Our organic farm, covering 154 hectares, is home to our Guernsey dairy herd, beef cattle, free-range chickens and sheep.
Our flocks of sheep are made up of Suffolk, Lleyn and more recently, Shropshires, which we introduced for natural grazing in areas of the estate for managing the land in a more traditional way.
The farm is home to British Saddleback pigs, the closest breed to the Essex saddleback, which was the historical ‘Heckfield pig.’
The Spectator, in 1850, stated, ‘The Speaker of the House of Commons excelled in the improved Essex Heckfield pigs’ and the Observer in 1851 called it, ‘an improved Heckfield Pig, bred and fed by the Right Hon. Charles Shaw Lefevre, MP of Heckfield Place.’
In 1967, the Essex Saddleback and the Wessex Saddleback were replaced by the British saddleback following the demand for larger pigs.
We continue to breed and raise British Saddlebacks on the estate for the quality of the meat.
We grow a diverse range of crops, including oats, barley and peas for livestock feed and herbal leys for silage and hay. Grazable cover crops boost nutrients and provide additional feed during the winter. Herbal leys of chicory, clover, turnips, and plantain allow our animals to graze outside into the latter months of the year, supplying vital minerals and vitamins to the livestock.
Our aim is to disturb the soil as little as possible, by keeping it covered and living roots in the ground - protecting and boosting the organic matter. We fertilise the ground using our own livestock, tended to by our farmers and working with natural remedies whilst we head towards an holistic approach.
We have several organic flocks of free-range hens that provide fresh eggs all year round to Heckfield Place and are also available to purchase at our regular produce sales.
