16 minute read
Interview: Four rural families
Four families with a head for early mornings, a thirst for fresh air and a deep satisfaction from living and working in harmony with the animals in their care
Words by Emma Elobeid Photography by Julian Winslow
understanding deer
Juan and Begonya Vicente’s farming philosophy is one of quiet compassion and absolute balance. “Everything has to be in equilibrium,” Juan explains. Growing up on a farm in his native Spain, he is no stranger to the early mornings and long days involved in caring for a large herd of animals – at one point his family had over 2,000 sheep and around 300 pigs. “Deer are different,” he says, explaining how establishing an environmentally and ecologically aware professional deer farm requires an altogether more holistic approach. Though the work is physically hard and necessarily demanding – Juan heads out the door at dawn and returns at sunset – the pace is slower and more in tune with the land. It has to be, for deer are supremely sensitive. Sensing movement and fear across long distances, caring for them requires a respectful relationship between man and beast. Here, nestled amid the rolling hills of Paradise Valley – with Carisbrooke Priory at its feet and glimpses of Castle Hill at its peak – are the couple’s mixed and growing herd of Red and Fallow deer. By their very nature, deer enhance rather than decimate the biodiversity of the farmland: cleanly trimming hedges and grazing – unlike sheep – with minimal damage to the fields. Even so, the land is carefully managed to ensure optimum conditions for other wildlife. “We constantly balance the deer’s grazing areas with other areas where there is zero grazing, so that birds and small mammals can easily move from one side of the field to another. Our whole farm is connected with environmental highways – either by a hedgerow or copse – which is very important.” Juan and Begonya care deeply about the environment; unlike large-scale cattle farming, venison has a dramatically lower carbon footprint. With awareness of ethical meat consumption growing, customers are beginning to realise the importance of reducing our reliance on beef imports. Nutritionally, Juan explains, venison is high in protein, low in fat, and full of flavour. Currently, the couple supply a number of Isle of Wight clients; from the Butcher’s Shop in Cowes and Farmer Jacks Farm Shop to hospitality customers including Inns of Distinction and Hillside Hotel in Ventnor. In the future, they hope to offer field-to-fork sales – as well as on-site Spanish wine tasting and cooking demonstrations – direct from their 334-acre farm. Spring is a busy time for any farmer. “It is always better to plan calves for the height of spring so that the mothers have lots of sugars in their milk from the rich grass – that’s really important to give the fawns a big nutritional boost.” However, unlike the very hands-on assistance in traditional cattle or sheep farming, deer rarely require any intervention during the birthing process. “They do everything themselves, and my interaction is very little. What they need most is privacy: zero nervousness and zero stress. And we don’t milk our deer because we don’t want to take the calves away from their mothers.” In this beautifully undulating landscape at the heart of the Island, the herd is allowed to live as undisturbed as possible. Juan says: “We keep them here as if they were wild; keeping it as quiet and peaceful as possible and only using machinery when it is absolutely necessary. Our deer don’t know the difference between the Scottish Highlands and here.”
Find out more about the Isle of Wight Deer Farm at isleofwightdeerfarm.co.uk and on Instagram @iowdeerfarm
poultry people
Keeping chickens can be addictive. Twenty years ago, Marie and Adrian Lax decided to acquire a few for their back garden. Finding limited supply at home, they travelled to the mainland; striking up relationships with specialist breeders of hybrid birds, developed specifically for their egg productivity and temperament. They soon established themselves as the Island’s first port-of-call for budding and seasoned chicken owners, and at one point their flock grew to over a thousand.
Watching a handful of happy hens scratch around in the dust is life-affirming, and it’s easy to see why demand soared at the start of the first lockdown. “It got very tricky,” Marie says.
“We couldn’t get any more chickens for love nor money – we went to the Scottish Isles to every contact we had, and everybody was in the same boat.”
There isn’t much that Marie and Adrian don’t know about chickens. Thanks to the Island’s word-of-mouth marketing machine, this ensures a steady flow of new and repeat customers. The couple are always on hand to answer welfare, behavioural and practical questions, no matter how long ago the chickens flew their nest. “We happily give free advice because we don’t want people to feel left alone; I think people feel reassured that we’re always here – whether it’s just to chat or for help with wing clipping.” While they are often seen as ‘starter livestock’, there’s much more to keeping chickens than just chucking some grain on the ground. There are social hierarchies to consider – any new additions require careful introduction to establish the ‘pecking order’ – and personalities to manage. Though hybrid chickens are good layers, egg yields can fluctuate and it’s important to understand the downs as well as ups. Because at the moment, chicken owners are hoping that strict Avian Flu restrictions requiring poultry to be kept under constant cover will soon be eased. It has not been easy; though much like the camaraderie seen throughout our own pandemic, owners have been sharing new and ingenious ways to provide stimulation and enrichment. “It’s frustrating at the moment,” Marie says. “People have been really imaginative – some have converted trampoline bases because it’s got a solid roof by putting wire around the outside. It’s brought out a lot of positivity; even though people don’t want to add to their flocks while they are cooped up, we’re answering a lot of questions.” Hybrids have unique personalities: some are flighty and independent, like the Russet Blue layer of sky-blue eggs. Others, like the Leghorn Hybrid – known as a ‘little ballerina’ for their petite stature – are more peaceful, producing over 300 pure white eggs a year. Pretty Amber Stars are placid and make ideal pets, while Copper Stars – glossy black with a beetle green sheen and copper feathers – lay impressive volumes of deep chocolate brown eggs. For Adrian, “the prettiest has always been the Bluebell”, describing a friendly and docile slate grey/dark lavender bird with a cream-coloured egg. You can’t beat the taste of free-range eggs from high-welfare chickens (see pages 48-53 for some of our favourite recipe ideas). But, a chicken is far more than the sum of its rate-oflay: full of personality and a joy to look after. Once you start, you may find it hard to stop.
