Cowdray Home Farms on the Cowdray Estate, Midhurst, West Sussex

Cowdray Home Farms is the base for the in house farming operations of Cowdray Park. The management of Cowdray Home Farms, Bepton Farms and Bepton Organics is based at Moor Farm which is on the A272 on the drive parallel to Cowdray House. The Farm employs eleven full-time people. Casual labour is also used at the time of peak workload.

The farm is located to the east of Midhurst and the land farmed is in and around the main park land at Cowdray Park along the River Rother Valley. The soil type is sandy loam and covers 838 hectares (2070 acres).

The farming enterprise at the Home Farms are Dairying and arable with potatoes. There are two dairies, one at Moor Farm and one at The Kennels at West Lavington. The herds are predominantly autumn calving Holstein cows and produce milk that is sold to Dairy Crest and then on to Sainsburys supermarkets. There are 165 cows at Kennels Dairy and 195 cows at the Moor Dairy.

The farm has just registered with the Soil Association an organic farming body, and as from the beginning of June 2006, has opted to convert the dairy operation to organic.

The farm grows 60 hectares (150 acres) of potatoes. 500 tonnes are of which are sold straight from the field and 1300 tonnes which are stored in the farms refridgerated unit and moved on in mid June. The farm has specialised in potatoes used for crisp production, we have our own washing and grading plant which processes the potatoes before being taken to Walkers Crisps in Leicester.

There is also in the region of 300 hectares (750 acres) of combinable crops, mainly wheat, some of which is used to feed the cows and the remainder is sold on the open market.

The farm sits in an Area of Outstanding Beauty and is famous for its feature trees. There are several Farm Woodland Schemes running on the Estate and over 3000 metres of hedges have been planted since the year 2000.

The farm has been accepted on an Environmental Stewardship Scheme which commenced in March 2006.

Bepton Farms

Bepton Farms is situated to South west of Midhurst, nestled under the northern edge of the South Downs. The soil type varies from heavy clay to Chalk Down land and covers 481 hectares (1189 acres).

Bepton Farms has a dairy unit at Linch Dairy which has 180 Holstein cows which are winter and early spring calving. The herd is run by a contract Herdsman. The milk is also sold to Dairy Crest.

As from the 1st of April 2006, Bepton Farms has started the conversion process to Organic Farming. It is the intention to convert the entire holding to Organic Production within the next 2 1/2 years.

The combinable crops area at Bepton Farms is 260 hectares (650 acres) comprising Oilseed Rape, Winter Wheat, Winter Beans and Spring Barley.

Bepton Farms has land which is designated as Environmentally sensitive areas and there is a Countryside Stewardship scheme which has been running for 6 years. In addition there is an Environmental Stewardship scheme on the land which commenced in November 2005.

Bepton Organics

Bepton Organics is situated at the top of Cocking Hill on the top of the South Downs on the main Midhurst to Chichester road. The farm consists of 254 hectares (626 acres) of Chalk Downland.

Bepton Organics was set up on a green field site in 1999 by Lord Cowdray. The land was converted to Organic status over the next three years under the guidance of the Soil Association (one of the major organic organisation) with the last portion fully converted in September 2003.

The farm has a purpose built dairy unit which currently houses 150 cows and 100 youngstock. The cows are on a loose housed straw system and fed a fully Organic ration. The milk is sold to OMSCO, a company which specialises in the marketing of Organic milk. The herd is managed by a contract Herdsman.

Much of the feed for the cows is produced on the unit with very little bought in feeds. The primary source of forage is Red Clover supplemented by wholecrop cereals. The farm grows wheat, beans and oats, all of which are fed to the cows.

The farm also has fields which are designated as environmentally sensitive areas and has the South Downs way which dissects the land. Views from the top of the South Downs way stretch from Portsmouth in the south to Guildford in the north.

If you wish to contact Cowdray Home Farms, Cowdray Park, Midhurst, West Sussex. Telephone 01730 812089 or e- cowdrayhomefarms@cowdray.co.uk

THE COWDRAY ESTATE OFFICE, COWDRAY PARK, EASEBOURNE
MIDHURST, WEST SUSSEX, GU29 0AQ
TEL: 01730 812423 FAX: 01730 815608
Online Enquiry Form or e-mail enquiries@cowdray.co.uk