Welcome to Botany Farm
The Home of the Alde Herd of Pedigree Red Poll Cattle
Some of the cows at summer grazing.
Botany Farm – About us.
The Site
We intend to develop this site to become a major site for all things relevant to Red Poll cattle. I am currently the Chairman of the Red Poll Development Society whose site is http://www.redpoll.org.uk and the herd is representing the breed in the major UK research project Developing Effective Suckler Cow Replacement Strategies. We also sell Red Poll beef, for more information see http://www.farmdirect.fsnet.co.uk.
The Farm
Located in the north east corner of the parish of Farnham in Suffolk, it is bounded by the River Alde, River Fromus and the railway line from Ipswich to Saxmundham. It is some 210 acres and includes 104 acres of ESA grazing marshes. The rest of the land is arable, mostly used for our own forage production. Additionally we rent some 250 acres of grazing from the Suffolk Wildlife Trust and the RSPB, all of which is ESA grazing, never sprayed nor fertilized.
The Cattle
Our expanding Suckler herd currently comprises some 100 cows and in-calf heifers, the majority of which are pedigree Red Poll, the remainder are predominately Red Poll crosses. The Red Poll is the native breed of Suffolk and Norfolk and has been recognised as a breed for well over 200 years. The breed has a world wide reputation for producing high quality beef, the meat is fine grained meat and therefore very tender and the flavour is exceptional. In 1782 Marshall (Rural Economy of Norfolk) wrote "… and if the London butcher be judges of beef, there are no better beasts sent to Smithfield market." Australian "paddock to plate" competitions and American research confirms that the same is true today. The breed produces exceptional high quality beef.
Feed & Welfare
The herd normally start the grazing season at home in late March, during May the majority of cows with their calves move to Suffolk Wildlife Trust grazing land where they stay until late November and young steers and heifers are moved to RSPB land for a similar period. During the winter the cattle return to the home and over winter on our light land. During the winter the cattle eat our own hay and silage plus straw, carrots and a protein block with added vitamins and trace elements. They have access to covered yards but normally prefer to stay outside. The cattle are wormed each year prior to the summer grazing season as a precautionary measure. No other medicaments etc are used unless an animal needs specific treatment. The finishing rations are based on our own forage supplemented when necessary with GMO free feeds such as UK produced sugar beet pellets.
Environment
Due to the mix of livestock and spring cropping the farm supports several Barn Owls. Tawny and Little owls, Lapwings, Skylarks and Hares breed on the here. Herons and Kingfishers fish the marsh drains. Swans and other wild fowl often spend some of the winter on our marshes. There are Otters and Foxes in the area besides many other birds, bats etc.
One of our cows with her calf.
For further information contact:
E Moss, Botany Farm, Farnham, Saxmundham, Suffolk, UK, IP17 1QZ
Or email
redpoll@btinternet.com