Another development over recent years has been to change the breed of cattle and sheep that we keep. With the introduction of the Stabiliser breed of cattle (a breed that has been developed in America) we are now slowly moving away from breeds that are not as well suited to a grass based farming system.
Our cattle now eat nearly 100% grass or silage and hay, with only very small amounts of home grown cereals fed. This gives us greater confidence that every thing is of the best quality. Stabiliser cattle have enabled us to become a closed herd where only the occasional bull is bought in, this in turn keeps a lot of diseases away from the farm which in turn reduces the need to vaccinate, and also antibiotics are only used very occasionally and only as a last resort.
Lleyn sheep have replaced the more traditional local breeds; these like the cattle have the advantage of being kept as a closed flock. At the moment we are able to select young female sheep to come into the flock which can perform well on the organic system, eating only grass in summer and silage in winter. Some of the sheep do go on holiday for a spell in winter time; this is to eat grass that would otherwise be wasted on a local organic dairy farm. The lowland grass also grows more readily in the winter than our own grass, thus giving the sheep a better diet.
Stabiliser Cattle Company
