Farming
Backswood Farm is a typical farm for this area of Devon. Set on the side of a steeply sloping valley, some of the ground is only suited for forestry and in all, the holding has about 120 acres of farmland. This is made up of permanent and temporary grassland, a small area of arable land growing winter and spring barley and environmental areas set aside for wildlife.
The grassland supports a flock of breeding ewes, as well as a small suckler beef herd and their offspring. These animals are kept under a low intensive system and perform an essential task in managing the ecosystem at Backswood. Farmland, like woodland, needs to be managed through grazing and conservation in order to promote diverse food sources for insects and for plants to thrive. The sheep live out all year except at lambing time when they are housed to make management easier. The cattle are housed from September through to March to prevent pouching of the ground.
Ewe and Lamb
Harvesting Winter Barley
The arable land provides feed and bedding for the livestock during the winter.
The environmental land is broken up into a number of different areas. Much of the permanent pasture is grazed under a strict management regime, which maintains a minimum sward height to promote wildflower growth and also receives no fertilizer or herbicide applications.
We have a number of wild flower meadows. These areas have been planted with a mix of native grasses and flowers to provide a diverse source of pollen and nectar for pollinators. Cattle and sheep are able to graze the meadows from August until the end of March to reduce the grass growth and tread in fallen seeds. After this, the meadows start to grow back and result in a marvellous display of colour from the end of May through to early August. Hay is then made annually from the meadows to help remove the soil fertility and this in turn provides winter food for the cattle. Although less productive than normal pasture, the hay provides a mix of plants which keep the animals healthy, distributes the wild flower seeds and reduces the grass cover of the meadow. Over the coming years the grasses will recede and flowers will become more dominant as the fertility drops.
Grazing Cattle
Pollinator Mix