FOREST HALL FARM

FOREST HALL FARM PARTNERSHIP

THE FARM

ENVIRONMENTAL FEATURES

VISITORS

FOREST HALL FARM, paired with Gaythorne Hall Farm is managed by Stephen Lord, along with two full-time and one part-time member of staff.

Forest Hall Farm is one of the few suppliers of organic pure-bred Swaledale lambs in the UK. Forest Hall Farm is one of three organic farms in Cumbria which sells pure swaledales.

BUY SWALEDALE LAMBS

Are you interested in buying organic pure-bred Swaledales lambs?
Find out more here

HISTORY

At the time of the dissolution of the monasteries (1538) Forest Hall was purchased by Alan Bellingham of Levens Hall, along with Gaythorne Hall, near Orton.

SIZE OF THE FARM

The Farm is 1200 ha (just under 5000 acres).

Also see: Gaythorne Hall map

TERRAIN

Fully enclosed Organic Hill Livestock Rearing Farm.
Rises to 660 metres above sea level.
150 acres are mown for silage/hay at Forest Hall and Borrowdale Head.
Average annual rainfall is 2250mm (90 inches a year).

LIVESTOCK & NUMBERS

Total: 2000 ewes
• 1000 Swaledale ewes bred pure to Swaledale rams
• 800 Swaledale ewes put to the Blue Faced Leicester ram for
mule lamb production
• 100 Cheviot crosses put to the Charollais ram for prime lamb
production.
• 100 Swaledale ewes put to the Cheviot ram for Cheviot cross
replacements.

Lambs are sold for breeding, store lambs, or for slaughter as lightweight lamb.

50 suckler cows; Limousin or Belgian Blue crosses put back to the Limousin bull. Calves are born in May/June and sold the following February to April as strong stores. A small herd of pedigree Galloways (6 heifers and a bull) has been purchased in 2007.
Find out about our cattle for sale.

GRAZING & CONSERVATION

The farm is in the ESA scheme and has completed five years of payment under the Organic Farming Scheme. The ESA scheme will last until the year 2011 and will, hopefully, be succeeded by the Entry and Higher Entry Level Scheme.

Traditional grazing system using inbye and fell plus meadows for conservation. Some meadows are traditional hay meadows (no fertilizer). English Nature uses the farm for training purposes.