Our stories
Stone Acton Farm
About us
James’ grandfather bought the farm back in 1950’s and it’s currently run by James, his Father and Uncle. The farm is mixed soils and plenty of stone and hill.
We have 340 acres of woodland and grassland in which 30 acres is set aside for arable. This arable is put into the winter ration.
We have 105 Simmental and Hereford cross suckler herd with 4 pedigree bulls. The farmland is low input with cattle grazing out until November and then brought in for spring calving.
We try to get the calving as tight as possible, aiming to calve in 9 weeks from the start of March. The weaning process is done in November and we sell them as stores from 8 to 10 months to private buyers and into market.
Our own heifers are kept for breeding, calving down at 2 years. TB does have a bearing on our normal working practice.
During the winter months we let the grass for sheep keep. We also have a small shoot on the farm and we let the old forge to a local farrier.
What we enjoy seeing on our land
We enjoy seeing the cattle on grass, and the natural ecosystem working alongside them. The land is not overworked and there are plenty of natural habitats for wildlife.
We do eagerly look forward each year to see the return of curlews which make this their home for a few months.
What we are most proud of
Gradually we have created a low input system that is thriving, using less fertiliser, pesticides and fewer disturbing practices to the farm which is still providing good outputs. We’re also proud of producing a good size and quality store animal ready for finishing.
What we are hoping to achieve in the future
We are hoping to continue with sustainable practices which work well for our setup and we’d like to enhance natural habitats for wildlife without detriment to the cattle production.
Our latest project
We would like to create two wildflower strips in our farm’s old orchard, alongside planting four blossom trees and siting two beehives, to enhance pollination over the farm and create a natural habitat for all insects and small creatures such as bees, butterflies, and birds.