The Farm
The family operate a 500 acre traditional mixed farm producing beef cattle, outdoor pigs, sheep, free-range chickens, free-range turkeys at Christmas, as well as growing cereal crops. This type of mixed farm with its diverse range of enterprises, many of which compliment each other, is a dying breed as many farms become specialised or are forced to streamline their operations by rising costs and lack of available labour.
Currently the farm employs nine full time staff and three part time staff, all of whom live locally.
Sheep
Newlyns flock of sheep number about 850 ewes and breeding rams. Our Poll Dorset ewes give birth at Christmas time which ensures that we have new season lamb in our shop for Easter. We use traditional Hampshire Down rams to produce lambs which live outside all year round eating grass and turnips.
Beef Cattle
At Newlyns we have around 220 cows. Each cow will give birth to one calf which will stay with its mother until it is 6 months old. Our cows produce plenty of milk so that we can be sure that the calf has been well fed until it is able to feed itself on grass. We use traditional breeds of bulls such as Hereford and Shorthorn as well as Limousin and Charolais.
The cows live indoors for the winter in big airy sheds. The calves are born outdoors at the end of April so that they can enjoy the grass and good weather.
Pigs
Newlyns herd of 250 pigs are all free range and kept in small paddocks where they are able to root around in the ground for their pellets of food. In summer they are able to cool down in specially constructed wallows of water and mud and in winter time they keep warm with fresh straw and the shelter of their arks. The piglets spend the first couple of weeks with their mothers in the 'farrowing' hut before getting brave enough to venture outside. After weaning they are grouped according to size and sex so that they have the best chance of growing well.
Poultry
Our day old chicks live in warm sheds under heat lamps for the first four weeks of their life before they are big enough to go outside into the cold air. Our chicks are all free range and they live in specially made houses which allow them to go outside into a large paddock whenever they want to roam. We bring them in at night to ensure that they are safe from foxes.
Our free range chickens are a traditional slow growing breed that take at least twelve weeks to mature (commercial breeds only mature for six weeks). This long growth period allows their bones and legs to develop properly so that we can offer larger, healthier chickens.
Every year we also raise our own free range Turkeys and Geese.