Wark Farm

Our coos adore taking a splash in "their" ponds.

Stories from the Farm September 2023

Newsletter written by SaM today.

I might be prejudiced being a September born, but September has always been my favorite month of the year. And living here on the farm hasn’t changed that.

The crazy hectic Summer has come to its end and there’s some hope that the pressure will finally subside slightly, as our bodies and minds urgently need some time to recover. The land and the animals are enjoying the late Summer weather, and with grass still abundant, everything still feels bountiful and relaxed. Later in the year, we will likely start worrying again about having enough of our own sileage for their feed (you never know what sort of winter you’ll be facing) but for now, all is well. Another year into mob grazing, our farm looks even more wild and beautiful, with wildlife abundant and a corresponding sense of happiness for all that cross it. Yet it hasn’t gone without its challenges, with Hebridean sheep not being impressed by (human) logic and somehow straying/escaping away from bountiful grasses through any unattended fence hole or over/under any in-efficient electric wiring to exactly that field where they shouldn’t be. Or the bull, who decides that a large herd of available cows isn’t attractive enough to distract him from crossing 2 fields and 2 gates, to the herd of younger heifers. Animals in the wrong field must be the biggest cause of yearly swearing of every farmer! But as always, every year we try to improve things a bit more here at Wark Farm, and ideas of re-designing the edges and fences of our fields are taking shape. With Laurel and Joe Clay (Swift land and building contractor), who is our definite go-to contractor for digging our ponds (he and Laurel think like wildlife…. which is exactly what you need if you’re aiming to support wildlife like we do here) dreaming of implementing even more ponds, the wet-and wildlands will be even more the heart of our farm, with them being the centre of the wheel and various tracks leading to the subdivided daily grazing fields. After all, we want to stimulate our animals’ roaming behavior. For them. But also for us. So we can sit down. Take a breath while enjoying the view of what we’ve created here at the farm. And smile.

The September order form is now open.

Our regular customers already know that it's first come, first serve for our delicious meat cuts that are not only full of flavour due to the breeds we use and their grass/herb diets, but also free of nasties such as pesticides and antibiotics. You can find all the info on the order form, including more info about the specials of the month.

Best wishes

Laurel & SaM

September 2023 Order Form