Somerset Flying Flock Reaps Benefit of Proactive Vet Input for Lameness
Proactive veterinary input and sound health planning are helping the Mouland family overcome the inherent disease management challenges associated with running a large flying flock on 1,800 acres of parcelled land in Somerset.
M & J Mouland & Sons – based at Horn Farm, Forton near Chard – run 2,300 April lambing North Country Mule ewes and a herd of 225 suckler cows on four different tenanted holdings. All their lambs and cattle are finished on the farms. They also buy in 150 calves to rear each year from local dairy farms.
“In addition to the sheep enterprise, we probably have about 800 head of cattle at grass across the various holdings at the moment. We also grow 380 acres of wheat, barley, beans and maize – most of which is harvested and fed back to the stock to try and minimise the amount of feed we have to buy in,” says Richard Mouland, who oversees the sheep and suckler herd and is one of four sons, three of whom work on the farm.
Richard’s father Michael is a first-generation farmer, who has built the farm up scratch. “With all Dad’s valuable experience he’s forthright with his views on how we should be doing things but is equally receptive to new ideas. And once he sees something working, he’s the first to throw his full weight behind it,” Richard says.
- 15th July 2021
