FARM LIFE
Si Hall talks to Sam and Victoria Johnson
Oldfield Farm can be found in what was known as Heswall-cum-Oldfield, which is between Heswall and Thurstaston, a beautiful location overlooking the Dee Estuary.
The farm was bought by William Hough in 1733 and has been owned and run by the same family ever since. It is currently run by Sam Johnson in partnership with his mother Mary Johnson( nee Hough) which makes Sam the eighth generation to farm this land. Sam and his wife Victoria are ably helped by their two children, little Charlotte and William who may well be the ninth generation of this family to carry on the tradition.
As you may well expect, the farm has seen huge changes in farming methods since William Hough first bought the farm in 1733. Sam’ s grandfather( another William Hough) was still using horses to plough the fields and these horses were doing all the field work as recently as 1950. Today the horses at Oldfield Farm are only used for pleasure and they enjoy their lives in this lovely, quiet place with super hacking right on their doorstep.
There were many dairy farms on the Wirral and Oldfield Farm was one of them up until the 1960’ s. The family are proud to still be farming the land, but now they have suckler beef cattle which have replaced the dairy herd they once had. The Galloway cattle breed that they have originates from South West Scotland and is famous for its tender, flavoursome meat.
The nucleus of their home bred herd is comprised of pedigree Dun Galloway cows and they also currently have a Dun Galloway bull. In addition to this herd they also have some cross bred Aberdeen Angus, South Devon and Simmental cows.
At Oldfield Farm, Sam believes in raising the cattle as naturally as possible which means that the calves born in Spring and Autumn stay with their mothers until they are approximately one year of age. The calves are then weaned and turned back out to pasture overlooking the Dee Estuary until they are aged
about eighteen to twenty months. After their life outside the youngsters are brought back inside to be finished and fed on grass silage, hay and home grown barley. They are ready for the butcher when they are about twenty to thirty months old. Sam feels that this rearing method and the quality of the pasture which is constantly subject to salty sea breezes, helps produce the exceptional flavour of their beef.
“ We believe that our animals have the right to the very best quality of life right up until it’ s time for slaughter. We transport the cattle to the butcher ourselves as we believe that this reduces their stress as they are familiar with us handling them and we take small numbers each time. We think that this further improves the quality of our beef” explained Sam.
Although primarily a beef farm, Oldfield Farm does offer some other facilities such as a small DIY Livery Yard which makes use of the old stone farm buildings now converted into stables. A“ turn out to grass” service can also be provided 365 days a year- weather permitting! There is also a menage surfaced with a sand and rubber mix which is available to their clients at all times. The location of the farm means that there is easy access via quiet roads to the Wirral Way, Heswall Dales and also to the beach.
The latest venture at the farm is to provide a location for couples who want to have an outdoor wedding reception. There are breathtaking views overlooking the River Dee and the North Wales coast in a tranquil country setting ideal for those special photographs. There are a limited number of receptions that can be held each year, so get in touch as soon as possible if you have a special date in mind!
The beef is sold either through Boxes of Beef direct from Oldfield Farm or at Heswall Farmers’ Market, which is held the third Saturday of each month in the Church of the Good Shepherd Parish Hall, Heswall.
To contact Oldfield Farm, call 07974 127850 or 0151 342 2362 or visit www. oldfieldfarmheswall. co. uk
14 wirrallife. com