HIGHFIELD HOUSE FARM 69
• DEC / JAN 2024
HIGHFIELD HOUSE FARM 69
space , the Swaledales will lamb outside from mid-April .
“ We want to increase the sheep flock . This is quite a big farm and everywhere wants to be grazed . I ’ m very mindful of stewardship schemes , but I think we should be producing food first and foremost , not just planting trees , biodiversity , carbon neutral , net gain and all that .
Ted ’ s return to pig farming since he was 14 years old came when he started Yorkshire Woodland Pork in 2014-15 , which he says started through his tree surgeon ’ s business .
“ Someone wanted an area of woodland clearing and with cost being a factor I said let ’ s put some pigs in , we did and it still works well . We came up with Yorkshire Woodland Pork because of it , and we ’ ve had pigs in other woodland too . We currently have 12 sows and a couple of boars . We fatten everything and can have about 100-plus pigs at any one time . We now have the sows here .
“ We have a mixture of commercial sows and Tamworth , Berkshire , Saddleback and Mangalitza crosses . We use a Duroc boar and a Saddleback boar and sell to Piercebridge Farm Shop , Swaledale Meats and eatTelfit .
“ We ’ ve recently bought another Saddleback sow and a couple more
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ANIMAL FEEDS • ANIMAL HEALTH • SEEDS • FERTILISERS commercial sows . Our Yorkshire Woodland Pork sees us with various restaurants ringing us . I love producing large pink pigs . These rare breed pigs take a bit more time to mature but I get paid just as well for them , it ’ s nice to have two markets running .
Andrew has a Beef Shorthorn herd on the farm at Highfield House , many of which were owned by the previous farmer there .
“ It means that we have beef cattle , sheep and pigs here ,” says Ted . “ And it means we are very busy . Fortunately , I have a good team on my tree surgeon business , as I need to devote quality time to the farm as well as that .
“ There ’ s quite a bit of work to be done to get the farm where we want it to be . The thistles are bad and we need to get a weed wiper . The fences are in need of attention . We will have to milk these grants that are available for refencing and hedging , hedgerows and trees , but we will get there bit by bit .
“ We also have 100 acres of moorland on Ilton Moor and we farm pretty high up to the moor . There are some existing stewardship schemes in place for the farm but we ’ re going to look at the new SFI schemes . GSC Grays , who I did some work for when I came back from London , are offering advice over this and we will run a farm walk for them in exchange .
Ted says he ’ s looking at what might be possible diversification enterprises to raise other income .
“ We are keen to offer something like a shepherd ’ s hut or something different for visitors as the views here are amazing .
“ My wife Lexi is from the Isle of Man and studied as a veterinary nurse at Newcastle although we weren ’ t there at the same time . Lexi is teaching PE at local schools and helping out here where she can . We now live in the farmhouse with our two young girls Stella ( 5 ) and Sasha ( 2 ) who are loving it here . It ’ s great to be back on a farm and to be farming in my own right .