Emma and Jon Hillier have relished the challenge of their first smallholding
New smallholders Emma and Jon Hillier have jumped in at the deep end with livestock. After little more than a year they have Badger Face Welsh Mountain sheep, Red Ruby cattle from Devon and Mangalitza pigs…originally from Hungary!
Emma, a secondary school teacher, and Jon, a property developer took on Farrantshayes Farm in East Devon in August 2016. It was a run down former commercial farm, which had originally gone on the market with 178 acres.
“We had dismissed it totally – too much land and way too expensive,” says Emma. “But when it came back on the market with 24 acres (the rest of the land has been sold off ) it suddenly became possible. We had initially been looking for a house with just a few acres for me to keep my elderly horse at home and maybe dabble in keeping livestock for the first time. Even 24 acres was more than we had ever thought about – and the farm came with many outbuildings to service the original, much larger business. At the viewing I just held my head in my hands and said to Jon ‘It’s amazing – but what on earth are we going to do with all these outbuildings?’
The answer didn’t take long to present itself. The couple were approached by a pair of local sheep farmers with a flock of pedigree Lleyns and Kerry Hills who were happy to use some grazing land and spare shed to lamb in. A knowledgable local dairy farmer moved his heifers into some of the bigger sheds for the winter. “Regularly having people on site who have been working with livestock all their lives is so reassuring,” says Jon. “We have learnt so much from sharing the farm with more experienced people; as newcomers to keeping animals it’s a great way of learning.”
Denne historien er fra January 2018-utgaven av Country Smallholding.
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Denne historien er fra January 2018-utgaven av Country Smallholding.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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The Secret World Of The Honey Bee
Who knew that honey bees are the best builders? Nicola Bradbear from Bees for Development reveals how they build their parallel wax combs with extraordinary accuracy
Tip the light fantastic
The latest offering from Ifor Williams Trailers is the Single Axle Tipper, which is simply perfect for small-scale farmers
The legacy of The Good Life
The Good Life captured the public’s imagination when it first aired in 1975. On Country Smallholding’s 45th birthday, Jeremy Hobson looks at this and other programmes with a self-sufficiency slant that have captivated urban and rural dwellers alike over nearly half a century
‘The hens took shelter under the pig trailer in the paddock'
A tree Armageddon frightens poultry diarist Julian Hammer’s flock and leaves him with a mammoth clear-up job
Tools of the trade
In the second part of his mini-series on tools that are useful around the holding, Kevin Alviti takes an in-depth look at the iconic scythe, a thistle paddle and forks that were once virtually indispensable to small-scale farmers
The nightclub bouncer of the sheep world
Adam Henson waxes lyrical about the Texel, which boasts such a stocky body that it resembles a box of muscle on four legs
Buying on a tight budget
As demand for smallholdings increases and prices continue to rise, is there a way to achieve your dream without forking out a fortune? In the first part of a new mini-series, Liz Shankland explores the possibilities
Crazy for crafts
In an ordinary back garden and single paddock near Kidderminster, Kay Dalloway has created both a thriving smallholding and a successful fibre business — all while working full time for the NHS. Helen Babbs drops by to find out about her ventures
Game on
A little preparation in the autumn months will help to make the transition into winter smoother and put your garden and tools on a better footing come the spring, says Stephanie Bateman
1975 And All That
Country Smallholding is 45 this month. To celebrate, Jeremy Hobson takes a look at some of the changes — both good and bad — to small-scale farming over that near half-century
