The animals
Home Farm's Cattle
The cattle are fed on forage grown on the Estate, typically a mix of clovers, oats whole crop and barley whole crop silages, as well as wheat, beans, vetches, oats and barley.
They are also able to graze the prime grassland around Home Farm, all of which helps the quality of the meat and the taste of the milk, butter and cheese.
DAIRY HERD
Our herd of 200 milking cows is predominantly Dairy Shorthorn, a breed which originated in the 16th Century as a result of crossing the best milking cow of the time.
The resulting deliciously rich, organic Goodwood milk and cream are processed at the farm and sold locally. The milk is non-homogenised and tastes just the way it used to.
Some of the milk is used to make a range of traditional hand-made cheeses, in Goodwood’s own Cheese Room, under the guidance of an expert artisan
cheese maker.
BEEF CATTLE
Beef production has seen a return to a breed that thrives on the chalk downland: the beautiful deep-red Sussex which has been farmed on these hills for centuries.
So now, the best of the Dairy Shorthorn heifers are being served in rotation by two Sussex bulls, and the female progeny subsequently cross-bred with the unrelated bull, giving animals with long straight backs and high quality cuts of meat. Home Farm’s wholesale department sells to local restaurants and provides Goodwood’s own hotel, restaurants and cafés with the farm’s home bred beef.
Sheep
The Southdown is a breed which has flourished on the Downs for hundreds of years helping to sustain the downland landscape. We use the stocky Southdown rams on our mule ewes to produce good quality lambs. The flock can increase to 3,500 once lambing gets under way in February and April.
Our pedigree Southdown sheep are successfully shown locally by our shepherd, Nick Page, which continues a tradition long held by the Dukes of Richmond, patrons of the Southdown Sheep Society over generations.
Pigs
Our pigs have served their turn at clearing the dense, heavy undergrowth in the woods and have now been moved to a radial arrnagement in the least productive grass fields.
Moving fields annually, they play thier part in improving the soil - their natural rootin habits rid the fields of weeds and their dung adds nutrients. The resulting enriched soil is then sown with cereals for two years, and afterwards the fields are put back to grass. The pork from our pigs is much sought after locally.
Traceability
All Goodwood livestock can be traced every step of the way from field to plate and is accountable to the Soil Association and Trading Standards as well as to its own exacting auditing standards. Goodwood's commitment to the care of its livestock and soils and provision of wholesome food for local people is paramount.
Home Farm Products|