For more information on Marie and Adrian’s range of hybrid chickens, visit newchurchpoultry.co.uk
a good life
After graduating with matching FirstClass Honours Degrees in Rural Land Management from Cirencester’s prestigious Royal Agricultural College, Francesca and Oliver Cooper established successful careers working for rural estates in the beautiful and affluent Cotswolds, an area renowned for its rich farming heritage. But over time – and following the birth of their two children – the conventional (though stateof-the-art) methods they witnessed began to jar with their personal goals of a more sustainable farming future. So, in 2017, they moved to the Isle of Wight: to the familiar, full-of-potential (and rather fortuitously available) five acres of Francesca’s family smallholding just outside Ryde. Here, they have established a successful small-scale market garden business. Winning a scholarship place on a mentorship programme with internationally renowned micro vegetable farmer Jean Martin Fortier, the couple have continued to grow their knowledge. Francesca talks passionately about the benefits of bio-intensive market gardening: “It’s about producing as much on a small parcel of land as you can by making it human scale. By not disturbing the soil too much, and mulching rather than turning it over, we can increase its carbon capture.” Back in the Cotswolds, the sight of industrialised livestock farming initially prompted a move to veganism: “It was a bit of a knee-jerk reaction to some of the welfare things we witnessed: cows that had never seen grass, pigs farrowing in crates,” Francesca explains. “But the more I read about regenerative agriculture, the more I realised that high-welfare meat and dairy production doesn’t have to be incompatible with sustainability. Plus, the land felt empty without animals.” Just after Christmas, the Coopers were joined by three black and beautifully curly Belted Galloway cattle: mother cow Sweep, her bull calf Cookie, and nine-month-old heifer Winnie. Long term, they would like to grow the herd and develop the animal side of their business to a wider audience. “We don’t come from a livestock farming background so we’re learning a lot as we go – on the hoof!” Day-to-day, the ‘good life’ is all-consuming – even now, at the very start of the growing season, there are organic seeds to be ordered, crops to be planned, beds to be cleared and seedlings to be transplanted. But first, Sweep the cow must be milked. Though it has been 25 years since she was first taught by her nana, Francesca describes how the ‘knack’ still exists as muscle memory. “A lot of hand milking is about forming a relationship with the cow; it’s quite an intimate experience. Cookie the calf has his breakfast on one side and I’m sat down taking my two-quarters share on the other.” The family has recently experimented with making delicious (and fully self-sufficient) soft cheeses, including mozzarella. Though their scale is small, the Modern Kitchen Garden has big dreams. And it is perhaps here that their business – rather than physical farming – experience will stand them in good stead. “As new entrant farmers it’s quite exciting: we’ve got a lot to learn on the husbandry side, but our experiences of things like branding and direct sales mean that we can really make small-scale farming viable.”
saddlebacks showing
David and Sharon Groves are better known as the friendly and welcoming owners of award-winning Independent pet shop, Pets with Hart. From this well-stocked traditional store on Newport’s Holyrood Street, they share their font of knowledge and experience (both are
Registered Animal Medicines Advisors, known as RAMAs) to all breeds of pet owners and animal lovers.
They are also the proud (and rather welldecorated) breeders of British Saddleback pigs.
Listed by the Rare Breeds Survival Trust as rare and at risk of extinction, there are now fewer than 400 breeding sows remaining. It’s easy to see why the couple were drawn to this particular breed: black and white, with a broad band running across their deep backs and attractive lop ears falling forward over their faces. “We fell in love with the Saddlebacks,” Sharon tells me. “They have the softest, most gentle nature and are wonderful mums, even when they very occasionally have more babies than they have teats for – seventeen has been our record, but she reared the whole lot!”
Encouraged by friends, David and Sharon first started to show their pigs in Wales, where they lived before returning to the Island to be closer to family, purchasing the then-struggling pet shop site. Over the years, the couple and their
‘Watchingwell’ herd have won countless prizes, awards and rosettes; from the Royal Cornwall
Show to Berkshire and beyond. “The show community is fantastic, it’s like being in a giant family,” Sharon says.
The pigs themselves wallow in the attention and regalia. “Before a show they get all scrubbed up, then as soon as they see their mobile home they walk straight up the ramp into the trailer tail-totail.” Sharon describes how – for many of the families and attendees they encounter up and down the country – it is the first time they have ever seen a real pig. “It’s a fantastic opportunity to inspire and educate about our rare breeds.” Back home – and outside show season – the couple work hard to provide the highest standards of care for not only the everrevolving array of smaller animals and birds rehomed from their Newport pet shop, but their two much-loved sows Heidi (showname: Watchingwell Hilda 163) and Sadie (show name: Shenlow Shamrock 100). Their paddock is a piggy paradise, with bespoke arks and gloriously muddy wallowing holes. These double champions are both mothers-to-be; with Heidi expecting a litter in May, and another planned for Sadie in the summer. Some piglets are kept for showing. Others, once they are no longer reliant on their mother’s milk, are sold as weaners to local smallholders who raise them as part of their own journey towards self-sufficiency. Sharon is pragmatic about this parting. “We ensure that the animals have the best possible life. They are always treated with kindness, compassion and respect – they enjoy a good diet and have plenty of free-range fresh air.” If you eat pork, Sharon explains, consciously sourcing meat from ethically reared pigs is the single most important thing you can do to reduce harmful factory farming practices and ensure the continuation of our rare breeds. “Keeping pedigree pigs is such a rewarding experience” she says, “knowing that we are contributing to the survival of these beautiful heritage animals.”
Visit Pets With Hart, the Island’s only national award-winning pet shop at petswithhart.com
