Introduction

Feldon Forest Farm is an organic farm of around 32 ha set in the special landscape area of the Leam Valley in Warwickshire. Originally part of a larger farm, it has been under the current ownership since 1994. The farm has been in Countryside Stewardship since 1995 and is now in Environmental Stewardship, the first in Warwickshire to have a Higher Level Stewardship agreement. The farm was the winner of the prestigious Loraine Award for nature conservation and organic farming in 2003, and the Warwickshire Silver Lapwing award in 2006. It is farmed as a partnership by George and Gillian Browning

Our Farming Philosophy

We operate a traditional farming system involving a mixture of what are nowadays called enterprises, such as arable, beef and sheep. We are recreating species rich grassland on the fields that were previously arable as that is more in keeping with the traditional land use for this area. All the original pasture is permanent pasture, rich in wild flowers, with remnants of ridge and furrow, and the grassland recreation is a natural extension of this. Feldon Forest Farm has beef, sheep, poultry, fruit and vegetables. Then there are various woodlands and water features. The farm buildings have all been purpose designed and built for the farm.

The livestock

The various livestock enterprises are an integral part of the farming plan with the intention of using all livestock to play their complementary roles in soil fertility building, weed control and making the best use of our farm produced crops.  Companion grazing and rotational grazing play their part in keeping the livestock healthy.

 

The whole farm has been under organic management since 1997.  We believe in farming with natural systems as far as possible, without the use of pesticides and artificial fertilizers.  Care of the soil is paramount in an organic system and crops are grown in a sustainable rotation, livestock are grazed on a rotation and care is taken to avoid damage to the soil structure.  Research has shown that organic food is healthy, on average containing higher levels of Vitamin C, essential minerals and cancer-fighting antioxidants.  Over 400 chemical pesticides are routinely used in non-organic farming and residues are often present in non-organic food.  We do not use any chemical pesticides, growth regulators or artificial fertilizers.

Use of Rare or Traditional Breeds

Traditional or “rare” breeds of livestock have been selected deliberately for the enhanced role we believe they play in our organic system.  Their virtues include resistance to disease and an ability to thrive on a low input system.  Our intention is to maintain as natural a balance as possible, to retain family groups and use natural weaning wherever possible.  Herds and flocks are kept closed with the occasional exception of breeding males brought in to improve bloodlines.  Males are subject to a continuous replacement policy to keep young males as the breeding sires.  The ‘traditional’ policy extends to fruit and vegetables as well.  For example we have over 30 different varieties of apple, mostly traditional, and grow many heritage varieties of vegetable, some of which are grown exclusively for seed in conjunction with the Henry Doubleday Research Association.