Limden Brook
About Limden Brook
Our farm is at the core of the High weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) in East Sussex, between the Limden and Rother Rivers. It is mostly permanent grazing pasture including some flood plains. All of the land we use for grazing is under Organic certification and we have been Pasture for Life members since 2018 and certified with them since 2022. The parcels of land we farm all join each other neatly at least via woodland or by crossing small roads. The rivers are mostly bordered with trees or scrub allowing wildlife corridors to exist. We neighbour another Organic farm with similar practices to ourselves and this is in turn part of a wider organic network.
Over the past few years we have become more interested in how our farming practices impact the future of the farm as well as the wider community. As time has gone on, it has become increasingly obvious that agricultural practices could play a huge role in benefitting the sustainability of the planet. After spending time in New Zealand and Australia we had seen the efficiencies bought about by rotational grazing systems and on returning to the farm had been keen to find ways to put some of these ideas into practice. We were lucky enough to stumble across James Daniel of Precision Grazing who helped us plan and put in our first grazing system and who has been pivotal in guiding our grazing strategies since then. At roughly the same time we began discussions with the High Weald team about regenerative grazing and came across a small group of likeminded farmers to share thoughts and ideas with
What are the benefits of rotational grazing?
Rotational grazing works on the basic principle of ‘graze and rest’, so once a paddock is grazed, it is allowed to undergo a rest period to rejuvenate the grass and herb leaves for the next grazing. Rotational grazing has been the key to biodiversity for us. The ability to leave longer rest periods between grazing, therefore allowing time for plants and grasses to flower allows wildlife to make use of the different paddocks at different stages of recovery to meet their needs.
Being able to control the areas the cows graze allows them to be used as management tools within a much more flexible and adaptive system. By increasing the stocking density when needed they can help to control weeds or when the ground is wet paddock sizes can be increased to stop poaching. Out in the fields, life is everywhere and the cows look well and content.
What does the future look like at Limden Brook?
We would love to trial using cattle as a management tool within the woodland and to use the woods as shelter or a living barn for livestock, particularly over winter. We have some amazing bird life on our borders that are probably dwindling in numbers and we hope we could improve their circumstances with changes to our land management. We believe that the grazing we do can make a hugely positive impact on the climate and biodiversity crises and we hope to be able to increasingly demonstrate this as our knowledge develops.
Advice for other farmers from Sam and Becky
- Get out there and look at what you’re doing! The best things we’ve learnt are when we spend time with our cows, watching their behaviour and how they are impacting the land. We find leaving the vehicles at home when possible really helps with this and allows you to really see what’s happening and changing.
- Don’t be afraid to experiment and trial new things, especially the slightly crazy ideas or the ones that don’t follow the accepted narrative. Sometimes ideas won’t work, don’t be disheartened. Keep adapting and learning from having a go, especially if you believe the concept or reasons for what you’re trying out are right.
- Find like-minded people and create a strong network of ideas, sharing and support. This for us has been invaluable.
- We also found that having a child helped us question what we were doing, mainly because he constantly questioned us! Irritating as it often is – sometimes the obvious and simple questions and suggestions are a key to opening up new ideas!
Find out more at https://www.limdenbrook.farm/