Organic Centre Wales recently held the first open day at a new demonstration farm which it manages as part of the Farming Connect Organic Development Programme. Peter Bottoms bought the 250 ha Esgair Forest near Machynlleth in 2007 and entered it into organic conversion in 2008.
It is managed for an annual timber crop of over 1500 tonnes and is the first organic forest in the UK. The timber is processed in the new sawmill, only very recently finished, for sale into the local construction and timber framing market.
While it is first and foremost a forestry business, Peter’s unique approach means that he sees more than wood and trees. He is particularly interested in different ways in which the forest can used to generate an income while trees mature. He is considering woodland pigs and forest gardening, but his initial focus is on table birds.
As descendents of jungle fowl, poultry are right at home in the forest, and range widely among the trees. A small flock of 20 Sasso birds has been established. They arrived on 7 October at the age of 4 weeks, and will be reared for a further 8 weeks or so, housed in an arc built on site from waste timber.
The birds are fed predominantly on purchased pellets, but a key aim of this system is to maximise the amount of feed the birds pick up from the range. To this end Peter has sown strips of a cover crop containing a mixture of seed bearing plants (quinoa, chicory, kale and millet) and insect attracting plants (birdsfoot trefoil, borage, phacelia and red clover). Similar crops have been established at the Welsh Poultry Centre.
Tony Little, who helps to manage the demonstration farm network for Organic Centre Wales, said: “Between the two sites, we hope to demonstrate the significant contribution these crops and the range more generally can make to the bird’s diet, thus reducing reliance on bought in feed.”
Once the birds have been killed and processed, Organic Centre Wales will organise a second open day in early January to look at how the new enterprise performed, and of course, a taste test!
Tony added: “Peter’s inclusion in the network marks a new direction for OCW in that it is the first time we have worked with a forestry business. I am really pleased to be working with him and Esgair Forest will give us plenty to think about and inspire us.”
