Calf jumping in a field

Our Values

We believe that what is worth doing is worth doing right.

We want our land not only to be biodiverse and productive, but continuously improving. We believe in nurturing the delicate balance of ecosystems within the farm, with our ultimate goal being only rain and sunlight coming onto the farm and food leaving it.


Regenerative farming

We are organically certified by the Soil Association and have started our journey in regenerative farming in 2020 to produce food in an ever more sustainable way.

Our aim is to build organic matter in the soil and creating healthy natural ecosystems - helping food to grow through better water filtration, nutrient cycling and soil biodiversity. More Info.

The animals on the farm play a core role in our regenerative farming system. They leave behind dung which feeds the soil and supports insects and other wildlife, and their grazing stimulates diverse habitats and biodiversity.

Regenerative farming

Supporting soil health and biodiversity

Our land has been farmed organically, untouched by chemical fertilisers, for more than 20 years and provides habitat for a huge variety of wildlife species - both above and below ground. They find habitat in our permanent pasture, herbal leys, ancient untouched woodland, springs and streams, and mature Devon hedges.

We are proud to be host to healthy populations of less commonly seen wildlife including hares, hedgehogs and barn owls.

Soil health and biodiversity

Energy self-sufficiency

We are taking steps to become self-sufficient in energy by:

Rare and Pasture Barn

Animal welfare

We want our animals to be healthy and content for life.

As hardy native breeds our cattle and sheep feed only on permanent grass and diverse herbal leys. They grow slowly and naturally, with the highest standards of animal welfare certified by A Greener World agreenerworld.org.

For most of the year our cattle graze rotationally across a mixture of old permanent pastures and diverse herbal leys. The herbal leys are an important part of our regenerative farming system, creating greater diversity in plant species, contributing to better nutrient cycling, soil structure and palatability. Cows like variety just like us!

During the wet winter months, our cattle are housed in modern straw-bedded barns with all-natural light and ventilation, enjoying silage made from grass grown on the farm. This protects our pasture from damage when the ground is particularly soft, in line with our regenerative farming principles.

Our pigs live outdoors all year, foraging in woodland and pasture for roots, and always with their cosy straw-filled shelters close at hand.

Our sheep, goats and pigs get a share in the cosy barns in early spring during parturition, and then all animals young and old indulge in fresh grass for the rest of spring, summer and autumn.

We blood test our animals regularly to ensure they are free from infectious diseases.

Pig in the woods

Supporting rare breeds

We support the survival of rare and native breeds through our choice of animals and our breeding programmes.

All our breeding animals are pedigree to aid in the genetic conservation of the breeds.

Cattle are all native UK breeds, in herds of English Longhorn and Beef Shorthorn. Longhorn cattle are a native breed that has recovered from risk of extinction in the last century. Both breeds are no longer classified as rare, but they slower growing than commercial breeds and therefore much less common.

Our main flock of sheep is the extremely rare Manx Loaghtan, considered to be at risk of extinction. Fowlescombe is home to one of the largest mainland flocks and we are proud to support the conservation of this rare breed.

Our pigs are pedigree Tamworths. With only 300 breeding sows registered in the UK, they are another priority breed for conservation.

Tamworth Piglets

Get in Touch

We would love to hear from others interested in growing the future of sustainable food produce in the UK.

Mobile signal is limited in the valley and we are often out tending to our animals, so if you can't get through please leave us a message or drop us an email and we will get back to you as soon as we can.


Fowlescombe Farm
Ugborough
Ivybridge
Devon
PL21 0HW
hello@Fowlescombe.com

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