We’re excited to invite you to our Farm-ily Fun Day on Sunday, 6th July at Stourton Woods! It’s set to be a fantastic day out for the whole family, with plenty to see, do, and enjoy in the beautiful surroundings of the estate.
There will be activities for all ages, including:
We’ve been working hard to get the estate looking its best, and we can’t wait to welcome you for a day of fun, fresh air, and great memories. It’s the perfect opportunity to enjoy the summer, spend quality time with friends and family, and experience everything Stourton Woods has to offer.
Well behaved dogs on leads are welcome to join you for the day
Save the date: Sunday, 6th July – we look forward to seeing you here
We hardly dare say it… but we’re hoping to have a beautiful field of blooming sunflowers in the next few weeks! As always with nature, it’s hard to predict exactly when they’ll come into full flower, but we’re keeping everything crossed that they’ll be at their best just in time for our Open Day on Sunday, 3rd August
The sunflower field is always a real highlight – a stunning sight to see and a perfect backdrop for summer photos. We know many of you love to visit when the flowers are in bloom, so we’ll be keeping a close eye on them over the coming weeks.
Watch this space!
We’ll share updates on our website and social media as soon as the sunflowers start to open, so you’ll know the best time to come and enjoy them.
We hope to see you soon – and hopefully amongst a sea of golden sunflowers!
BBQ season is well and truly upon us, but are you bored of the same old sausages and burgers? Are you’re planning on entertaining and want to impress your guests with something a bit different?
We have a wide range of venison products available, perfect for your summer barbecues and family meals that deliver the ‘wow’ factor.
Call us to place an order for:
Venison is a beautifully lean, healthy meat – it’s high in protein, low in fat, and a fantastic alternative to beef. It’s just as versatile, whether you’re grilling burgers, preparing hearty casseroles, or roasting a joint for a special meal.
To place an order for collection from the farm office, please ring Tina on 01507 578236.
There’s been plenty of activity on the estate recently, especially after the welcome rain we’ve had. With the grass growing quickly, we’ve been busy mowing and cutting back the rides to keep everything looking its best.
Much of our focus at the moment is on preparing the grounds for weddings and upcoming events. It’s important to us that the estate is in excellent condition so that our guests can enjoy the beautiful surroundings at their very best.
We’ve been enjoying a few quieter weeks and ensured that everyone has taken some holiday as we lead up to harvest. June has seen us complete the last of our spraying jobs as well as preparing grain stores and machinery before our busiest time of the year.
We are delighted that all of the cattle have come back as ‘clear’ following their TB tests. This was good news for everyone, not least the cows who have been let out to graze our herbal ley. We have initiated a ‘mob grazing’ system for the cattle. This involves dividing the grazing area into 15 separate paddocks of approximately ½ acre each. The cattle stay in these areas for 2 days before we move them onto the next. Mob grazing has a few advantages. It helps the cattle growth rates by always having fresh grass to eat as well as helping the pasture growth as the paddocks get 30 days to recover before the cattle get back to the first paddock again. Mob grazing also helps the soil by allowing a larger root mass to form within the soil. In grass a larger growth above ground means larger roots below ground. These larger and stronger roots help the soil and pasture to withstand drier weather conditions better.
We are delighted to announce the arrival of Will, our new placement student. He will be with us for a year, having completed his second year at Harper Adams University. Will replaces Neve, who has been with us since June 2024. Neve is however staying with us to help complete the harvest before leaving us to complete her final year at Harper. We wish her all the best for this!
During her time here Neve has completed a carbon footprint for the business. Her project showed we are in the top 40% of farms in the East Midlands, however, we believe we can improve this further and have some plans in the pipeline for further improve out carbon footprint, not least our transition to a regenerative farming model.
One way of further reducing our carbon footprint is to use fewer synthetic fertilsers, but we need orgnanic matter to replace it. In short, we need more animal poo (‘muck’)! Our own herd of cattle will be a great source but we still don’t have enough to cover the whole acreage, so we need to find some more muck! During harvest we ‘chop’ most of the straw that comes out of the back of the combine into small pieces which breaks down and returns organic matter back to the soil. However, we do leave some straw behind to be baled by local farmers and used on their farms as bedding. In return they pay us back by bringing us their animal ‘muck’ which we then spread onto the land. A fabulous quid pro quo and example of the farming community working together!
Grain Store cleaning has commenced in earnest! We clean the grain stores out to reduce the likelihood of pests. A pest infestation could render a crop unsellable, or could require a treatment to eradicate it prior to sale, which adds cost. So, at this time of year we brush and hoover any remaining grain from the stores before using an insecticide that will take care of any remaining bugs. This is the only insecticide that we have used on the farm this year and as it is used inside buildings it poses very little risk to any non-target and beneficial species.
Next month’s update will hopefully be bang in the middle of harvest and our busiest time on the farm. We wish all the farmers a safe harvest and drivers please be patient on the roads when you are sat behind tractors and trailers on the road.
Deer Diary
It’s been a busy and exciting time here on the farm over the past few weeks! We’re now coming to the end of the calving season, and we’re pleased to say it’s been a successful one. We’ve got over 80 lively calves running around, bringing lots of energy and life to the parkland.
The recent rain has really helped to give the grass a much-needed boost, though a little more would certainly be welcome to keep things growing well as we move through the season. Good grass growth is especially important now, as we’ll soon be moving the deer onto fresh pasture at Stourton to give them plenty of nutritious grazing.
It’s also been fascinating to watch the stags – their antlers have almost reached their full size now, and they’re looking truly impressive as we head into the next part of the year.
There’s always lots happening here, and it’s a pleasure to share a glimpse of farm life with you.
Reared here on the farm, professionally butchered & packaged for us by local butchers and labelled here, we deliver direct to your door in our veni-van across Lincolnshire, freshly frozen venison is also available for delivery nationwide!
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