Around the Farm

Pen-y-Wyrlod lambs are raised on 50 acres of gently sloping upland fields on the eastern edge of the Black Mountains. The farm has been here, relatively unchanged, since the sixteenth century.

We joined the Soil Association and converted the farm to organic production ten years ago. It is also in the Tir Gofal environmental scheme and this means that we have to stick to the highest standards of conservation:
 - we harvest our hay later in the summer to increase seeding of wild flowers and to protect ground nesting birds such as skylarks and curlews
 - we have restored around two kilometers of traditionally laid hedge boundaries and reduced field sizes, providing wildlife corridors and nesting sites for hundreds of birds
 - we graze extensively, to reduce pressure on the ancient meadow
 - we have planted native trees, including reinstating the walnut grove

We use no fertilisers or artiificial chemicals whatever and maintain a traditional, species-rich mix of pasture. Last year we counted more than forty different types of grass and herbs growing in one field alone!

In 2008, we reduced our carbon footprint by installing a 6kW wind turbine at the highest point of the farm. It produces most of our electricity throughout the year and gives our neighbours something to talk about!