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9. Manor Farm Seavington
The land at Manor Farm, Seavington St Mary, not far from Ilminster, has been farmed by three generations of Simon Madge’s family.
Situated not far from Illminster, it’s part of the Dillington Estate and retains its traditional structure of being part dairy farm and part arable farm, cultivating a variety of root crops.
Simon’s land, which covers 320 acres, is supplemented by another 60 acres which he owns and a further 450 acres of tenanted land at nearby Allowenshay, which he shares with an uncle. It’s home to a dairy herd of 200 Holstein/Friesian cross dairy cows and around 120 followers.
Manor Farm’s milk has been processed by Coombe Farm for many years and it was Coombe’s decision to become completely organic that stimulated Simon Madge to follow suit. “We were given added confidence to do so by seeing the growing demand for organic milk and I’m sure it was the right move,” says Simon. As well as being organic, the farm has also been in the DEFRA sponsored Country Stewardship scheme since 2003. This means it undertakes to farm in an environmentally beneficial way, by conserving archaeological sites, improving the habitat for wildlife and sustaining the beauty and diversity of the landscape.
Another big change was made a little earlier, in 1996, when Simon added to the farm’s facilities by digging a 7,000,000 gallon irrigation lake. When conditions are right and there’s time available, it also double’s as a venue for a little leisurely yachting.
Says Simon; “One of our more unusual features is the remains of a small Roman villa. It’s not uncommon for us to find small pieces of pottery, and even coins in the field around it. No gold relics so far, but we live in hope!”
