About Lower Thrift Farm
Lower Thrift Farm is situated approximately mid-way between the villages of Clifton upon Teme and Whitbourne. The business is farmed by Harvey Richards as a sole trader. The rich, loam soil is well suited to the current cropping regime of combinable crops, good grazing and fodder production. The grazing includes some 10 acres with access to the River Teme at Whitbourne, which is a Site of Specific Scientific Interest (SSSI). In 2001 the holding was accepted into the Countryside Stewardship Scheme. The farm lies in four blocks, each of which lies against a Special Wildlife Site (SWS).
The principal livestock enterprise on the farm is a 350 head breeding ewe flock of North Country Mules, which are crossed with Suffolk tups (rams) to produce prize winning ewe lambs for breeding and fat lambs for meat. The ewes are split into two lambing flocks; the first flock lambs in January and the second in March.
In addition to the commercial sheep the farm runs a small pedigree flock of Ryeland sheep, native to Herefordshire since the 1600's and recognised for their fine wool and meat. A nucleus suckler herd of pedigree Traditional Hereford cattle has recently been introduced to Lower Thrift. These are cattle, which have pure British bloodlines dating back to stock raised in the vicinity over two hundred years ago.
Lower Thrift is also home to a small herd of Tamworth breeding sows. The Tamworth pig originated in the Midlands in and around the town that shares its name. The Tamworth is also recognised as a rare breed and, in the mid 1990?s the Tamworth came top in a taste test carried out by Bristol University using both commercial and rare breed pigs in a scientifically controlled experiment. Born outdoors, stock is maintained in high welfare, non-intensive systems. Fed on locally produced grain diet with no artificial additives or antibiotics.
Tamworth pigs, Ryeland sheep and Traditional Hereford cattle are all recognised as rare breeds by the Rare Breeds Survival Trust (RBST) and currently, lambs, pigs and steers are taken through to finished weight for direct meat sales. Rare breed meat has become established as the highest eating quality available. It is derived from slower maturing, grass fed animals, which have total traceability with unique certification for every animal.
The primary objective of the direct meat sales business is to sustainably rear quality, finished cattle, pigs and sheep to high welfare standards with complete traceability and secure added value by processing using traditional butchery methods in order to improve and maintain a profitable farming business and net worth.
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