|
|
|
| CRYSTAL SPRINGS FARM There has probably been a farm of some sort here for centuries, situated on Cuscas Lane it was renamed from The Cuscases in the 1930's by a Mr Whittaker who bought the farm on his return to England from making his fortune in California. I have never found the meaning of Cuscas but I am told Cu is saxon for cow. Also along the lane is Cuscas Farm and Burtonshutts Farm. A 'shutt' said to be an enclosure to hold drovers livestock overnight. I believe the lane to be very old, possibly pre Roman, used by traders linking the lead mines and farmland to the north with the Derwent. It would also have passed the Jinglers pub, said to be named from the pack ponies bells. I came here with my parents between Christmas and New Year in 1968. We arrived to a flood and extensive damage. The overflow from the hydraulic ram which pumped water from the (Crystal) spring had frozen and the storage tanks in the attic were pouring water through the bathroom and kitchen. The ram could not cope with the higher demands of a young family and was soon replaced with an electric pump. Water is now drawn with a modern submersible pump, but I would like to use something as sustainable as a hydraulic ram. At that time this was a small dairy farm typical of the area and of the twentieth century with milk production the backbone of British farming. There were sheds to tie up twenty cows, stables, feed storage, a 'hovel' for youngstock, and four prefabricated chicken houses for laying hens. The chickens did run outside, but not a blade of grass survived their beaks and when it rained the packed soil was like an ice rink. Nine of the ten small fields were permanent grass for grazing and hay with a 'plough' field used to grow mangolds, kale and cow cabbage for winter cattle feed and usually a few rows of potatoes to supplement the kitchen garden. For the next twenty odd years we mainly milked Jersey cows selling cream from Brailsford Garage and the Shop. The skimmed milk was used to rear calves and fatten porkers. These were killed and butchered in the village and sold locally. A small area of cereals were grown and some sheep kept. I took the farm over from my parents in 1991. The milk quota and farmhouse had been sold. Home was initally a caravan and eventually a barn conversion adapted from the old sheds. The Jersey dairy cows were bred to a beef bull and kept as beef suckler cows, sheep numbers increased and I rented more land. The nineties were difficult times with rising costs, low prices and the escalating BSE crisis. I knew that if I was to realise my childhood dream of being a farmer I had to make changes. Today Crystal Springs Farm is home to myself, my partner Cathryn and her daughter April. The farm is certified Organic with an Aberdeen Angus beef herd a flock of Polled Dorset sheep and wheat and oats grown for human consumption. Other animals are, a year old collie who is being trained to work the stock, a terrier who loves ratting and rabbitting and a retired horse. The farm environment is managed sensitively and includes an area of wetland. Last year an RSPB survey found breeding populations of eleven amber and five red list bird species. I would like to do a full biodiversity survey. The farm has come full circle to a farming system that is evident from an indenture dated 1875 when half the farm was cultivated for arable crops in a self contained and productive system. Public access is encouraged. There is a pleasant circular walk along the course of Cuscas brook and the lane. Visits are hosted for schools and other groups. Beef and lamb is sold directly from the farm and various local outlets including Brailsford shop which carries a limited selection. The challenge for the future; is to continue to restore and enhance the farm environment making it more productive, have more products available for local sale and reduce all inputs to a minimum. The aim is a closed system creating healthy nutritious food from renewable energy for local people while nurturing the natural world. |
|
Send mail to
webmaster@tikephotos.org with questions or comments about this web site.
|