Hogshaw Hill Farm
Hogshaw Hill Farm in north Buckinghamshire is an all-grass farm most of which has not been ploughed in the last 100 years, and some of which has never been ploughed. It is on the watershed divide (at the end of the rainbow in the photo above) between the Great Ouse system flowing east and the Thames system flowing west.
Understanding the geology of the farm leads to an understanding of the rich and varied mix of flora, mainly ancient grassland, and fauna, and of the farming system. Hogshaw Hill has a greensand cap on top of heavy Oxford clay. Where these two meet halfway up the hill is a ring of perennial springs fed by rainwater percolating through the greensand. There are also several bogs that are fed by artesian water that haven’t dried since the last Ice Age. As well as these main sand and clay formations there are limestone and ironstone deposits, all making for a highly varied geology.
The farm has a Mid-tier Environmental Stewardship contract with Natural England, a division of DEFRA. Complementing this is a closed suckler herd of spring calving mainly Aberdeen Angus cattle. The herd of cows, calves, yearlings and two year olds are managed as one group (except for the maiden heifers), are out year round, and the cows also calve outside. Hay is cut late on the lower land and fed on top of the hills in winter from a quadbike and bale trailer. Foggage (pasture that grows in the summer and is grazed in the winter) is an important back-up to hay.
This simple low-cost farming system ensures minimal damage to the pasture, a high level of carbon sequestration and other environmental enhancement, high animal welfare and health, and not least, a competitive price of PFL carcasses delivered to the butcher.
The cattle are pasture-fed for life, drink only spring water (though we have mains back-up), and because of the low stocking rate under the environmental stewardship contract and rotational grazing only the young stock need minimal dosing for worms. Mineral supplements are administered to the breeding cows as boluses once a year. That’s it - they eat nothing else.
They are slaughtered between 24 and 30 months at a local abattoir, Long Compton, and carcasses are delivered roughly fortnightly to The Beef Olive butchery in Aylesbury and Haddenham. Carcasses are hung for 25 to 30 days. Hogshaw beef is available mainly through The Beef Olive. Occasionally, supply allowing, we send couriered boxes of chilled fresh vac-packed freezer-ready beef. Email tom.morrison@hogshaw.com to be put on our customer list.
The farm is Red Tractor assured.
Contact Details
Address: Hogshaw Hill Farm, Hogshaw, Buckingham, Buckinghamshire, MK18 3JY England
Telephone: 01296 670 166
Mobile: 07801 842 166
Email: tom.morrison@devec.com