November 11, 2022
It’s a blustery morning in Airfield, as we meet farm manager Brian Farrell to get a tour of the farm. Our first port of call is the entrance field where Brian shows us the flock of Jacob sheep. Brian talks about the choice of the Jacob breed for Airfield. They breed a lot better than continental breeds and more or less lamb themselves, which is important as there’s nobody here 24/7 for lambing. However, they don’t put on as much weight as other breeds, so the carcass weights would be much lower, which is why they are less popular with most commercial sheep farmers. The farm provides a lamb per week for Overends restaurant at Airfield.
I note the grass in the front two fields, which is a mixed species rather than just the common agricultural rye grass. Brian has planted most of the fields with a mixed grass species including clovers. The benefits to livestock of grazing on multi species pasture includes increased weight and reduced finishing times, a reduced requirement for anthelmintic (a common medication for parasites) and less nitrogen fertiliser. Brian says that they don’t apply any fertiliser to the grass here, as a good rotation and multispecies planting regime is sufficient.
The biggest challenge from a grass management perspective is compaction, given the small acreage and relatively large number of grazing animals. In order to combat compaction he has spread manure in the front fields. The conversation with Brian moves on to discussing chemical weed controls such as glyphosate, more commonly know as 'Roundup'. These aren't used in Airfield Estsate. In Isabella Tree’s book, Wilding, I’ve been been fascinated by the journey taken on their farm in Sussex from intensive agriculture to a rewilded nature reserve. The book goes into great detail about the detrimental effects of both nitrogen fertiliser and glyphosate on the health of the soil. Given the incredibly complex nature of the microbiome within our soils and its relationship to all life on earth, this destruction of soil health is commonly cited as one of the most concerning issues of our time. It is a top priority for UN and EU policy makers,. My instinct is that any chemical that is detrimental to human health and the environment we depend on has no place in our food system.
We move on to look at the pigs, they are Oxford Sandy breed. Brian has them currently grazing on a kale fodder. He describes it as a “free shed” as the pigs can stay outdoors for much longer in the kale field. If it’s as good for pigs as it is for humans I’d say they will be fantastically healthy animals. The meat they produce would also be much higher in nutritional value for humans. A win win! It’s expensive to plant though. The pigs are very healthy according to Brian, he’s never in his experience had to give them antibiotics and they’ve a 0% mortality rate. Compared to a conventional intensive pig farm system, it’s hard to argue with which one the pigs prefer.
The Jersey herd, the iconic breed have been here at Airfield since the Overend sisters introduced them in 1894. They are less popular with conventional farmers because of their lower milk yields, but Brian says that in recent years their popularity has been increasing due to the lower level of nitrous oxide they produce. The cows produce 12 litres per day of milk, which primarily goes to Overends restaurant on site. Brian and his team pasteurise the milk on site. They have recently dropped their milking cycle to once per day. This has a 20% drop in milk output, but the benefits in terms of energy and labour saving outweigh this. It is also a far kinder system for most of the cows, who tend to be healthier on a once-a-day system.
It’s been a fascinating tour with Brian, he’s a very interesting guy with lots of knowledge to share and a good sense of humour. I will definitely enjoy my Airfield pork, lamb and milk a lot more the next time I visit the café, appreciating how much work has gone into bringing them to the table.
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