Exeter Sheep Farmer Welcomes New Visitors

Aishe Barton Farm, located near Silverton in the ExeValley has won awards for its outstanding natural beauty. It is one of LEAF’s demonstration farms and welcomes visitors who want see how farmers can work in harmony with nature to protect the countryside and its wildlife whilst producing food.

The farm has just welcomed new visitors - six pedigree self-shearing sheep, all the way from New Zealand and has just purchased a 40 acre river meadow to produce hay.

The ‘dorper’ breed are six of only twenty five in the UK and have straight dog-like hair which falls out. Farmer, Andrew Baker, will be breeding Billy and his five females as part of a new enterprise for the farm. Andrew believes that they are a lot more economically viable than other breeds, where the cost of shearing can outstrip the cost the farmer is paid for the wool.

Having witnessed othermeadows being destroyed, he vowed to regenerate his own and used it for growing hay.

Former building surveyor, Andrew Baker, had always dreamed of becoming a farmer. growing up in Upexe, he was surrounded by some of Devon’s most scenic countryside but never thought he’d come to manage his own patch of land. His dream came true 10 years ago, when he purchased some land in the ExeValley and started farming. Aishe Barton Farm is 120m above sea level and offers some of the best views over all over Devon, overlooking the Sidmouth gap and DartmoorNational Parkcan be seen in the distance.Andrew is passionate about caring for the land he owns (now spanning 577 acres) and has made it his mission to look after the land and the nature it supports.

He first learnt about LEAF, when he heard founder, Caroline Drummond, speak at a conference. LEAF (Linking Environment And Farming) is a national charity that helps farmers produce good quality food with care for the environment, whilst working with their local community. LEAF encouragesfarmers to combine the best of modern technology with the best traditional practices, for the benefit of the environment and the food produced.

Since adopting the LEAF scheme, Andrew has:

  • Renovated older woodlands across three different areas on the farm by re-establishing coppicing and replanting the woodlands with native trees to help increase the variety and bio diversity of the habitats they provide for wildlife.
  • Allowed some thinned and fallen trees to be stacked up as a place for wildlife to hibernate.
  • Some arable fields that have been difficult to manage were entered into the Farm Woodland Premium Scheme. After being part of the scheme for 10 years, have now become well established and are starting to link the more established woods together and give a corridor of cover to wildlife such as dormice and wild deer.
  • Restored and laid down 13,705 metres of hedgerows and under the Countryside Stewardship Scheme, plans to undertaken 9,885 metres of hedging work over the next 10 years.
  • New trees are starting to reach maturity now, after allowing seeds that have fallen from native trees to grow in the gaps.
  • Has excavated 1,500 square metres of existing ponds and plans to restore more than 1,000 metres of ponds to increase the insect and bird population. Visitors can find frogs, toads, newts and dragonflies.
  • Has harvested ‘grey water’ – rain that falls off roof sheds by catching it into four 9,000 litre tanks.

The farm is also a LEAF demonstration farm and welcomes pre-arranged visits by interested groups who can see at first-hand how the farm works in harmony with nature to produce good food with environmental care.

Aishe Barton Farm will be joining hundreds of other farms around the country to open its doors to the public on Open Farm Sunday on 1 June 2008.

Aishe Barton, Old Butterleigh Road, Silverton, Exeter , Devon, EX5 4HF

Tel: Andrew Baker 07770 820911 Fax: 01392 861322

-Ends-

For further information and images, or to arrange an interview or visit to the farm contact:

Naomi Barry

Open Farm Sunday Press Office

T: 01189 475956

E:

Editors’ notes

Aishe Barton FarmHistory:

-1998 - joined the Countryside Stewardship Scheme

-2001 - joined LEAF in 2001

-2003 - became Devon’s First LEAF Demonstration farm

-2003 – runner up in Devon Bronze Otter Award

-2004 – Won Britian’s Most Beautiful Farm Award

-2006 – accepted into Entry Level Scheme

  • Open Farm Sunday is organised by LEAF (Linking Environment And Farming). LEAF is a national charity that helps farmers produce good, quality food with care for the environment, whilst working with their local community
  • An increasing number of farmers are signing up to the LEAF scheme which integrates modern farming know-how with conservation
  • Food carrying the LEAF marque logo indicates that it has been grown by farmers who are committed to looking after the countryside and the environment
  • Open Farm Sunday ( on 1st June provides a great opportunity for the public to get a behind-the-scenes look at life on a farm and the nature it sustains
  • The Event is organised by LEAF and hundreds of farmers are taking part by inviting the public to visit their farm where there will be nature trails, talks, tastings and demonstrations
  • Visitors will be able to learn how farmers are encouraging natural plant species to thrive alongside crops and can get a close up look at farm animals and wildlife
  • Open Farm Sunday principle sponsors include: Countryside Council for Wales, CLAAS, DEFRA, Farmers Weekly, Frontier Agriculture Ltd, HGCA, LEAF Marque, McDondald's, Natural England, National Farmers Union, National Grid, Produce World, RSPB, Scottish Natural Heritage and Waitrose