Manor Farm Organics
Manor Farm Organics
Katie Jowett. Wiltshire
The farmers
Richard and Katie Jowett are the third generation of the family to run Manor Farm. Since taking over the management of the land they have moved away from a conventional systems of production and focused on organic and holistic methods of management in order to maintain the rich biodiversity of the chalk downlands that make up the majority of the farm and enhance and regenerate the arable land.
The animals
A 200 ewe flock comprising: 40% mule ewes running with Texel rams and 60% mule x Texel ewes running with Southdown rams.
The land
Manor Farm is a classic 300 acre chalk downland farm, traditionally run with sheep extensively grazing the steep valleys and arable crops grown on the flat tops of the downs. The downs are rich with a diverse array of native flower & herb species including orchids and other less common species such as devil’s bit scabious and are largely classified as Sites of Special Scientific interest (SSSI’s). This diversity in turn supports a vibrant and varied population of pollinators, including the rare Adonis Blue butterfly, and mammals including species that are in decline, such as hare, hedgehogs and harvest mice. Over the last 10 years Richard and Katie have been gradually taking the arable land out of crop production, creating 40 acres of species rich meadow and planting herbal leys to regenerate the depleted soil. The farm is registered Organic and the sheep enterprise is PFLA certified..
300 Acres of the Chalke Valley