Meet Our Farmers
Meet Our Heaven Farm Beef Farmer David Butler a.k.a Dad
Son of a farming family, farming cattle for 300 years, David was brought up in a mixed farming business with the main focus on Dairy and beef production. The family established a successful commercial farming business from the 1960’s to early 2000 directed towards commodity production.
Following the breakdown of the European farming support system and the introduction of Globalisation of all food products, farm income certainty and reliability became volatile. In the last ten years, David recognised the value of local markets which demand traceability of all food and provide the best return for higher quality products.
Our Sussex farm is based on clay and Ashdown sand soil types, with naturally poor fertility and small field sizes which steered him towards grass based systems which also produce the best milk and tastiest beef. We have avoided producing products that others have already established so we have invested in niche products such as gelato and a Sussex beef herd for high quality beef production based on grass.
Beef farming is worldwide. There are limitless systems to produce beef and the choice of system depends on the individual farmer, climate, soil and market of the location. Cattle and sheep represent a valuable source of digestible protein in areas that cannot grow digestible crops for humans, therefore beef and sheep production will prevail in all areas of the world as a source of reliable food.
The Sussex cow is a traditional breed, often classed as a rare breed. Most regions of the UK have a breed that suits their location. The Sussex cow is well suited to a grass fed system. The cattle are low maintenance with a calm, relaxed temperament making them suitable for our farming system of a longer life roaming the Sussex fields as a family herd. They are best suited to suckler cow systems where the calf stays with their mother for most of its life, which we believe is better for their welfare in comparison to the intensive concentrate fed systems of the USA. As a grass fed breed, they take longer to mature but our cows lead a happier, longer more natural lifestyle and that in turn gives us our wonderful Sussex beef.
Meet Richard Bates, our Chelwood Gate Pig Farmer!
When you meet him I am sure you will love him as much as I do!
Married to his wife Linda, with their three boys, Richard is a true country gent who takes pride in his passion of pig farming.
Richard’s grandmother bought the farm in Chelwood Gate in the 1940’s, which traditionally was a fruit farm and market garden. After Richard’s father came back from national service, rather than buy in manure for the fruit trees they decided to get some pigs, and this is how their farming story began!
Richard’s father then switched the farm to predominantly Wessex pigs and the fruit production ceased. Richard joined after school and worked full time in 1973. Since then, as the pig industry has evolved, the breeds used became landrace and other white breeds of pigs to improve productivity and genetics for leaner meat. As the farm grew to its peak, Richard was farming 180-220 sows and therefore with their offspring, there were around 2000-2500 pigs on the farm at any one time.
This changed around the year 2000. Pig farming had been struggling for years in the UK by this time, due to supermarkets being the main buyers and setting the buying price, leaving the farmers out of pocket.
The introduction of EU laws on pig production, which improved welfare of pig production in the UK, was not followed by the rest of Europe, which has since ruined the UK pig farming industry.
Around 2003, the financial situation worsened as the price of feed doubled and Richard’s plan was to try and increase sales to local shops and sales directly to the consumer. This led to decreasing the number of sows, which went down to ten over a matter of two months and Richard started taking his own pigs to the abattoir.
Richard now produces 25 pigs a month rather than 400. This has dramatically changed the welfare for the pigs. The stocking density has improved massively; all are now on straw inside and outside in the summer. It has also decreased the risk of disease, which consequently has meant no need for vaccinations for the herd. Farrowing is inside in houses and now becoming more free roaming, so the sow can roam freely with piglets. This also means that Richard has not had to dock tails for years, as due to lower stocking density the vices such as tail and ear biting are now zero.
All of Richards customers ask why his meat tastes so much better and his answer is:
The flavour and texture of the pork. Most farmers are buying in feed for automated systems. I make my own feed rations 75% wheat, barley and then soya bean meal and full fat soya, the same ration for all the pigs irrespective of age. They therefore grow more slowly, and more time is spent enjoying life, the result being the pork is better and therefore the sausages!