52 HALF MOON FARM AUG / SEP 2021 • farmers-mart . co . uk
In 2007 John and Louise purchased Hunter Hill Farm in Harden with 250 acres of grassland and moorland , a further 70 acres was purchased on Keighley Road . Part of Hunter Hill has been sold for some very tasteful redevelopment of the barns and farmhouse . The revenue from this has been ploughed into the land on the opposite side of the road . John and Louise decided to rename it Half Moon Farm , the key reason being that one of the fields on the farm is called Half Moon . Half Moon is where most of the Stabiliser cattle and EasyCare sheep are kept .
There has been huge investment in new sheds , concreted yard area , cattle and sheep handling systems and a new stonebuilt site office with disabled facilities . John and Louise are very committed to continue reducing their carbon footprint through greater efficiencies . Solar panels , rainwater harvesting , and ground source heat pumps are all in the continuing development plan .
Helping John and Louise run the farm is agricultural contractor , Oscar Bevan . Such is Oscar ’ s commitment to the farm and the business that I initially mistook him for John and Louise ’ s son ! Oscar oversees the Stabiliser herd and the land management . He has been involved with the Hobsons for 13 years such is his interest in farming . Since graduating from Bishop Burton College , he has been with them most of the time but also does contracting work for other farmers and contractors . John has two daughters who are both running successful businesses , one in property and one a children ’ s nursery .
So now turning to the Hobson ’ s EasyCare sheep and Stabiliser herd . The EasyCare story is a very interesting one . Back in summer 2005 they were buying in store lambs from Skipton , initially , they had Lleyns with a flock approaching 400 . Wool has always been a challenge , often costing more to shear than it ’ s worth . As well as this challenge , something else much bigger came to the fore . Louise , since she was a child , had always had an allergy to wool clothes ! As time went on the allergy grew noticeably worse , causing severe breathing problems , and many a time her hands were left bleeding and sore . Clearly not a situation that could continue . This , coupled with the financial challenge of wool , meant it was time to change . John and Louise went to a farm open day in 2010 down in Worcester . They had EasyCare sheep and couldn ’ t praise them enough . As luck would have it , they met a chap who had Stabiliser cattle like them , and he agreed to buy their entire flock of Lleyns .
The EasyCare breed has a fascinating story . The early primitive sheep used to shed their wool naturally when they brushed against walls and fences . When wool became popular and a prized commodity , this was largely bred out . Then in the 1960 ’ s Anglesey farmer Iolo [ pronounced Yollo ] Owen MBE began developing the EasyCare Breed by primarily crossing Wiltshire Horns who have short fleeces and shed it in the spring and crossing them with the Nelson type of Welsh Mountain sheep . The idea was then to get rid of the horns . This was a 30-year journey to perfect what we know as EasyCare today . In 2001 when the dreaded foot and mouth returned and potentially a life ’ s work could be ruined , Iolo managed to get a special dispensation from MAFF to send his sheep to the islands and highlands and anywhere isolated , which were outbreak free . People praised his sheep and said he should sell them commercially . So , after foot and mouth he started to market them .
The EasyCare sheep are a medium sized animal which means you can get more to the acre . Because they are self-shedding , it means you eliminate the time and cost involved in gathering sheep for shearing , dagging and dipping . It means as well they don ’ t suffer any of the problems associated with wool , such as fly strike prevention , feet problems and the need for belly clipping .
EasyCare ewes are excellent mothers , taking diligent care of their lambs , which are generally 1.8 to 2kg at birth , rising to 65kg mature weight , and seldom need assistance when lambing . They are not
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Proud to be working with the Hobson family of Half Moon Farm
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2021 SALE DATES EXETER - 10th SEPT | SKIPTON - 11th SEPT
WORCESTER - 18th SEPT GAERWEN - 13th SEPT | CARLISLE - 1st OCT
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