Our Farm and Environmental Policy
We have a small group of chickens and ducks on the farm, including a number of special rare breeds. Guests are welcome to feed them corn in the mornings if they wish to do so. We also have around thirty five Hereford x Friesian cattle, the retirement liveries, and Dartmoor ponies grazing the open moorland, occasionally we also have pigs to supply the Bed and Breakfast with bacon and sausages. We're planning on getting a few traditional native Dartmoor sheep in the coming months too!
You may see our Dartmoor ponies on our road or on the open moorland surrounding our farm. The ponies are kept on certain areas of the common by cattle grids so don’t panic if you see them on the roads as they are just wandering from one area to another.
All the ponies are kept as wild as possible so please do not approach them or feed them as this encourages them to roads and car parks where they may get hit by cars.
You may see our Dartmoor ponies on our road or on the open moorland surrounding our farm. The ponies are kept on certain areas of the common by cattle grids so don’t panic if you see them on the roads as they are just wandering from one area to another.
All the ponies are kept as wild as possible so please do not approach them or feed them as this encourages them to roads and car parks where they may get hit by cars.
We are a Red Tractor Approved Farm - keep an eye out for the Assured Food Standards logo next time you go into the supermarket to buy beef, dairy, lamb or poultry.
Our hedgerows:
Lowertown Farm has hedgerows on our ninety three acre farm which form an intrinsic part of the farmed landscape and keep our fields stock-proof. We manage them to maintain shelter and food for the many species of farmland birds, insects and small mammals that use them as corridors to move around the farm safely. The other product which is important to us is the wood which is harvested from the hedgerows, providing you with heat from the wood burner in the sitting room. The boiler attached to it also heats the bedroom radiators.
We have a cycle of management of our hedges. Roughly one tenth of the farm’s hedges are laid in the traditional way each year to provide firewood. The hedge will be then allowed to grow up again. Our hedges are quite diverse as they are old hedges and will give support to many species of plant, e.g. Blackthorn, Hawthorn, Hazel, Dogwood, Ash and Brambles. These in turn give a diversity of flowering and fruiting times and therefore support many invertebrates and small mammals such as dormice. Blue Tits, Great Wren, Blackbird, Robin, Chaffinch all have more room in a taller hedge so providing a larger number of breeding territories.
Older hedgerows also contain deadwood and leaf litter in the base which is a valuable habitat for invertebrates which in turn attract predators such as bats, shrews and birds.
Linear landscape features such as our hedgerows are important for the greater horseshoe bats. It helps them when commuting between roosting sites at the Buckfastleigh caves and feeding areas along the river valleys.
Lowertown Farm has hedgerows on our ninety three acre farm which form an intrinsic part of the farmed landscape and keep our fields stock-proof. We manage them to maintain shelter and food for the many species of farmland birds, insects and small mammals that use them as corridors to move around the farm safely. The other product which is important to us is the wood which is harvested from the hedgerows, providing you with heat from the wood burner in the sitting room. The boiler attached to it also heats the bedroom radiators.
We have a cycle of management of our hedges. Roughly one tenth of the farm’s hedges are laid in the traditional way each year to provide firewood. The hedge will be then allowed to grow up again. Our hedges are quite diverse as they are old hedges and will give support to many species of plant, e.g. Blackthorn, Hawthorn, Hazel, Dogwood, Ash and Brambles. These in turn give a diversity of flowering and fruiting times and therefore support many invertebrates and small mammals such as dormice. Blue Tits, Great Wren, Blackbird, Robin, Chaffinch all have more room in a taller hedge so providing a larger number of breeding territories.
Older hedgerows also contain deadwood and leaf litter in the base which is a valuable habitat for invertebrates which in turn attract predators such as bats, shrews and birds.
Linear landscape features such as our hedgerows are important for the greater horseshoe bats. It helps them when commuting between roosting sites at the Buckfastleigh caves and feeding areas along the river valleys.
We are proud to say we hold a ‘Dartmoor First’ award. Here are some of the ways that we promote and look after the environment around us:
- We have set aside areas of land for conservation to benefit the native flora and fauna. We encourage appreciation of the Dartmoor National Park’s habitat and cultural heritage.
- We ensure our buildings are appropriate and sensitive to their surroundings.
- We use solar security lights, and promote the local hydro-electric scheme at our other farm two miles away where Luke's parents live.
- We favour local produce where possible and buy in bulk to reduce our trips to suppliers. We also use our own eggs, fresh from our chickens and ducks.
- We use a ‘quick cup’ instead of a kettle providing hot drinks for our guests.
- We encourage our guests to buy local produce.
- We are both active members of the community and support local events.
- We support the native Dartmoor Ponies on the common with the use of our pedigree Dartmoor stallion Lightning Flash. The Dartmoor ponies are also valuable as they graze certain areas of our farm for certain periods to benefit the native flora and fauna.
- Our natural spring water is heated by our Rayburn – keeping the water hot without the use of electricity.
- We promote our self-sufficient log burner which heats up two of our guest bedrooms.
- We have restored an old orchard on our farm. We have planted Apple, Cherry, Plum and Pear trees.