SOUTHFIELD FARM

“Working in partnership with our community”

Our goal is to become the kind of farm that people in the community are proud of, a job creator, a supporter of the local economy, a partner to local farmers and a responsible and sensitive neighbour.

1 – There are mixed reports on what you are doing here in Louth – can you please summarise your farming business

Our family has farmed in the Louth area for more than four generations. We farm over two holdings, Southfield Farm and nearby Manby Airfield, which gives us a total site of 125 acres. We grow around 100 acres of wheat and barley, and rear some 6000 beef cattle every year. At any one time we have a maximum of 3000 animals between the two sites.

With the beef enterprise we buy in animals at approximately 18 months, and finish them over a three to six month time period, slaughtering at about 24 months. We sell our beef cattle to a range of local and national buyers, all of whom demand strict health and welfare standards for all our animals, and we have regular inspections to ensure we’re meeting these requirements.

We employ eight full time staff and two part time staff, working alongside many neighbouring farms to provide organic, nutrient rich fertiliser for crop production. We strive for a sustainable farming system that supports our community, offers local employment, and provides world class standards for beef production.

2 – Why do you need such large numbers?

We aim to be efficient, and expanding our business not only gives us economies of scale, but also gives us the opportunity to employ high calibre staff, who ensure every element of this operation is run to an excellent standard. It also gives us the opportunity to work closely with nearby arable farmers, who can benefit from a supply of natural fertiliser, and have a muck for straw agreement with some neighbours. It keeps the money in the local economy, and is beneficial to local businesses and the community at large. Our efficiencies of scale allow us to invest in the latest innovative management solutions and ensure our animals are reared in the most welfare-friendly conditions.

3 – How do you ensure you provide high levels of animal health and welfare?

Our business depends of the health of the animals, and therefore our priority is ensuring we provide a thriving environment in which these animals can grow. We have regular visits (announced and unannounced) from DEFRA, the Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency (AHVLA), Trading Standards, Rural Payment Agency, Red Tractor and other farm assurance audits and, of course, our customers. We are sometimes are required, as part of their national monitoring, by the AHVLA for their vets to take random urine samples to check for any illegal substances, growth hormones for example which, although legal in some countries, are banned here. I’m pleased (but not surprised!) to say our animals have always passed any such scrutiny or test.

Having large numbers allows us to group our animals according to size and age, in turn enabling us to ensure the absolute best nutrition and care for each specific group. It also gives us the opportunity to employ specialist, trained staff who will manage these animals to high class standards.

We’re always delighted to welcome individuals who want to come and pay us a visit, and often host industry open days and groups from the local agricultural college. Please get in touch if you would like to come and meet our team. We’d be delighted to show you around.

4 – Aren’t cows meant to be out in fields?

All of our cattle start their lives being raised at pasture. They come to us for that final ‘push’ of good food to finish them in a way that some grass can’t. Most come from the livestock areas on the hills, where the grass doesn’t have enough nutrition to finish the animals on its own.

Yarded finishing is by far the most recognised and effective way of achieving cost-efficient finishing rates, and this system would be considered the norm for the majority of farms. Animal health and welfare is always paramount, and to ensure we provide the best possible diet to the cattle we feed them a TMR (Total Mixed Ration). This gives us the confidence, regardless of weather, all animals are given a nutritionally rich diet with all the necessary vitamins and minerals needed. We source as many ingredients for our TMR recipe as we can, for example buying maize silage locally, to reduce transportation, resulting in lowering our environmental impact and supporting the local farming community.

5 – What shelter and rest areas do the cattle have?

Each of the cattle pens is bedded with deep straw so they have comfortable areas in which to relax. The pictures on the website show this very clearly. We’ve built a special spreading machine which makes sure the pens are full of evenly distributed straw, which is topped up regularly, and cleaned out on a monthly basis.

The cattle are clean and very happy in their surroundings – when we put down fresh bedding they literally run and ‘dance’ their way into their new pen, which is so large, they have plenty of space in which to exercise themselves.

