From "The Ark", by kind permission of the Rare Breeds Survival Trust (RBST)
Situated near the historic town of Rye, with spectacular views of the East Sussex coast, is Elm Farm. Over the past 20 years, owners Anne and Stephen Rumsey have turned its 700 acres of marshland and green pasture entirely over to the conservation of native birds and wildlife.
I arrive on a cold but bright winter’s day to meet Charles Bull, stock manager and rare breeds enthusiast. There are not many birds in evidence today but Charles tells me that throughout the year, the conservation operation rings around 40-50,000 birds. “The land is on the migratory flight path,” he explains. “So we get some very rare species of bird here, for example, the Waxwing and the Penduline Tit from Sweden.”
The farm favours the use of native breeds to integrate with grazing management and to fit in with the conservation operation. These include flocks of Southdown, Shetland and Torwen sheep, and herds of Belted Galloway, White Park, Sussex and Aberdeen Angus cattle.
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“Animals make the grass suitable for the birds,” says Charles. “Rare breeds are more adaptable and eat different plants, for example, we find the Belted Galloways extremely useful as they eat the reeds and rushes.”
Not all of the fields here are grazed, as some must be kept long to accommodate the birds. Those that are used for grazing are kept on a strict rota throughout the year. A field of red clover is grown to attract bees and then harvested to make hay to feed the animals in the winter. “The whole farm operates on a conservational basis,” explains Charles.
As such, its management involves long-sighted consideration of the products used. The Rumseys have kept animals for 20 years without using wormers. “Chemicals in the dung would ruin the conservation project because they would make it toxic to insects,” says Charles. “We don’t use any pesticides or fertilisers, in fact our only concession is a fly treatment that we use on the sheep in the summer.”
A conservation project this may be, but it is also a working farm and strict management of pests is required. Recent work has included rabbit fencing the entire farm.
A dream job
Charles has worked at Elm Farm since July 2005 and considers it his “dream job.” Here, he tells me, the pace is slower and he is able to use his stock management skills to their best advantage, whilst fully indulging his passion for rare breeds.
He gained much of his expertise from his previous job at the Canterbury Oast Trust, the south of England rare breeds centre, and he speaks fondly of his previous employer and mentor, the late Hugh Cawthorne, a respected Berkshire pig breeder.
“With the help of Hugh, I created the Louise line of Berkshires, some of which we have here at Elm Farm,” he says. Charles is proud of his line and tells me that his were the first pair of Berkshires to win the Flack trophy at the 2002 Royal Show.
When it comes to breeding, Charles has very exacting standards. “Keep the best and kill the rest,” he says firmly. “I would sooner concentrate on the pedigree end of the market. Hugh taught me this and I’ve stuck to it – once you deviate you’ve lost quality.”
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Charles shares his considerable knowledge at a local college, offering one day and half day courses on how to start a pig herd, pig handling and AI demonstrations. His passion for the animals runs deep and his affection for them is touching. “I keep three Berkshire pigs at home, and my wife sometimes says I think more of them than I do of her,” he laughs. “But they are very individual because they rely on you for food all year round – unlike cows and sheep. I find it very therapeutic to watch them suckling and sleeping. They are incredible animals and very intelligent.”
Charles and his wife Dawn also breed Southdown sheep, and this enthusiasm for rare breeds has been embraced by their two children, Greg (22) and Stefanie (19). Both have been showing livestock since they were four years old and Stefanie now breeds Lincoln Longwool sheep.
A breeding programme
Since his arrival at Elm Farm, Charles has expanded the herd of Berkshires through a careful breeding programme, the latest addition being a litter of eight piglets.
His plans for the New Year are to increase the Southdown flock to 50. “We sell our meat through a TBMM registered company – Sussex Farm Foods Ltd at Billingshurst,” he explains. “And there is a particularly good market for Southdown meat as a local product.” Other plans are to increase the existing herd of White Parks. Charles recently ‘borrowed’ a White Park bull from a local farm and hopes to have some calves later in the year.
The farm does not operate as a profit-making venture, its main objective being conservation, but Charles believes that increasing the meat output will be of value.
“The breeding of good quality animals and the sale of their meat through the TBMM scheme ties in with the whole ethos of this farming project,” he says. “I feel very fortunate to be a part of it and look forward to expanding our stock in the future.”
For further information about the conservation project at Elm Farm, contact Charles Bull at email: bull_herd@tiscali.co.uk.