- Farms Menu
- The Milk Pool
- Coombe Farm HQ & Hill Dairy
- Broadstone Farm
- East Lease Farm
- Higher Burrow Farm
- Marks Barn Farm
- Armswell Farm
- Blannicombe Farm
- Childhay Organic Dairy
- Court House Dairy
- Crackmoor Farm
- Cross Farm
- Fordscroft Farm
- Goathill Farm
- Higher Lillington Farm
- Highlands Dairy Farm
- Knott Oak Dairy
- Land Farm
- Manor Farm - Godmanstone
- Manor Farm - Hillfield
- Manor Farm Seavington
- Marshwood Farm
- Maundrils Farm
- North Wooton Farm
- Pipplepen
- Puxton Court Farm
- Sadborow Farm
- Springwood Farm
- Thong Dairy
Coombe Farms
Other Milk Pool Farms
23. Blannicombe Farm
2008 marks the 60th anniversary of the founding of the East Church herd of Ayrshire dairy cows of Blannicombe Farm, near Honiton, in Devon.
Now belonging to farmer Mark Evans, the herd was started by his father, John, in 1948. It moved to its current location, when Mark moved there in 1998. The decision to become organic was taken soon afterwards and Blannicombe became fully organic in 2001.
Set in a beautiful secluded location, as well as being organic, Blannicombe is farmed under the Countryside Stewardship Scheme. This means that the farm undertakes to operate in an environmentally beneficial way, to enhance the countryside and encourage wildlife. It is home to a variety of animals, ranging from wild deer to herons and barn owls.
Mark says that the Ayrshires, a hardy Scottish breed, are ideally suited to the steep sided valley that is a feature of his land. Today he has a 200 cow milking herd, with 200 young stock that have been reared on the farm. “Our land and the Ayrshire cattle have proved to be a perfect combination,” he says, “They are very robust, healthy, and do well on the natural grassland, that is a key feature of organic dairy farming.”
Two years ago he formed the East Church Ayrshire partnership with Bill Scholes. This allows him to focus on the animal and milk producing side of the operation, which he knows best, while Bill concentrates more on the growing amount of paperwork and regulations that are an increasing part of running a modern farm.