a happy, thriving atmosphere.
To further encourage community involvement and to help local children to understand and appreciate where their food comes from we run occasional Farm Open Days and informative Farm Walks. Details of these activities will be posted in our shop and distributed to our Box Scheme participants.
Please join us with all your family for what I guarantee will be a fun and educational day out for all!
George Heathcote Farm Owner/Manager
About Organic Farming
The
concept of organic farming embraces philosophies and assumptions that
are well beyond the simple label of “chemical free”. The
aim is to create a sustainable farming system based on the minimum of
external inputs, and requires a high degree of management skill.
Techniques include wide rotations; the use of livestock and the resulting
organic matter to provide humus enriched soils; cultivations and mechanical
weed control; exclusion of synthetic fertilizers, chemicals, growth
regulators, routine antibiotic applications and hormone stimulants;
and biological pest control. Ecological balance and the preservation
of soil structure and micro-organisms are fundamental to the system.
In 1996 we converted to organic production, as certified to the extremely
high standards of the Soil Association. (Conversion took 5 years to
complete)
