Organic farming has come a long way in the last 10 years and with concerns mounting about climate change, a growing number of discerning consumers are looking at sustainability and purchasing better quality, naturally produced, local foods with taste and real flavour.
It's been a vision of Gloucestershire-based businesswoman, Carole Bamford, who has been farming organically for more than 40 years and now owns four award-winning Daylesford Organic farm shops and cafes in her local area and on Pimlico Road, Notting Hill and South Kensington, in London and one in the Cotswolds. There are also a further four amazing Cotswold pubs that all serve top quality meals from Daylesford Organic and thirty five holiday cottages.
It does however rely on a huge number of organic acres, livestock and staff.
Central to that operation is farms director, Richard Smith who has been working for the Bamford's massive farming operation which includes JCB Farms, for 20 years.
"The business is 100% organic from field to plate with an ethos on animal health and welfare. Nothing is ever kept behind closed doors here and all the cattle and sheep are finished 100% on forage-based rations," said Richard who has previously farmed in New Zealand and managed Oxford University farms.
At certain times of the year, however, they do have to purchase Blackface and South Country Cheviot store lambs from organic farmers in Scotland and the north of England, to tide them over from February through until August.
"We have a flock of 6000 breeding Lleyn ewes which are put to home-bred Lleyn rams from our nucleus flock, and we lamb from April 1, onwards. It's a totally closed flock with only the odd ram bought in occasionally to add a new line, and they'll produced scanning percentages of 195-200%."
With all lambs stored and finished the same way, Richard along with executive chefs in some of the finest dining restaurants in London, believe there is no difference in the quality of finished organic Blackface, Cheviot or Lleyn hoggets.
"We've perfected the art of 'storing' lambs," he said. "We've been buying organic Blackface and Cheviot lambs from the same producers for the past 10 years, and they run on the poorer parts of the estate down here on old permanent pasture fields up until Christmas. Depending on when we need them, we'll finish them on red clover leys or kale crops and they flesh up beautifully to produce 19kg, R3L carcases.
"There is a growing demand for organic produce from the discerning customer who is interested in provenance and the traditional British breeds produce the quality and have a story behind them. Organic is important to people, but they also like to know where their food has come from and how it is produced – the two are intrinsically linked."
He added that business also produces organic milk from traditional British Friesian dairy cows which will do seven lactations and therefore, they have more than enough replacements to bull the bottom end of the herd to a Hereford to breed Hereford cross Friesian cows. The resultant cross-bred females are then put to Aberdeen Angus, South Devon or Old Gloucester bulls to produce finished organic beef.
Richard also oversees the production of organic milk, cream, cheese and yoghurts from Daylesford's 120 pure British Friesian dairy cows producing 6000litres per year of which 70% is from forage. In addition, there are 6000 laying hens; 320 beef suckler cows; 350 red deer hinds and some 6000 table chickens finished every week and a further 2000 Bronze Turkeys reared for Christmas, with all bred, reared and finished organically and sold through the business.
"We are processing 30tonnes of meat every week and the whole carcase is used with the cheaper cuts put into ready meals of which we produce 37,500 per week. We're 100% organic from field to plate – there is no third party involved," Richard said adding that they are accredited by the Soil Association, with many of the by-products used in the production of organic bedding, soaps, candles and even clothing sold through the business and online.
Add to that a further 1000 acres of cereals for home-feed use and for Daylesford Organic bakeries and some 40 acres of market gardens growing up to 200 varieties of soft and hard fruits, vegetables and tomatoes and it's a one-stop shop for those looking to buy the best of organic produce.
It's been an all encompassing venture for Richard and one which he and the 20 staff who work on the farms and 1000 in the Daylesford Organics, are extremely proud of and passionate about.
Such has been his involvement in the business that at the age of 58 he has just two very young children and only found the time to get married last year.
There can be no doubting Richard's capability in organic farming and marketing, but he's not finished there. As a passionate sheepdog trialist, and with three pups coming on, he's looking forward to taking part in the local nursery trials later this year and hopefully, one day, winning the odd prize at the National when he is the English junior vice-president of the International Sheepdog Society.
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