From our East Devon farmland
Owned and operated by the same family for more than 150 years, the farming enterprise now known as Greendale Farming comprises 1,680 acres of land and several different revenue-producing departments, including a cattle herd. It’s this diversity that sets Greendale Farming apart from other agricultural businesses, allowing it to focus on multiple interconnected activities. For example, the ongoing success of Greendale’s Farm Shop and retail website is strongly supported by the sale of beef from the Greendale herd, as well as honey from the farm’s on-site hives, cider from its orchard and even pheasant from a commercial game shoot on Greendale land. In addition, Greendale Farming also produces its own independent electricity supply, via an anaerobic digester fuelled with a combination of manure from the cattle herd and arable grown specifically for the purpose; this electricity then powers Greendale Farm Shop (which also collects energy through on-site photovoltaic arrays) and Greendale Business Park.
Greendale Farming recognises the need to adopt as sustainable an approach to operations as possible. Regular investment in state-of-the-art technology supports the efficiency of day-to-day farming, which in turn provides a strong foundation on which to build a new, sustainability-led plan for each department. Greendale’s Farm Manager and his team are currently involved with a campaign to reduce the carbon footprint for beef production to net-zero by 2027, including trialling cattle feed made with by-products from the brewing and baking industries, recording individual animal growth and harnessing lifetime data to optimise productivity. Greendale Farming is also participating in an environmental land-management trial with Clinton Devon Estates, and – under the government’s Countryside Stewardship Scheme – is committed to conserving natural farmland habitats for birds and insects, including protecting flower-rich field margins and promoting low fertiliser-use zones.
Animal welfare remains a top priority for Greendale Farming. Working to the Red Tractor Assurance for Farms scheme, Greendale staff strive at all times to treat animals with dignity and respect, following strict checks on all aspects of the animals’ lives. The humane treatment of animals is an indication of the high standards maintained across each of the farm’s different departments. Skilled farm management and rigorous attention to detail help to ensure high-quality produce, so customers at Greendale’s farm shop, café/restaurant and at the Kings Arms Pub in Otterton can buy in confidence.
