On Saturday 6th April, residents of Camphill Milton Keynes visited Watergate Farm in Bedfordshire.
Originally the farm was predominantly grass with only one field of arable and a dairy herd with a flock of sheep grazing the grass. The dairy cows were sold in the 1940s and were replaced by beef cattle. During the war years with the demand for more grain to feed the population, grassland was ploughed up to grow wheat.
Turkeys have been reared on the farm since the very early days. Originally, just a few would have been kept, but of late Watergate Farm has developed a reputation such that it now produces several thousand that are eagerly sought after for Christmas. Over the years many changes have taken place and Watergate Farm hope's it has stuck to many of the ‘basics’; the field sizes have hardly changed in the intervening years, a genuine regard for livestock and wildlife on the farm but above all a love of farming and the countryside. Watergate Farm takes great pride in the fact that it remains very much a traditional family farm. Many of the traditions started in 1924 remain at the core of what the farm practices now. Watergate Farm has been farmed by four generations of the Hunt family since 1924.
Originally the farm was predominantly grass with only one field of arable and a dairy herd with a flock of sheep grazing the grass. The dairy cows were sold in the 1940s and were replaced by beef cattle. During the war years with the demand for more grain to feed the population, grassland was ploughed up to grow wheat.
Turkeys have been reared on the farm since the very early days. Originally, just a few would have been kept, but of late Watergate Farm has developed a reputation such that it now produces several thousand that are eagerly sought after for Christmas. Over the years many changes have taken place and Watergate Farm hope's it has stuck to many of the ‘basics’; the field sizes have hardly changed in the intervening years, a genuine regard for livestock and wildlife on the farm but above all a love of farming and the countryside. Watergate Farm takes great pride in the fact that it remains very much a traditional family farm. Many of the traditions started in 1924 remain at the core of what the farm practices now. Watergate Farm has been farmed by four generations of the Hunt family since 1924.
Alex Fox
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