Ian & Teresa Laurie
Newburn Farm
Ian and Teresa Laurie moved to Newburn, near Kington in Herefordshire in 1986. The farm is mixed arable and beef sucklers, with a few Ryeland sheep belonging to their son William, they also have a daughter Anna.
The farm is 140 acres overlooking the market town of Knighton. Half of the acreage is permanent pasture and grazed only by the 20 cows and calves, Hereford and Belgian Blue cross cows put to a Limousine bull.
The whole farm is a rural idyll, yet very close to Kington's facilities.
There has been close involvement with habitat creation schemes from the outset. 10 acres of hardwoods have been planted and all hedgerows are under strict management prescriptions since 1992.
Newburn Farm, with Kington in background
All fields on the farm which are in arable rotation have 6 metre conservation headlands around them to further improve that natural habitat of the holding. The farm became fully organic on the 1st August 2001. "Organic farming has become a way of life for us", says Ian, "the whole fertility of the farm has benefited, and the diversity of flora and fauna has markedly increased".