We use large straw bales as an additional ‘shield’ against the elements, a bit like a tall hedge. This gives them an additional wind break or shelter in bad weather and by living outside ensures they remain healthy.

6 – Do you ever have sick animals? If so, what happens to them?

All farmers will, from time to time, have sick animals on their units. We are very lucky in that our outdoor rearing system helps to keep these animals healthy. We rarely have more than two or three animals in our sick bay – or hospital – and to make it more comfortable for them, we have installed insulation under the concrete. The safety of our staff and all our animals is paramount, so we have world class handling facilities on the farms. This equipment allows for the safe movement of all animals, and reduces any stress.

7 – What reassurance do we have that you are looking after the cattle?

At our farms, we have an absolute commitment to animal welfare and sustainability.

We have full traceability from arrival to departure, and every aspect of management is closely monitored to ensure the animal thrives.

We also encourage national organisations to work with us to demonstrate the benefits of our farming systems, for example we have recently worked with AHDB and with Alltech to look at our carbon footprint.

8 – How do you work with the local community?

Our business aims to be a job creator, a supporter of the local economy, a partner to local farmers and a responsible and sensitive neighbour. We take great pride in what we do, and feel we are caretakers of this land for future generations.

We try to support our local community, wherever possible, supplying a forklift to move pallets for bonfire nights, providing diesel for the cricket club mower, and recently felling some trees for the local school, for example. Overall we spend about £500,000 within the local economy each year.

9 – How do you work with the environment?

We farm in an environmentally sensitive way, and believe strongly in protecting and encouraging local flora and fauna. Working with neighbouring farms, we are providing natural organic fertilisers which provide the soil with a rich source of nutrients and, in turn, improves soil structure. This has long term benefits for the soil, the crops produced on that land, and the need for artificial fertilisers. And as the land becomes ‘richer’ so the animals living in and around it will thrive. Looking after our soils naturally, ensuring the nutrients remain and are continually replenished, is vital as we are farming for future generations.

One example of our pro-active stance is that we have put owl nesting boxes up, and are now reaping the rewards of encouraging owls across both farms. We also ensure that we use fully-qualified specialists when carrying out rodent control – it’s very important to us that we don’t harm any local wildlife.

10 – Do you monitor your carbon footprint and who do you work with?

At Southfield Farm we take our environmental responsibility very seriously. And, as a family that has worked and lived in the Louth area for generations, we take pride in working hand in hand with our surrounding area. We are passionate about working with nature to produce the best beef in a sustainable way.

It is important to us to work with leading companies and organisations within the industry, to monitor the impact our farming system has on the environment. This is an investment we feel is invaluable for future generations of not only our family, but also the local community and beyond.

One of the most recent studies commissioned by one of our customers was the Alltech E-CO₂ Beef Swift-EA™ environmental assessment, with the objective of finding out ways in which to improve on-farm efficiencies, in a more sustainable way.

The assessment covers three main greenhouse gases: carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide. Each individual gas has a different global warming potential in the atmosphere so in order to generate a single footprint figure we standardise the results from multiple gases to units of Carbon Dioxide Equivalent (CO₂e). In order to calculate this you need to look at both direct emissions, for example from animals and the spread of fertiliser, or indirect emissions from examples such as the production of feed and fertiliser inputted to the farm system.

Alltech, a business that carries out thousands of farm consultancies throughout Europe, works with the Carbon Trust to accredit assessment tools to the internationally recognised PAS 2050 life cycle analysis standard. This insures the services are independently assessed.

And the results from our study were incredibly encouraging and demonstrate how Southfield Farm produces significantly lower carbon emissions than the average farm assessed on the same system type. Of course, we can always improve, and we strive to continue seeking the latest research and knowledge. We are open to new developments within our industry and welcome the opportunity to further increase our efficiencies in a way that will protect the environment for future generations.