farm

East Knitsley Grange Farm, is and has always been, a mixed farm with a strong emphasis on livestock production. Currently farmed by the sixth generation of the Jewson family, with the seventh generation learning the ropes of the diversified farm business.

 

The farm is approximately 200 acres made up of predominantly grassland.  The farm lies within the lowlands of North West Durham, with a soil type which is clay loam and generally heavy and difficult to work.  Our main enterprises are suckler cows with calves and we run an Aberdeen Angus stock bull to produce good carcase types for the shop.  Our breeding ewe flock is around 240 head and we lamb every April with an average of 2 lambs to every ewe.

The shop takes all the produce that the farm can provide, but over the 13 years we have been open we have now outgrown the farm in terms of demand so we now source like for like animals from a farm in Durham with whom we have a great relationship. We select the live cattle before taking them to the abattoir each week in a batch of 3 or 4 for welfare friendly transport.

We also grow a small amount of winter barley which is used purely for our livestock feed and the straw provides animal bedding through the winter.  Our small hen flock looked after by our youngest son, William, provides some fresh free range eggs for the shop, with the remainder of our free range eggs provided by Shirley from Hexham.

We are very committed to looking after our beautiful environment and for 15 years we have been active members of the Countryside Stewardship scheme, having carried out much tree planning, hedge planting and maintenance, and protection of ancient pasture, woodland and watercourses.

 

We are a very self-sufficient and sustainable unit which involves production, processing, catering and retailing, providing much employment for local people.