By
Matthew Sharp
Northumberland
I'm a first generation farmer - not with any farming background - trying to produce a quality product in a competitive and ageing industry.
Agriculture has become heavily industrialised but I want to take it back. This is my pilot project to produce traditional English meat from rare breeds of livestock (currently in decline) in a free range, high welfare way. Happy animals produce quality products.
I've gained lots of experience within the industry, gained a degree in Agriculture and Farm Business Management and successfully set up my own farming business with cattle and pigs. I was shortlisted for Farmers Weekly Young Farmer of the Year (2015). Now, I want to produce a high welfare, traditional product saving Britain's rare breeds of livestock by turning them into a saleable product.
I currently produce native breeds of pigs which I sell direct to the public and also into farm shops.
I also produce Aberdeen Angus and Limousin cattle and I sell the calves to other farmers to fatten.
The above has given me the experience of running my own livestock. I now want to pilot a project into producing only rare and traditional breed livestock. These breeds have went out of fashion and I want to bring them back for their flavour, hardiness and the extensive nature in which you can farm them. No fertiliser or pesticides - just grass, hay and some barley, the way nature intended.
Commercial pig farming has moved to crossbred foreign breeds which produce lean, tasteless meat sold cheap. I want to give my livestock the right to roam, have extremely high welfare standards and save some of the breeds Britain is about to lose. I want them to eat traditional species of grass including clover, farm them in harmony with the environment and give them the best natural life possible.
I don't claim farm subsidy and I started my livestock off with only 6 rare sheep and built up slowly. Agriculture is hard to get into as it is so capital intensive. Therefore, I want to run a pilot project into using SOLELY British breeds of cattle and transforming these into a fantastic product.
To keep the capital cost down, I will use bi-products from the UK dairy industry - heifer calves - which have been sired by native, traditional or rare breed bulls. I will then rear these for meat or for heifers I will rear them until they are old enough to give their own calf.
I am passionate about farming - I LOVE IT! But its very challenging in all ways. But I am focused and know what I want to produce therefore I WILL do it.
It is very important to me to produce a good quality, high welfare and happy animals as this translates into a high quality product.
Being a donor will be a BIG help. It will aid me to run my pilot into native breeds of livestock so I can gain some scale and hopefully sell a top quality product.
- 20 x calves @ £200 each = £4000 (Bred from the dairy industry to Aberdeen Angus, Hereford or Shorthorn bulls)
- Milk costs @ £20 per head = £400
- Straw @ £10 per head = £200
- Misc costs (vet/med & haulage) = £400
(I have the grazing and the shed to do the rest)
Donors will get the chance to sample either my:
Grassfed native and rarebreed livestock
OR
My freerange traditional pork (rare and traditional breeds of pigs)
Tweet me: @MattyCSharp
LinkedIn: Matthew Sharp
Select this reward if you just want to donate to the project without receiving a reward.
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Bi-annual updates on 'whats happening down on the farm' including pictures, words and videos.
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Estimated delivery: 1 July 2016
"Adopt a calf". I will keep you updated every two months on the development of one of my calves which will be named BY YOU. Regular pictures and updates will be emailed or posted. You will have the chance to meet the livestock at a mutually convenient time too.
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Estimated delivery: 1 July 2016
ONLY for UK residents: I will give a SELECTION BOX of my meat to you which will come via post refrigerated. Lamb or pork or mixed.
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Estimated delivery: 1 May 2016