About Us

Martin and I completed our purchase of Woodlands in November 2000.  This happened to coincide with 100 days of continuous rain in Devon, not a very good start.  We still had a house in Hampshire and continued to commute back and forth at weekends.

 

I was trying to decide when to move the Larry, my horse, from Hampshire to Devon and this decision was basically taken away from us as we were issued with a Form D notice in February 2001, due to Foot and Mouth restrictions.  This wasn't a problem for us as we didn't have any livestock but to avoid moving the virus around I couldn't take the risk of riding Larry around the district.  Eventually we were released from the restriction and in August we sold the house in Hampshire and moved Larry down with us.

 

I then contacted a local rescue society to find a companion for Larry and Tim arrived a couple of weeks later.  Larry and Tim are both retired racehorses and have become firm friends.  Tim does not get ridden as he has at some point compacted his withers due to an accident. He is 22 years young.  Larry is 21 years and is getting younger in mind every year.  He still thinks he is able to do all the things he used to do in his younger days.

 

With Martin still working in Farnborough and staying away during the week I was left to keep everything going at home and took on a part time position as an ICT Technician at the local college.  My background was in computing and programming and it was good to keep up with everything.  We decided that the 14 acres we had were too much for just two horses to eat and we would therefore need to find another way of keeping the grass cut. 

 

With some help from a local family who specialise in the local breed of cattle, Red Ruby Devon or North Devon we acquired our first three heifers. We joined the Devon Cattle Breeders Society and have since added to our small herd from the DCBS spring auction in 2004 where we acquired an in-calf 7 year old cow, a  2 year old heifer and a 6 month old calf.  During 2004 we also acquired, from a private sale, three 2 year old heifers.  In 2005 we had 10 heifers and cows in calf from which 9 calves were born alive.  A stock bull was purchased  leaving us in 2006 with 25 cattle in total.  We are gradually building the herd up and will be selling any surplus heifers for breeding stock and steers will be sold as boxed meat.

 

In 2004, we also bought a further 20 acres of adjoining land and so

will have more space to build up the herd. 

 

In 2005 we have added two poly-tunnels to increase the growing

space and offer seasonal salads and vegetables for sale.  We have also

Added a bull pen onto the barn to house our own bull.

 

Martin and Sandra Higgins 

 

 

 

Pedigree Ruby Red Devon Calves

WOODLANDS FARM