Our Farmers

farmers
JOANNE HALL, INGLEWOOD EDGE FARM

We have been up in the hills on the 906-acre grassland farm at Inglewood Edge since 1947, based between Penrith and Wigton the stunning landscape rises in places to 1000 feet above sea level. The farm’s green fields have proven to be great for the selection of livestock we have onsite including sheep, dairy cattle and of course the beautiful Wagyu – although we are phasing out some of these as we are keen to take on more and more Wagyu!

Currently we have around 320 Wagyu’s on the farm and they are a fantastic breed to work with; they are very calm, easy to handle and easy to manage. Wagyu cows suit our farming systems because of how flexible the breed can be, if the weather is wet the Wagyu can come earlier in the season, which suits them just fine. They are hardy to the weather and will do just as well in the heat as well as throughout the cold winters. Their lighter footing, in comparison to other breeds, means that we don’t have issues with ground poaching in the fields, which is another plus to us!

The beauty of the Warrendale Wagyu scheme is that we know what we will get for the cattle beforehand, providing that they put on the expected weights. The scheme in my eyes is very fair to each part of the process chain from farm to fork.

farmers
Andrew Ward, Littleton Farm

Littleton Farm is based in the beautiful South West Scotland, around 17 miles from Dumfries. We are one of Warrendale’s founder production farms and have been working in partnership with them from the very beginning!

Here at Littleton, we have a large dairy herd on the farm, producing on average 1000 Wagyu calves a year for Warrendale’s supply chain. Our Wagyu calves leave the farm at around 17 days old, once they have become established good health and stability. We have calf collections every 10 days where they are taken onto a local calf rearer, it’s great because we know exactly which farm each batch moves onto.

For us, using Wagyu genetics on our Holsteins has its benefits as we are able to produce small Wagyu calves which allows for easy calving, and therefore results in ease of management when handling. It also means we are able to get the cows back into milk production quicker due to less stress on their bodies.

We enjoy working alongside Warrendale as it offers a guaranteed price for our calves, as well as providing a good calf collection service where we know the animals are in safe hands.

farmers
Leighton Family, Cloverley Hall Farm

We are David, Lyndsey and James Leighton, and we are the growers of Wagyu cattle. Based on our farm in Whitchruch, Shropshire, we operate a rotational grazing system, taking in weanlings from the rearer and growing the Wagyu’s until they reach the age of 21 months, where they then move onto a local finisher.

The lush green pastures surrounding us have proven to be a cheap and renewable food source for the Wagyu’s when managed correctly. This in turn with the right health protocol produces healthy and happy Wagyu’s! The inquisitive nature of the Wagyu’s means they are easy to handle and are happy to follow you!

Warrendale is able to offer us security within the supply chain which is an essential for our business to operate. We also have a great relationship with the Warrendale team, which makes life so much easier!

farmers
Carly and Matthew, Four-O-Boot Farm

We both farm here at Four-O-Boot Farm in Carlisle! We rear calves for Warrendale up to 5-6 months of age, with the aim to continue developing our new purpose built calf shed so we can increase our rearing capacity. As well as rearing Wagyu calves, we also have around 320 lambing mules on the farm, which keeps us busy!

Some may of seen our branded Warrendale cattle trailer around Scotland and down into North Yorkshire! Once a week we do a calf collection from dairy farms around South West Scotland, on arrival we check the calves are fit for travelling and that each passport matches the animals we are transporting, from here we may take them onto a local rearer or further afield down to North Yorkshire.

We get on well with Warrendale as you know what you are paying for each calf and what you will get for them at the end of the day. We find the calves are good to rear, easy to handle and very enjoyable to have around. We also have a couple of full blood Wagyu bulls which are out on grass and great to see in the field.

farmers
Paula and Keith, IEC Beef

Myself and sister Paula finish Wagyu cattle for Warrendale on our farms, based in Market Drayton in the heart of Shropshire! The cattle arrive on our farm at around 20 months old from the grower and they stay here for up to 6 months. We are able to utilise our own feeds and work alongside Warrendale’s nutritionists, Lizz, who is able to take samples of what we grow on the farm and create a ration for us to feed our cattle. Having a nutritionist is very helpful, as Lizz is able to answer any questions we might have and allow us to get the best marble scores for our Wagyu Cattle.

farmers
Chris and Chris, Rowe Farm

We both work in partnership rearing 150 Wagyu calves (we call them Waglets!), here at Rowe Farm, in Shropshire. The calves usually spend the first 4 months of their life inside, after that they go onto a local Wagyu grower.

The calf rearing process is a very important part of the animals life, by setting the foundations of it’s future growth. In this time, we pay extreme attention to the amount of colostrum milk each calf receives, as well as the calf housing system and health management. Working with Warrendale has enabled us to utilities our sheds and fits in with our farming system that we have in place. Each calf has their own individual number which allows monitors how much colostrum they have had.

We really enjoy working with the Wagyu calves, they are very easy to manage and incredibly inquisitive! As you can see they love human interaction, which makes working with them very enjoyable!

 

farmers
GEORGE FABI, KIRKBARROW FARM

For the last 25 years I have farmed across the lush landscape of Kirkbarrow Farm, set in 420 acres of the Lake District National Park.

On farm, we currently have 320 dairy cows alongside the new additions of 100 Wagyu cows. The Wagyu cows are a joy to care for, they are very friendly, easy going and well natured breed that are happy in all weathers!

The Wagyu scheme is great for farmers and cattle alike, it is a fair scheme for all involved – we know what we will get paid and where the Wagyu onwards from our farm. We enjoy being part of a high welfare process whereby all those involved treat the cattle with the same respect and welfare considerations. It is great to be part of something bigger and to know that the cows have the best care and treatment from farm to fork.

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