Our first year on the land
A year of learning, growing and laying foundations
Our first year at Strete Farm has been one of listening. Listening to the land and the life it holds, listening to the people of Strete and the surrounding area, and listening to experts who are helping us transform a patchwork of knowledge into a vibrant, productive ecosystem.
It has also been a year of learning, as we begin the long work of regeneration: building resilience, nurturing biodiversity, and forming the relationships that will carry this farm into the future.
We hope you’ll enjoy this Year in Review, and look out for our new seasonal newsletter, Four Quarters, in the spring. We’d love to hear your thoughts and ideas — whether about produce, practice or events — and what you’d like to see from Strete Farm.
Winter 2024 -2025
Fireside Feast
Our first event brought the community together on Bonfire Night, where we shared our first lamb and celebrated with the village, opening a conversation about what we’ve been working on at Strete Farm.
A secure water supply
In November 2024, we drilled a new borehole to secure a long-term, sustainable water supply for our livestock, helping us care for the animals responsibly and strengthen the farm’s resilience for the years ahead.
First lambs to market
In November 2024, we also sold our first fat lambs, both directly and through the local market: an important moment in sharing what we produce and beginning trusted relationships with customers.
Spring 2025
Starting with the soil
Working with Plymouth University, we carried out extensive baseline soil sampling to understand our starting conditions and guide future soil health improvements.
Lambing season
This season, 500 ewes successfully lambed, a heartening sign of a growing and healthy flock. We also began tracking how our ewes are doing and choosing the best animals to breed from, helping us raise a stronger, more resilient flock over time.
Summer 2025
Growing our herd
We welcomed 44 pedigree South Devon cows and heifers from Malcolm Broome as he retired his much-loved herd, giving us a strong start as we begin raising our own pasture-grazed cattle.
With guidance from Precision Grazing, we started shaping a thoughtful winter grazing plan, helping us look after our soils, our grass and our livestock together.
With new fencing in place, our goal is to rotationally graze all livestock and use electric fencing to support effective mob grazing. This will help improve pasture health and grass utilisation.
Haymaking
We cut and made hay for the winter months, helping us stay more self-sufficient and less reliant on bought-in feed.
Beef to table
We sold our first beef directly to customers, strengthening relationships and gaining valuable feedback.
Improving our infrastructure
This year we applied for support to plant new hedges, install 28 km of sheep netting and upgrade our livestock troughs and pipework. These improvements will help us care for our animals more easily and look after the land for the long term.
Autumn 2025
Celebration BBQ
We hosted a summer BBQ in Strete to mark our first beef ready for sale and to bring neighbours together in support of locally raised produce.
Caring for our land
We began our Mid Tier Countryside Stewardship work, managing hedgerows, practising lenient grazing to maintain low-input grassland, and planting legume- and herb-rich swards to support biodiversity and build healthier soils. We also planted new hedges to improve wildlife corridors, shelter and the overall landscape.
Our first Dexter calves
Our Dexter herd successfully calved this autumn, marking a lovely milestone in our long-term breeding and growth plans for the farm.
Winter 2025
Free-range turkeys
Finally, encouraged by strong local interest in seasonal produce, we raised a small flock of turkeys for Christmas - a venture that brought greater diversity and plenty of character to our budding farm.
Thank you for being part of our first year at Strete Farm.
Four Quarters is our new seasonal newsletter, created to share the journey of stewarding this land and producing food with care, transparency and joy.
Look out for the first Spring Quarter in the new year, where we will share what is growing, what we are learning and where the land is leading us next.