Farming
Farming in harmony with nature
Our Farm
Warren Farm is a small livestock farm which is mainly situated around Alum Bay and Totland. The farm extends to around 300 acres, much of which is grassland which is grazed sensitively with cattle and sheep to help preserve the natural environment.
As tenants of the National Trust, we work closely to try and improve the landscape and biodiversity on the farm. Over the past few years we have eliminated the use of artificial fertiliser and pesticides and have been implementing new grazing techniques to help improve our soils.
The mainstay of Warren Farm is the herd of beef cattle. They are Hereford cross cows and they calve in March & April every year. The mothers keep their calves with them for around 9 months, before the calves are weaned to give the mothers a break before their next calf. The calves are then reared on a strict grass only diet (no grains allowed!) for around 2-3 years before they are sold as beef, which is available to buy in our farm shop.
We have also recently added a flock of Hebridean sheep and some pedigree Herdwick sheep, which we aim to use to help with some of our conservation grazing on the farm.
Cows
We have a herd of around 100 Hereford & Sussex cattle
Sheep
We have around 150 Herdwick & Hebridean sheep
Sights and Sounds
We welcome visitors to the farm to see the animals and enjoy the stunning views whilst walking in the area. Our cattle and sheep are grazing for most of the year so can be seen in the fields, and we have plenty of calves and lambs running around throughout the spring and summer seasons.
We grow hay and silage to help feed the livestock during the winter, and you can also see our ‘herbal leys’ in the summer – a diverse mix of 25 different grasses, legumes, herbs and wildflowers, which make for fantastic colourful meadows.
Keep an ear out for the local wildlife whilst walking in the area, our favourite sights and sounds are the skylarks which nest on West High Down, or the swallows which spend hours following the cows and eating flies at great speed.
History
For many years, Warren Farm was run as a dairy farm, with much of the milk being bottled and sold locally via a milk round. In 2001, the dairy herd was sold and replaced with a beef herd which remains until this day.
The farm is now being run by the next generation, with John & Liz’s son James is taking on the farm business. James and his partner Becca now look after the farm, whilst his brother Chris, and fiancé Isabel look after the Farm Shop & Coffee shop enterprises.
