Chapman Countryside
We run a pedigree herd of spring and autumn calving Red Ruby Devon cattle on our own and rented 265 hectares of permanent or 5 year rotational herbal ley.200 hectares is in Mid-tier Countryside Stewardship schemes which includes conversion of 48 hectares of arable ground into herbal leys.
The cattle live out most of the year, only being housed for three to four months when the ground is wet and soil structure damage may occur. The cows calve inside during March/ April and August/ September. This allows for closer supervision of calving . The youngstock live out all year and all the fatstock is finished off grass or silage from 20 to 30months.
The sheep also live out all year round, lambing in late April, May with weaning taking place in September. The lambs are finished on the herbal leys which have anthelmintic properties and reduce the need for ivermectin wormers. We have Exlana and Easycare sheep which naturally shed their wool in late spring , early summer and therefore don't need shearing and don't suffer with fly strike.
The whole farm is managed where possible with holistic planned grazing, grazing paddocks for 3 to 5 days and then allowing a 40 to 60 day recovery period depending on the time of year and pasture growth. This system optimises cattle and sheep growth rates and benefits the environment, increasing insect populations, sequestering carbon in to the soil, improving water retention and soil structure.
We are Animal Welfare Approved , we believe that high animal welfare standards are required for efficient animal production. Content animals are stress free, disease free, and therefore more productive.
We practice adaptive multi paddock grazing to maintain grass quality and grazing efficiency. We aim to make top quality silage and haylage from diverse swards and herbal leys to dispense with the need for artificial fertilizer and improve animal health.
We market our beef as Native Beef directly to consumers, in the local area or by courier delivery. www.native-beef.co.uk
Contact Details
Address: Bailey Hill Farm, Amersham Road, Chalfont St Giles, Buckinghamshire, HP8 4RT England
Telephone: +447771740980
Mobile: 07771 740 980