Julie Palmer
Bradworthy, Devon
A working farm where the flora and fauna are nurtured
Field Irish Farm is a 120 acre farm that was passed to me after my uncle’s death in 2019, with the promise that the farm would carry on and the flora and fauna would continue to be nurtured.
The meadows we have are original pre war meadows, full of wildflowers. Hedges are allowed to grow with large overhanging trees used as shelter for the cattle and wild deer. In the summer the noise from insects and birds is amazing
We have a herd of pedigree belted galloway and riggit cattle which we use for conservation grazing. No fertilisers, or chemicals are used and fields are not cut until seed heads have dried. Old machinery has been brought back into use and the size means that we can keep soil compaction to a minimum. We intend to show that old ways of farming can still work and produce outstanding quality meat without harming the natural environment.
Other "Me and my Meadow" stories
David and Jackie Crook
Buckfastleigh
David and Jackie have turned five acres of heavily grazed pony paddocks at Buckfastleigh into flower-rich grasslands alive with wildlife.
Andrew and Kate Brown
Near Cotehele, Cornwall
A wildlife haven in the Tamar Valley with traditional hay meadows, orchards and woodland
Cami and Jamie’s meadow
Dartington Estate
Cami Rose and Jamie Perrelet's stewardship of The Meadow, a wild pollinator and honeybee sanctuary, on the Dartington Estate, Totnes.