Outside Totnes at Harberton, Dave and Helen Camp leave the spring barley stubble standing through winter - for the Cirl Buntings. They have farmed Daynes Farm organically since 2001. The herd is South Devon suckler cows; the main sheep flock of 340 is mostly Mules, with a smaller flock of Dartmoor Whitefaces alongside; then 40 Boer goats and a more recent line of Tamworths and Tamworth-Berkshire crosses that work the soil over before the next rotation goes in. The animals are fed only what is grown on the holding: fodder beet, spring barley, grass. Sounds simple, in truth this means a lot of work. Cirl Buntings are small farmland buntings, relatives of the yellowhammer, that almost vanished from Britain in the 1980s; today they cling on, mostly across South Devon, on land farmed in exactly this way. The Camps' Countryside Stewardship work goes further: restored hedgerows, nectar strips for pollinators, and the leeks, courgettes, kale and cabbages they grow for Riverford fold into the same rotation. The shop, butchery and café on site run Wednesday to Sunday. The meat behind the counter is theirs. The shelves around it carry Sharpham Cheese, How Now Dairy, Luscombe Drinks, South Devon Chilli Farm and Good Game. You eat your Sunday roast looking out over their fields, which is, I think, the point.

Social Media

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/daynesfarm_ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/daynesfarm

Can people visit or buy direct?

Yes, there is a farm shop, butchery and café on site at Harberton. Opening hours (please also double check the latest times on their website before you go): Wednesday to Friday 9am–5pm Saturday 10am–5pm Sunday 10am–4pm. Closed Monday and Tuesday. No booking required.

Website

https://daynesfarm.com

Address Summary

Harberton, Totnes, Devon