MATSON GROUND

WINDERMERE

• THE FARM
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• ENVIRONMENTAL FEATURES
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• VISITORS

MATSON GROUND is an organic beef and sheep farm on the outskirts of Bowness near Lake Windermere.

Stephen Marsden, the farm manager, works full time on the farm helped by a full time worker, Tom Beaty. A part time casual worker is employed in the summer months when needed.

HISTORY

Matson Ground Farm is an amalgamation of five farms - Brantfell, Helm Farm, Low Cleabarrow, Low Lindeth and Brathay. It has been owned by the Scott Family since 1920 and was set up as a model dairy farm in 1930. From the 1940s to 1960s, the farm milked pedigree dairy shorthorns and ran a milk round in Windermere. The farm manager, Stephen Marsden came to Matson Ground as a shepherd in 1993 and became farm manager in 1998.  The farm started organic conversion in June 2000 and was awarded organic status in 2002.

TERRAIN

The farm is mainly severely disadvantaged, with some disadvantaged land at Brathay. The majority of the land is in-bye or rough grazing intakes.  There are rocky outcrops in many of the fields and some areas of wetland, two of which are designated as SSSIs.  There is no moorland or common land.

The farm has large areas of mostly deciduous woodland – over 150 ha in total.

LOCATION

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SIZE OF THE FARM

The farm is around 426 ha of severely disadvantaged land located at Windermere, Winster and at Brathay. 

LIVESTOCK & NUMBERS

The farm runs organic beef and sheep enterprises. There are 80 suckler cows and since organic conversion began in the year 2000, pedigree beef shorthorns have replaced the Limousin herd.

There are around 900 sheep of which 250 are purebred Swaledale ewes, 400 mules, 200 texel crosses, 40 Easycare sheep and 7 Herdwicks.

Each year, the farm sells 400 of its lambs and 30 beef shorthorn cattle as stores for an organic producer to finish.  The farm itself finishes 400 lambs and 15 cattle of which 100 lambs are sold to Booths supermarkets through Cumbria Organics.

BUY ORGANIC LAMB & BEEF

Organic beef and lamb is sold direct through a box scheme and for more details:
tel:015394 45756
email: info@matsongroundorganic.co.uk
website at: www.matsongroundorganic.co.uk

GRAZING & CONSERVATION

The farm has been in the Lake District ESA scheme and entered into a Higher Level Stewardship Agreement in August 2006. 

There are two areas of SSSI on the farm including Winster Wetlands and Robinson Allotment.  These are both wetland areas and Winster Wetland also has important stands of Juniper – one of only three native UK coniferous species.

Sheep and cattle are housed in winter to prevent poaching and cattle graze the intakes in summer.  This is an organic farm so only farm yard manure is spread on the holding plus some calcified seaweed.