HISTORY
Philpin farm is a 700 acre hill farm comprising of suckler cows and sheep and has been in the family since 1968. It s now operated by three generations of the Gardner Family
Cows
The suckler cows are a cross of Limousins and Belgian Blues, they calve between February and May and suckle their calves for approx. 9 months, hence the term suckler cow.
When the calves reach 9 months they are weaned (taken off the cow) and kept until about 12 months of age, then we decide which we are keeping to come into the herd for our future breeding stock, usually about 8 each year. The rest are sold at local auction markets for either breeding or to be fed for meat (beef).
Sheep
The farm is home to over 1000 breeding ewes which are Lleyns, Cheviot and Lleyncheviot Cross. Some ewes are bred pure as replacements for the flock, others are bred for meat. Lambing starts in Febbruary through to early May.
The first ewes are lambed inside and the majority that lamb in April outside, when the weather is hopefully better. The ewes and lambs graze the fields throughout the summer, twins on the fields nearer the farm were the grass is better and the single on the rougher pasture further up the hill.