About Us

Return to the land

Horwood Farm in Wickwar, South Gloucestershire is an agricultural enterprise that has protecting and enhancing biodiversity at the very centre of its aims and management. The farm boasts some of the best examples of ancient species-rich meadows and ancient woodlands in the west country, all grazed by a beef herd with a growing number of rare breed – British Whites. We do not use any chemical pesticides or fertilisers on the land.

Firewood and milled timber already contribute to the economy of the farm. However, we are starting to develop an exciting host of self-sufficient enterprises that work with the opportunities that the diverse landscape of the farm has to offer. These linked businesses range from outdoor raised pigs linked with Zerodig horticulture, becoming a training base for horse logging, restoration of woodland coppices, biochar production and agroforestry.

The farms new agri-conservation centre is also in construction, which will provide a central hub for this network of linked enterprises on the farm. The building will also be a facility for providing an extensive range of rural skills courses as well as a sanctuary for supporting mental health programmes as well as educational access.

Advances in technology have resulted in fewer and fewer people working farmland; but the mission at Horwood Farm is to buck the trend and bring in more activity and people, engaging new entrants in managing their own on-farm business. The sum of which will contribute to soil restoration, enhancing habitats for wildlife and producing fantastic food and a range of other products from the land.

On the Farm

Life at Horwood Farm

Meadows

We take enormous pride in our natural wildflower meadows. In summer they burst into multi-colour from vast array of flowers and grasses; - purples of the Marsh Orchids and Devil's-Bit Scabious, yellows of Dyer's Greenwood and Lady's Bedstraw amongst carpets of Oxeye Daisies just to name a few.

The thing that always surprises us is how loud these meadows are as they team with life from grasshoppers, butterflies and bees. Our meadows are like nowhere else we've seen.

Cattle

Meet Percy and his girls Bella, Betsy, Bonnie and Beryl, who are due to provide our first Horwood Farm British White calves this spring! They are the beginning of our transition to supporting a rare breed at risk. The rest of our herd are Herefords.

The cattle are so lucky to be here and especially seem to love the silvopasture where the fields merge with the woods. We ensure the highest welfare standards for our animals. Everything they eat is fodder from the farm.

Woods

About a quarter of the farm is woodland including the stunning SSSI ancient woodlands of Bishop's Hill wood and Bedford's Wood. One of the best features of the woods are the many Wild Service trees, which are now rare in the UK.

We manage the woods for the benefit of biodiversity. The mind and soul instantly lifts spending time amongst these wonderful trees.

Bees

The rich flora on the farm provides an abundance of food for our Bees, which are owned and managed by Cotswold Edge Bees.

Guinea Fowl

They may not win any beauty contests, but it's their quirky personalities that makes them such a joy to have around.

Guinea fowl also provide a valuable benefit through their symbiotic relationship with the cattle, helping to control mites and flies, while also eating ticks!

Flora - Grass, flowers and fungi

Walk two paces in one of the meadows and its possible to identify 15 species of grass!

Lily of the Valley is amongst some of the rare plants on the farm, which blankets the woodland floor in places.

We've also found Silky Rosegills, a rare edible mushroom.

Hay Making

The summer revolves around making hay, which we use as winter feed for the cattle and also sell to customers. This practice is so important for maintaining the meadows, as taking the crop keeps the fertility of the soil relatively low, which is favoured by the ancient meadow grasses and flowers. Highly fertilised soil can allow modern grasses and certain weeds to out compete the traditional species.

Meat Boxes

Last year we sold our first beef boxes from one of our Hereford Steers and we have been blown away with the feedback. We'll put the word out when we have more available.

We're just about to get some pigs, so we'll also be offering pork in winter 2025/26.

The Little Avon River

Every month we monitor the condition of the the Little Avon river, which runs through the middle of the farm. This information is fed to the Bristol Avon Rivers Trust for their river detectives programme. More in-depth regular 'Riverfly' monitoring is going to be taking place soon.

We've found some fascinating critters under the water!