Egypt House Farm
 

 

Mike Harding. East Sussex

The farmer

Michael grew up on a small family farm but went on to join the Royal Marines. When he left the forces and decided to try farming, Micheal and Eliza decided that they we wanted to farm in a wildlife and environmentally friendly way. They combine traditional methods of farming learnt growing up with more modern holistic grazing practises to enhance their soils and enrich the environment

The cattle

Longhorn and Sussex cattle

The land

The farm is in the High Weald area of East Sussex, a heavily wooded ancient landscape of small fields separated by thick hedges and copses, with small steep valleys and heavy clay soil.
Michael has planted a walnut orchard planted but not cropping yet, managed with a silvopastoral system. Fields used for silage and hay rotated each year. The farm is 100 acres of organic land.
Michael is planting 4 miles of hedgerows on his land over the next 2 years to increase biodiversity on the farm. He has also planted a silvopasture system of walnut trees which will bear fruit in 2035