Welcome to Lower House Farm!
ABOUT THE FARM
The farm is approximately 645 acres in size (261 hectares). There are 2 full time staff and casual help as and when needed. The farm is 80ft above sea level and sits on a Bromyard series clay soil type. We are situated 7 miles west of the market town of Ledbury.
Lower House Farm has been in the Parish of Canon Frome for many generations. There have been settlements on the farm going back to the Roman times (Aerial View 1, Aerial View 2). There is a scheduled monument on the farm, as well as a Civil War site. Jumping forward to the 18th Century, the Hereford to Gloucester Canal was built through the farm, with the only underground feeder tunnel for the whole canal. And now to 1986, when we bought Lower House Farm and our connection with this area begins. On our arrival, we took over a 220-strong dairy herd, which was milked for 10 years until 1996, when we decided to have a change in direction and lifestyle - at least that was the intention at the time!
LIVESTOCK
During the year we finish approximately 200-220 cattle. These are on a 60/40 split between continental breeds and our native Hereford-Cross cattle. These are a cross between a Hereford mother mated with an Angus or Simmental bull. The cattle are bought from local auction rings/cattle markets, e.g. Hereford, Ross on Wye, Brecon and Ludlow. We also buy from a cattle buyer who sources the cattle that we like on our behalf.
In the summer time where possible, the cattle are allowed to graze the fields and are on a fed on a diet of just grass. In the winter time, they are housed in pens of similar age and breed. This allows them space, clean water and fresh straw every day. All of the ingredients that they eat are completely GM-free and grown on the farm. This is fed through a feeder wagon (Image1, Image2). This diet is carefully made up by an animal nutritionist who regulates the ingredients for each group of cattle, depending on age, weight and breed. A sample of the ingredients is given below:
- Straw
- Silage (grass)
- Sugar Beet
- Maize
- Apple Pommice
- Molasses
These cattle stay in the shed for the winter and then depending on their age and weight, they either stay on the farm for a longer period of time or they leave and go to the abattoir to supply us with meat.
We strive to look after the animals in our care to the best industry standards. These are regulated under F.A.B.B.L. Please feel free to come and visit our herd throughout the seasons.
CROPS
As we have already mentioned, a wide range of crops is grown throughout the year for a number of different markets:
Wheat –
This year we are growing 2 varieties, ‘Rogabus’ and ‘Einstein’.
Rogabus is mainly a feed wheat, which is used in animal feed production by local mills.
Einstein is a class-2 biscuit wheat and is used in human food consumption, e.g. biscuits and bread (this is dependent on quality at harvest). This would also give us some clean seed for next year’s planting time.
Oil Seed Rape (OSR) –
We grow this on contract on our set-a-side (S-A-S). This is taken to the mills and crushed for both oil and animal feeds. We also grow some OSR on contract for Bio Fuel or Bio Mass (a greener fuel for the environment).
Silage –
This is grass that has been closed off from the cattle, allowed to grow for a longer period and then cut and put into the silage clamps for winter storage.
Grass –
This is grown for either long-term lays over 5 years or short-term lays (2-4 years). This allows us to graze the cattle over the spring, summer and winter in the surrounding fields.
With all of these crops, they are grown to make money for the farm, but they also allow us to feed a totally GM-free and home-grown diet to the cattle which is not only good for them, but to the biodiversity of the farm, with lots of different crops for wildlife.
MACHINERY
On the farm we have a number of different machines that allow us to undertake seasonal work e.g. The combine.
This allows us to harvest our crops at the optimum time both in moisture and quality. This helps us to make the most of the weather between the showers.
The drill and discs are both made in Sweden by a company called Vaderstat. These allow us to cover more ground, thereby using less diesel but also creating and drilling the crop safely. The drill will plant all of our crops on the farm apart from the sugar beet, which needs a special drill.
The crop sprayer is used by myself to apply products onto the crop. The products help them to grow and protect them from diseases and pests. We have our sprayer tested and MOT’d to industry standards. This gives us the confidence to apply the products at the proper rate and time. We are members of NROSO and ACCS, which are standards to which we have to adhere both as operators and producers.
We have pictures of other machinery on the farm in our picture gallery. We also have videos of the combine and the sugar beet harvester in operation. If you would like to see them in action, please do ask as some may only be available to view at certain times of the year.
Glossary
LEAF = Linking Environment And Farming
FACE = Farm And Countryside Education
ELS = Entry Level Scheme
HLS = Higher Level Scheme
CSS = Countryside Stewardship
SFP = Single Farm Payment
CAP = Common Agricultural Policy
NVZ = Nitrate Vulnerable Zone
TPO = Tree Preservation Order