The Working Farm
at Tickwood
Tickwood Farm is a working farm located in the Shropshire Hills Area of Outstanding Beauty and consists of around 400 acres of land. The area of The Farm is both surrounded and broken by historic woodland, which in itself has a thriving plant and wildlife rich in its own diversity – a Site of Special Scientific Interest.
In the first part of the 20th century, the farm was host to a herd of Jersey cattle, but in more recent decades focus turned to raising pedigree Hereford cattle – primarily sold as breeding stock to improve other herds – not withstanding the odd prize winning young heifer!
Farm manager Martin Taylor-Lloyd, together with Smudge (one of several Border Collies at Tickwood), also carefully tend a flock of Beulah sheep, while keeping a watchful eye over llamas, who in turn keep a watchful eye over the new born lambs and Icelandic horses, as he rotates the animals grazing throughout the small meadows and pastures of Tickwood’s typically English countryside.
Each year the children who visit Tickwood for Forest School activities are invited to come and see the new born calves and lambs and to help with feeding the orphans. In their later years young adults who visit Tickwood are offered the opportunity to work alongside farm manager Martin with farm duties throughout the year, while others may choose to help with growing fruit and vegetables in The Walled Garden.
Hereford Cattle
Copy extract from The Hereford Cattle Society website http://www.herefordcattle.org/
‘Hereford Cattle have stood the test of time for well over 200 years and today offer tremendous opportunities to Beef Cattlemen wishing to produce Quality Beef naturally and economically. The modern attributes of Hereford Cattle, combined with those that have made the breed the cornerstone of the beef producing industry for so many years, make it the natural choice of Quality Beef producers.In light of the many problems that have beset the Beef industry in recent years, in no small measure contributed to by the intensification of farming methods, it is the Hereford with it’s unique ability of producing top Quality Beef naturally from grass and grass related products that can lead the way to a safer and more secure future for Beef Producers in this country.’
The modern attributes of Hereford Cattle, combined with those that have made the breed the cornerstone of the beef producing industry for so many years, make it the natural choice of Quality Beef producers.In light of the many problems that have beset the Beef industry in recent years, in no small measure contributed to by the intensification of farming methods, it is the Hereford with it’s unique ability of producing top Quality Beef naturally from grass and grass related products that can lead the way to a safer and more secure future for Beef Producers in this country.’
Beulah Sheep
Beulah Speckled Face sheep are medium sized white sheep bearing distinctive black speckles on the face and legs. Found traditionally in the Welsh hills, it is a hardy breed most suited to grazing natural unattended grassland in exposed areas and nature reserves. A hardy breed well suited for year round grazing on a mixture of natural forage.
Llama
Copy extract taken from http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/llama/
‘The llama is a South American relative of the camel, though the llama does not have a hump. These sturdy creatures are domestic animals used by the peoples of the Andes Mountains. (Their wild relatives are guanacos and vicuñas). Native peoples have used llamas as pack animals for centuries. Typically, they are saddled with loads of 50 to 75 pounds (23 to 34 kilograms). Under such weight they can cover up to 20 miles (32 kilometres) in a single day. Pack trains of llamas, which can include several hundred animals, move large amounts of goods over even the very rough terrain of the Andes.’
Icelandic Horses
Copy extract taken from http://eldhestar.is/information/icelandic-horse
‘When the first settlers sailed from Norway to Iceland in the 10th century, they could only bring about two horses per ship, so they selected the best and strongest horses. The horses were of Scandinavian origin, mostly from Norway. The settlers often made a stop-over in Ireland, Scotland or the Shetland Islands, in this way different breeds could have found their way to Iceland. The horse was necessary for the colonization of Iceland, even a long time after cars were common, the highlands and other parts of Iceland did not have roads so the horse was still important.
As early as in the 10th century the Icelanders decided to stop importing horses and since then it has been totally forbidden to import horses to Iceland. This means that the horses have been very isolated, and the different breeds blended together and formed the Icelandic horse of today. The strongest and most well-acclimated horses survived and through this “Survival of the fittest”, the Icelandic horse of today is extremely well adapted to Icelandic conditions.
