17/08/2026
We were pleased to welcome the Minister for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, Andrew Muir MLA out to the farm on Saturday to see what we are doing and hear about some of the challenges we face.
Most of what you will see on our socials is about our agro-tourism enterprise but we are a working farm first and foremost. We are, however, a small farm and like most small farms we are faced with the challenge of how to top up our income. For most that’s off-farm, right now we have chosen to stay on the farm, diversify, innovate and try to find a niche or two that will sustain us – no small challenge with three young kids.
One of those niche’s is our flax crop. Did you know that to be recognized as the famous Irish Linen brand, the material only has to be woven here, not grown. There is a growing movement of amazing people trying to re-establish the local grown linen industry and we are proud to be a small part of that. I could go on but I would deprive you of the opportunity to see and hear about the crop in person this week: https://www.tickettailor.com/events/wl/2342382
Or if you are interested in getting even more involved than that, head to the Flax Meitheal this weekend and meet all those amazing people in person: https://fibreshedireland.ie/the-flax-meitheal-harvest-celebration-2026/
Rare breed Jacob sheep is our other main farm enterprise. In the UK’s unique tiered sheep system, Jacob is a hill breed, prized for its breeding traits of hardiness and good mothering. Consequently, it is a very lean sheep, unlike the lowland tiered breeds which fatten well to meet the conventional commercial requirements.
Here’s a little lamb nugget for you - two of the biggest influences on the flavour of meat are what the animal was fed on and the fat content when it is cooked.
So how do you meet the conventional commercial requirements? Start with a breed that carries a lot of fat, feed the lambs concentrated meal to fatten them to 22kg half weight and get them to market before everyone else to get the best price. The end result is “I'm not really a big fan of lamb” from most who try it. And here’s the kicker, a large proportion of that concentrated meal is soya imported from South America among other places; the lamb fattened on it largely gets exported across Europe and the more palatable lamb you will find in the supermarket is grass fed lamb imported from New Zealand! Thankfully not all sheep farmers are ‘conventional’, unfortunately most don't have a choice.
Heritage Farming = Low food miles! Our Jacob lamb is lean, very little fat when cooking and it is raised at a natural pace on pasture and wildflower meadows all in North Antrim. Our end result is “I’m not usually a big fan of lamb but that is really nice!” and we were very pleased the Minister left similarly impressed!
I also made sure to emphasize to him that sheep can sustainably graze wild, forested and hill ground inaccessible to cattle as part of a regenerative grazing system, they don’t need housed over the winter so don’t produce slurry, they can be a very desirable meat raised entirely on what our land can provide, they are easier penned than cattle 😉 and have another amazing local fabric - wool as a by-product! (And yes our Jacob wool is available as spun natural and dyed yarn from our spinning partner Lorna Shannon Weaving )
I am very fortunate to be part of a network of young(ish) small farmers trying to not just survive but thrive and the only way to do that is by trying something different from the conventional. For me I see two main challenges – the time, expertise and financial wiggle room to try something new, to step away from the routine for a few hours a week, to set aside a field or two, to make capital investment – that is the support I know that we need from the department. The second challenge is changing consumer trends, and that is the support we all need from you - demand local, I assure you, you are closer than you think to a farm shop, veg box scheme and milk vending machine!
Any small farmers still reading this after the first paragraph – get to Fields Good regenerative agriculture festival on the 5th September in Glenarm - and not just to hear me on the Old Skills, New Value panel! https://fieldsgood.co.uk/
