The Farm

The Farm
Our farm is set in a beautiful area of pasture, orchards, and woodlands in North-East Hampshire.

Our home is Hares Farm, with grazing stretching between Hook, Andwell, Odiham & Old Basing. Read on to learn more about the farm operations and our principles for running it.
Our dream Farm
Our farm is set in a beautiful area of pasture, orchards, and woodlands in North-East Hampshire. Several months into our new adventure, and at the height of covid, we suddenly found ourselves having to find new land. Although it didn’t feel like it at the time, it turned out to be a blessing.

We found our new home at Priory Farm, with grazing stretching between Hook & Old Basing. We arrived one cold day with a trailer full of pigs, ready to restart our farming journey.

Whilst the pigs settled into their new pasture, we set to work. We turned up wind, rain or shine with a flask of tea and some hand tools and built our dream farm every day.

Our new location gives our pigs a bit of everything; with orchards, woodland and pasture to enjoy, we can get to grips with regenerative livestock rotation. Our pigs are natural foragers and fantastic at clearing the ground; however, they need moving regularly. This is perfect for following the farms' crop rotation.

What is regenerative farming?
Regenerative farming is a conservation and rehabilitation approach to food and farming systems. Integrating pigs into the crop rotation is also an effective way of enhancing soil health, provided a careful approach to site selection as pigs can also be very destructive on the ground.

Pig poop is an excellent source of crop nutrition. It increases soil organic matter, earthworms and soil micro-organism numbers. It can reduce soil issues, including compaction, soil erosion and nitrogen leaching, which are all very positive and natural.

Careful site selection and manure management can ensure our free-range pig system brings the many benefits to arable soils, lasting up to three years after pigs have gone.

The extra space and variety of ground allows us to focus on our pig conservation programmes, with a new nursery set up where sows can enjoy free-range living; with more care and support from us when needed, we hope to underpin some of the struggling native breed bloodlines.
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Regeneration is really important to us, not only for the environment, but we need to replenish the ground to ensure a healthy crop to feed our pigs! So the more we put back into the ground, the better for the pigs and us.

What goes around comes around!

The pigs not only follow the crop rotation on the farm. But also consume the crop grown on the very land they clear!

We use a home-grown barley, wheat & micronised pea mix. The barley is grown on the headlands during the spring/summer, and once harvested, we mill it into our pig feed. We use the grain to make feed and use the stalk to make straw bedding.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is the farm?

We rotate the land in which the pigs graze regularly. We farm on land between Hook & Old Basing. Pigs can be quite destructive on the land, and we do not overgraze any one site.

How often do you move the pigs?

We follow the crop rotation on the farm! Pigs have many benefits to arable farming. Therefore, we move the pigs onto the fields planted for crops after harvest and move onto grass pasture for summer/spring whilst the crop grows.

What do your pigs eat?

Our pigs have a rich diet of home-grown barley, wheat and micronised peas which we mill on the farm. On top of this, our pigs are free-range and are free to forage the ground. British Saddlebacks are great foragers and require the additional food source and benefit from the enrichment.

Are your pigs’ free-range?

Yes, we wouldn’t have it any other way. Our pigs are totally outdoor reared & bred and free to roam the land.

Can we visit the farm?

We are a working farm, so generally we’re not open to the public. However, please get in touch with us as we love sharing what we do where we can!

Do you have open days?

We’re hoping to offer some open days in Summer 2022, so keep an eye out on our social posts for more.

Do you have a farm shop?

Sadly we don’t operate a farm shop, but we are regularly at local markets and have an online shop with free local delivery.

Do you use antibiotics on your farm?

We do not believe in the regular use of antibiotics on our farm; it’s not natural. However, there are some cases where medical attention is/will be required.

Are you inspected by local environmental health?

Yes, many of our activities are regulated and monitored by environmental health, and we’re pleased to share that we have been awarded 5/5 stars from Hart Council.