NIGEL AKEHURST VISITS: MACS FARM
EGGS IN MORE THAN ONE BASKET This month Nigel Akehurst visits award winning organic poultry farmers Danny and Susie Macmillan at the Macs Farm in the historic village of Ditchling, set in the South Downs National Park, to learn more about their diversified family farm.
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The 100-acre farm in the village of Ditchling, East Sussex, is home to the Macmillan family and their award-winning organic egg poultry business (Susie and Danny won the Farmers Weekly Poultry Farmer of the year award in 2019 and Large Diversification award at the British Farming Awards in 2021). They also run a successful summer campsite which, in less than seven years, has grown from a small diversification venture with 20 pitches to a multi-faceted camping and events business. They
have 115 pitches with up to 450 people staying on the farm at the weekend. The business has come a long way since they took over running the farm from Susie’s parents in 2003. It’s not been an easy ride, with many ups and downs, but the past two years have been their hardest to date. They have now realised they can no longer do it all themselves and are employing people to help them develop all their exciting ideas, said Susie. Their campsite opens in May, and they are
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looking forward to an easier season, with more staff already in place to help. Encouragingly, they are already 50% sold out. In addition to camping, they host various music and foodie events and have nine weddings booked in this year. Central to their family farming business are their 12,000 organic egg laying hens, currently locked down in two 6,000-bird flat deck sheds due to Avian Flu. All the eggs are sold through their own egg shack or via local wholesalers in Sussex.
