Hay

Our hay is produced from 15 acres of species-rich meadows. The grass and plant mix was carefully chosen to create diversity, resilience against difficult weather conditions (in both soil and sward) and a nutritious forage crop for livestock.

GRASSES

  • Red Fescue – one of the most important grasses for both meadow and pasture, being an excellent ‘bottom’ grass, drought-tolerant and quick to spread; produces a good aftermath.
  • Meadow Fescue – a very productive and nourishing meadow and pasture grass; has a large root system, so is resilient to drought, but can also tolerate wetter seasons.
  • Timothy – densely-tufted with a high tillering capacity; preserves its softness for a long time; highly palatable.
  • Smooth-stalked Meadow Grass – dubbed ‘the bread of grasses’ for its palatability, softness and nourishment; able to withstand extremes of weather very well.
  • Crested Dogstail – remains green in even the driest summers and throughout the winter; a good ‘bottom’ grass; a common component of many of the best natural sheep pastures.
  • Tall Fescue – produces a high ratio of leaf to stem; a high-yielding hay plant.
  • Cocksfoot – chosen specifically for its deep root system, making it drought tolerant and high in trace minerals; one of the heaviest-yielding grasses and one of the best for hay.

WILDFLOWERS

In addition to the grasses, the fields were over-sown with a mixture of wildflower seed, to create a dense herbal ley. We took great care to ensure the sustainability and palatability of the species chosen.

  • Bird’s Foot Trefoil Lotus corniculatus
  • Black Medick Medicago lupilina
  • White Campion Silene alba
  • Cowslip Primula veris
  • Goat’s-Beard Tragopogon pratensis
  • Common Knapweed Centaurea nigra
  • Greater Knapweed Centaurea scabiosa
  • Lady’s Bedstraw Galium vernum
  • Meadow Vetchling Lathyrus pratensis
  • Oxeye Daisy Leucanthemum vulgare
  • Pignut Conopodium majus
  • Plantain, Hoary Plantago media
  • Plantain, Ribwort Plantago lanceolata
  • Ragged Robin Lychnis floscuculi
  • Salad Burnet Sanguisorba minor
  • Selfheal Prunella vulgaris
  • Common Sorrel Rumex acetosa
  • Wild Carrot Daucus carota
  • Wild Clary Salvia verbenaca
  • Yarrow Achillea millefolium
  • Yellow Rattle Rhinanthus minor