|
Agriculture has been a major component of the Spetchley Estate.
It would have been the primary source of income for the Landlord and the land would have been farmed by tenants to their own taste who would have paid a rent to the landlord. Over the years the farms have amalgamated and now there are 9 principle Tenant farms and one In-hand farm which the Estate itself runs.
Farming margins have fallen steeply over the last 20 years and so farmers need to diversify into more than one farming practice. The Estate has dairy, livestock and mixed farms, each one requiring different farming techniques and systems.
Dairy
A dairy farmer's principal farming practice is producing milk from dairy cows. The cows, primarily Holstein Friesians, are milked either once or twice a day. They will only produce milk once they have calved.
Their milk is used for everyday drinking milk, cheese, yoghurt, chocolate or cream. It costs a farmer 22p per litre to produce the milk, they will get paid anything from 17-26p per litre and it will be sold in the supermarket at 67p per litre. The margins are therefore very tight and it is for this reason that many dairy farmers have gone out of business.
Arable
Those farmers on the Estate who grow arable crops will grow Wheat which will be made into bread, cereals and hard baked foods; Barley which is used for animal feed, seed and malt production; Oil Seed Rape which is made into food grade oil; Beans, Linseed which is made into oil; Onions and Potatoes. Seeds are planted mainly in the Autumn after the harvest in August but some are planted in the Spring.
The price that a farmer will get for his harvested crop will depend on what the price is at a particular time of year and is essentially driven by world demand for foodstuffs.
Sheep
Some farmers on the Estate farm sheep, usually as a joint venture with another stock animal. Sheep farming is primarily based on raising lambs for meat, or raising sheep for wool. Sheep may also be raised for milk. Some farmers specialise in breeding sheep to sell to other farmers.
The ram will be put on to the ewes in the Autumn and the lambing season is usually in the Spring but can happen earlier and each ewe will give birth to between one and three lambs a season. The lambs will be sold to market from six months onwards and either go into the food chain or be sold to other farmers who will use them as breeding stock
Sheep are hardy animals and can remain outdoors throughout the year, although they will come indoors for lambing.
Beef
Beef cattle are cattle that are bred for beef rather than dairy products. There are several beef farms on the Estate although this will usually be done in conjunction with other farming practices. The Estate has its own suckler herd. A suckler cow is a cow that is nursing a calf. The milk produced during lactation is used solely to feed a calf. These animals are normally beef breeds, or females resulting from beef bulls crossed onto dairy cows, producing calves for meat production.
The Estate’s own herd is a mixture of Aberdeen Angus / Hereford cross. These cows are calved in Spring and will be sold to market the following Autumn and go onto another farmer to fatten ready for consumption at anything from 12 to 26 months of age.
Deer
The Estate has its own deer park which is stocked with both Red and Fallow deer. The deer roam over 150 acres of parkland and are culled once a year. Red Deer are the biggest animal in this country. They get their name from the reddish colour of their skin. The male of the species will grow a set of antlers and shed them after the mating season from January to April. These antlers can be fashioned into items such as walking stick handles and knife handles.
The deer park at Spetchley was originally built as an ornamental park in which Fallow deer were kept. They are half the size of Red deer and come in several different colours. They were introduced into this country by the Normans
The meat from deer is known as Venison and is the least fatty of all red meats. It is becoming very popular as people start to realise how healthy it is.
Venison from the Estate is available to buy. Please click here to see what you can order and how to do it.
|
|
|
