Shortwood farm introduces pasture-fed beef for farm shop

The Legge family from Bromyard have been farming on Shortwood farm since 1903, but in 2023 David and Janet Legge, their daughter Gina, grandson James and his partner Ellie, changed direction and started stocking and rearing Native breeds: predominately pedigree Herefords.

The family have introduced pedigree natives to the farm. (Image: Shortwood Farm) Before moving away from milking, the Legges spent time curating a bespoke, low-output business model that would benefit the health of their animals, consumers, land and the environment, as Shortwood’s heritage has been organic for the past 30 years.

Now, they’ve chosen a herbal leys forage mob grazing farming system, whereby they’ve sown a herbal leys mixture of grasses, legumes and herbs into the soil, which has grown and is now grazed by their cattle – with their herd being moved onto a different 10m strip of land each day, which is then subsequently left for 90 days to leave plenty of time for regeneration.

Speaking of the chain in direction, James Legge said: "Early indications are excellent.

“The regrowth we’re already seeing on the grass grazed is exciting, the cattle have never looked better, and the system is working extremely well.

"We plan to plant up to 100 species of grasses, legumes and herbs to ensure our beef is bursting with 100 per cent pasture-fed Herefordshire goodness.”

The family are also bale grazing their small herd, making hay from older pastures at Shortwood Farms in the summer which they then roll out for them in the autumn within the 10m strips, so not only are their cows benefitting from this extra nutrition, but the seeds within the bales are further naturally regenerating the soil.

Legge's Butchers has become a well known business over the years. (Image: Shortwood Farm) James’ father, Anthony Legge, is a well-known "master butcher" and owner of two Herefordshire farm shops: Legges of Bromyard and Hereford, which has "championed" the Herefordshire countryside and custodians within it, and the products and produce this county, and neighbouring ones, have to offer.

In both their Hereford and Bromyard shops, customers can find a vast selection of sausage rolls, pork pies, wraps and local meats.

This week, Legges of Bromyard will welcome Shortwood Farms’ 100 per cent pasture-fed beef into its farm shop, which it says will meet the needs of customers requesting such meat for personal health and wellness reasons.

“Only a few weeks ago, a customer who suffers from Coeliac disease came in asking about our beef because they cannot eat meat containing any grain whatsoever,” said Anthony.

“This is a crucial dietary need our family are proudly meeting head-on at home.”

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David Legge began farming on Shortwood in the late 1960s, In 1987, David and his wife Janet decided that it was time to open the farm to the public, becoming the well-renowned Shortwood Family Farm for 29 years until its closure in 2016.

Originally, the farm was opened to the public to diversify the business, with cows, pigs, sheep and donkeys among other animals that brought joy to many visitors from Herefordshire and beyond.

In 2016, the family made the tough decision to call it a day, with David and Janet saying they felt the time had come to "take life a little easier".

The family has had a constant connection with their land, with daughter Gina returning to the farm full-time in the early 2000s, after spending a year in New Zealand and completing her degree in agriculture.

Gina still works on the farm to this day and she and her husband Adam run their own business, Turners Agricultural Engineers, from Shortwood Farm. 

In September 2023, David and Janet welcomed their grandson James, who had graduated with a degree in Agricultural Farm Management back onto the family farm, with hopes of him bringing new techniques and ideas to help Shortwood adapt to the modern farming climate.