Moving here in 1998 was our opportunity to go organic. We had previously been in milk production in Carmarthenshire for 15 years and had built up a herd of 100 pedigree Holstein-Friesians. Although the dairy farm was a commercial success we felt we were on a treadmill and that there was possibly a better way to farm.

Shortlands is ideally suited to organic management - the soil is a well draining sandy-loam and grows corn and grass equally well. However, being coastal we do get very strong westerly winds - but, on the other hand, we don't get frosts so the land is early.
 


We chose traditional breeds because they would fit in well with the organic way we wanted to farm, and by keeping rare breeds we could help maintain their genetic variety. The animals stay outside all the year with the exception of the ewes who lamb inside and the calves who are housed at weaning. During the winter we supplement the grazing with big bale arable silage and the cows also have access to the yard during the wettest part of the year to avoid poaching the land. We completed our organic conversion in April 2001 and are registered with the Soil Association.

In 2002 we were delighted to be included in the BBC publication "Rick Stein's Local Food Heroes" and have subsequently been listed in his 2004 directory.