Smallholding for beginners
Smallholding for beginners
The Humble by Nature Smallholding for Beginners course with Liz Shankland is a great place to start if you’re thinking about keeping animals, want to learn how to start a smallholding, or just fancy a day on the farm!
Spend the day with smallholding expert Liz Shankland and learn:
- How to register your land as a smallholding and how to manage the paperwork involved.
- How to prepare your fields for the arrival of sheep, pigs and goats.
- The best breeds of poultry to choose for eggs and/or meat.
- How to keep livestock.
This course is very practical with plenty of hands-on experience with our animals in our smallholder paddocks and animal barns.
Humble by Nature’s farmer Tim Stephens will be giving a hand on this course. Tim has decades of specialist experience of farming sheep and has a large mixed commercial flock on the farm.
A day spent with Liz and Tim will give you the confidence to go home and start making plans for your very own smallholding. Don’t forget to send us updates!
What you'll learn
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Getting to know the basics
The day will start in the classroom learning about the practicalities, including: registering your land & getting your CPH number; how much land you’ll need; legal requirements of keeping livestock; producing meat and selling produce.
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Getting hands on with the animals
Meet the carefully-chosen livestock in our smallholding fields and find out what breeds of poultry, sheep, pigs and goats might best suit your requirements.
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Getting to know the pigs and goats
Learn about fencing, housing and how to avoid unwanted escapes! Meet the various breeds of goats and pigs and learn about their behaviour. Depending on the time of year, there may be piglets or kids running around.
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Getting hands on with the sheep
You’ll learn how to catch, handle, and understand sheep and discuss basic sheep husbandry like caring for feet.
We have a variety of native and rare breed sheep on the farm – including Jacobs, Welsh Badger-Face, Kerry Hill, and Dorset Horn – as well as a large number of commercial cross-breeds. -
Q&A
We’ll finish the day with tea and cake and the opportunity to ask any further questions. Liz is always happy for you to contact her by email after your course with any follow-up queries.
Testimonials..
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Hands on approach VERY helpful! Loved the course – brilliant way to see if it’s the life for you. Fab food too!
Lynn -
Thank you for and interesting, informative, invigorating and encouraging day. Brilliant.
Elaine & Toby -
Thank you for a most enjoyable & truly interesting & fascinating day.
Martin
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The Essentials
Smallholding for Beginners will run from 10am until 4pm and includes a delicious farm lunch.
Much of the day will be spent outside in the smallholding fields and livestock barns. Please check the weather for NP25 and dress appropriately, including:
– Waterproof boots or wellies and weather-proof clothes which you don’t mind getting wet or dirty.
– A change of clothing for the journey home.
There is no obligation to handle our animals but you will have plenty of opportunity should you wish to.
If you or your partner are pregnant please read the advice from the NHS about lambing before booking your course. We normally lamb from February to April.
Your instructor for the day..
Smallholder, breeder and writer about all things sheep, pig and bird! A townie by birth, Liz gave up urban living…
Humble By Nature's exceptional resident farmer Humble by Nature farmer Tim grew up on a farm and has been farming…