Enterprise Stacking

At the beginning of June, Rebecca and Gala welcomed local farmers and smallholders to Plaw Hatch to discuss ‘enterprise stacking’.

June, Summer, SustainabilityKitty M13 June 2022Plaw Hatch FarmComment

Barbecue for the Jubilee

The Plaw Hatch Butchery is in full summer barbecue mode!

Meat, May, ButcheryKitty M22 May 2022Plaw Hatch FarmComment

May in the garden

May sees increasing growth in the garden. The cucumbers, tomatoes, peas and beans are picking up speed, and even the sweet peas with their tough start to the year are catching up.

Spring, Garden, Flowers, MayKitty M18 May 2022Plaw Hatch FarmComment

Woodland Project - spring update

The woodland project is coming along, and the volunteer team are starting to see the fruits of their hard work in the form of wild flowers growing on previously bare land.

May, Sustainability, Woodland, VolunteersKitty M11 May 2022Plaw Hatch FarmComment

Dangerous roads

This year sees Toll Field over the road from the main farm back in rotation for garden cultivation. A productive and beautiful piece of land, the garden team unfortunately aren’t looking forward to work on it due to the dangerous road they have to cross.

April, Farm, StaffKitty M21 April 2022Plaw Hatch FarmComment

Grass fed Sussex beef

Winston, our Sussex bull, will be 10 years old in August this year. During his time here he has sired nearly 200 calves, many of which have been raised here on the farm.

Farm, Spring, April, Cows, Dairy, Meat, MilkKitty M19 April 2022Plaw Hatch FarmComment

Lambing 2022

Lambing went by very quickly this year, with 55 ewes lambing in just under three weeks! Miriam Fuller, who came back from being a full time Agriculture student to run lambing, gives an insight into her experience.

Farm, Lambing, Sheep, Spring, AprilKitty M16 April 2022Plaw Hatch FarmComment

The cost of chicken

The cost of chicken has risen by 10% recently due to the increased cost of feed. All the more reason to be grateful for the wonderful organic pasture reared birds we get from our supplier, Springfield Poultry.

Farm, April, Butchery, Chickens, SustainabilityKitty M11 April 2022Plaw Hatch FarmComment

New Danish Red calves

Over the years, there have been a number of Danish Red cows in the herd. Robin and Maya intend to increase the numbers of these lovely animals.

Farm, Cows, MarchKitty M21 March 2022Plaw Hatch FarmComment

Solid sunlight

Storm Eunice certainly left her mark on the farm.

Farm, FebruaryKitty M21 February 2022Plaw Hatch Farm Comment

Compostable bags

The topic of packaging is not the most exhilarating one in our work here on the farm but it is an essential part of it. It is also one of the things that causes most frustration and head scratching.

Garden, Packaging, Sustainability, ShopKitty M18 February 2022Plaw Hatch Farm Comments

Sheep scanning 2022

Scanning is an important point in the shepherding year, allowing our farmers to prepare for the coming lambing that is now just over a month away.

Farm, Lambing, Sheep, Spring, Volunteers, TrainingKitty M15 February 2022Plaw Hatch FarmComment

Candlemas and Imbolc

Imbolc falls around half way between the winter solstice and the spring equinox, hailing in the coming spring and lengthening days.

Farm, Spring, Arable, Winter, FebruaryKitty M12 February 2022Plaw Hatch FarmComment

Flowers for the Garden

The winter months give us some time to dream and make plans for the growing season ahead. I love to dream about flowers.

Winter, Garden, Spring, January, FlowersKitty M9 February 2022Plaw Hatch Farm Comment

Training a Future Butcher

Last September Josie Rollings began her career as a butcher at Plaw Hatch.

Butchery, Farm, Meat, January, Training, StaffKitty M4 February 2022Plaw Hatch FarmComment

Choosing a telehandler

Our Merlo Telehandler is due for replacement. It is 10 years old and has done nearly 6 thousand hours of work on this farm.

Winter, Farm, January, ArableKitty M24 January 2022Plaw Hatch FarmComment

January in the garden

The garden starts up slowly in January. At the beginning of the month it is still dark, but I’m definitely starting to notice the difference as we approach February. The days are getting longer and we have already started with sowing.

Winter, Garden, Spring, JanuaryKitty M21 January 2022Plaw Hatch Farm Comments

Regenuary | Veganuary

For years I have waited for the pendulum to swing from industrialised farming back to farming that takes more than just human needs into consideration. I have to say that I was rather taken aback when the pendulum swung straight past us and towards veganism. I hope, with more time and understanding, that the pendulum will swing back to farmers like the farmers at Plaw Hatch.

Butchery, Farm, Meat, Sustainability, JanuaryKitty M17 January 2022Plaw Hatch Farm Comments

Epiphany and the Three Kings Prep

On January 6th, Epiphany, the Three Kings Preparation was spread around the boundaries of the farm. Walking the boundaries of a farm of this size, carrying buckets, in the middle of winter with so little daylight, is a big task. However, walking the fields in this way is beneficial in several ways.

Winter, Spring, Farm, January, SustainabilityKitty M13 January 2022Plaw Hatch FarmComment

Woodland project

Following the request for volunteers for the woodland regeneration project, there was an excellent response.

Farm, Sustainability, Volunteers, WoodlandKitty M18 December 2021Plaw Hatch FarmComment

9 Jan 2024

Why cows have horns

It has long been a policy of Biodynamic husbandry to keep cattle with horns. As well as the aesthetic value, the horns have an important function in the life of the cow.

23 Nov 2023

A year as a farm Apprentice

Approaching the halfway mark in my 2-year placement here at Old Plaw Hatch Farm, the coming of the shorter days has allowed me to reflect on what has been one hell of a ride this past year.

27 Oct 2023

The realities of a garden

Growing vegetables in a political climate that has very little understanding of how food actually gets from the producer to anyone’s kitchen table (let alone the unpredictability of that same climate) means we are very grateful to the crops that have been successes, and we move on quickly from those that were or are, to put it bluntly, failures. Let me briefly talk you through our growing year so far…

24 Oct 2023

Supply and demand

Recently we’ve seen a real surge in new customers and have also noticed that existing customers are coming much more frequently and seem to be doing the majority of their food shopping with us. These changes are rarely down to one thing, and I believe at the moment there are several reasons.

24 Aug 2023

Why should I go to the AGM?

Firstly, because we would really love you to. Of course, at an AGM there is the dry procedural stuff, it’s a legal requirement, but there is so much more. It’s an opportunity to hear directly from the people who grow your food.

15 Aug 2023

The garden this summer

The summer is flying by and we have already started to get the first harvests off the fields like onions, potatoes and squash. The Spring was very late this year, however, Summer is not over yet.