ORFC in the Field at Hill Top Farm

ORFC in the Field at Hill Top Farm: Livestock and Biodiversity in the Yorkshire Dales 

Join the Oxford Real Farming Conference In the Field for an incredible two days of practical workshops at Hill Top Farm in Malham, North Yorkshire. We’ll be exploring mob grazing and managing livestock-landscape interactions on a Pasture for Life certified farm, ethical dairying with cow-calf contact systems, permaculture principles for pasture systems, hay meadow management, British pasture leather, beneficial bugs and lots more! 

Photo Credit: Stephen Garnett

What to Expect:

Hill Top is a fourth-generation farm belonging to the Heseltine family, who continue a long tradition of grazing their Limestone uplands with hardy native breeds, evolved to cope with the marginal grassland and weather conditions of the Malhamdale hills. Neil Heseltine will lead a farm tour focusing on their Belted Galloway cattle herd and the farm’s conservation grazing approach to improving biodiversity and the natural habitat at Hill Top.

We’ll also explore the farm’s traditional hay meadow restoration project, which has been developed with the Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust. A single field has the potential to allow over a hundred species to thrive, but with so many meadows already lost (around 97%), it’s essential to act now to restore and manage these diverse and thriving ecosystems. 

Plus lots more, including: 

Explore ethical dairying in a workshop with Nuffield Scholar Anna Bowen, focusing on cow-calf contact systems, looking at the challenges and opportunities involved, and exploring the practicalities of system design for those who would like to try it. 

Learn about whole-farm permaculture design with organic permaculture farmer and designer Hannah Thorogood. This workshop will look at how to build permaculture principles into whole farm system design, with a focus on grazing systems. Participants are encouraged to bring their farm maps along for creative problem solving and practical design ideas.

Meet the tean behind British Pasture Leather, who produce leather from the hides of cattle raised on Pasture for Life certified farms, and get to know the leather-making process. 

Hear about the state of play on farm support for environmental land management with Vicki Hird, Strategic Lead on Agriculture at the Wildlife Trusts, as well as honing in on beneficial invertebrates in grazing and mixed farm systems and how to encourage them. 

Between the workshops, there’ll be time to walk and explore the stunning surroundings of the Yorkshire Dales National Park, including a walk to the magical waterfall at Janet’s Foss and the limestone cliffs of Malham Cove, home to nesting peregrines. There will be delicious deli-style lunches with cheeses from the award-winning Courtyard Dairy, a catered curry evening on site, plus a trip to the pub in the evening. 

Don’t miss out on this extraordinary chance to learn more about an outstanding agroecological livestock system, meet like-minded individuals, and gather all the skills and vision you need to create mutually beneficial systems for both livestock and thriving biodiversity. 

Photo Credit: Gail Caddy

Meals, Parking and Accommodation

Deli-style lunches, tea and coffee are included in the ticket price on both days. On Wednesday evening a curry evening is planned to be served at Hill Top and on Thursday we will head for dinner at a local pub for those that would like to join. Do let us know when booking your ticket if you would like to join us for the dinners, this will be an additional cost. 

There is limited parking on-site at Hill Top, we recommend parking at Malham Cove National Trust Car Park which is a short 5-10 minute walk. Vehicles can be left overnight and it costs £5.00 for 24 hours of parking. If you need more accessible parking please email caitlin@orfc.org.uk.  

As much as possible we encourage delegates to liftshare using the spreadsheet included in the order confirmation email.

A limited amount of spaces are available in bunk barn on-site at Hill Top; please book an accommodation included ticket to secure your place. There are a number of additional accommodation options nearby; the nearest B&B’s are the The Lister Arms and The Buck Inn there is also a selection of accommodation types on Airbnb. 

Subsidised tickets

We offer a limited number of subsidised tickets for students; young people (under 25); BPOC; part-time, low-waged, and/or unpaid workers; new entrant farmers; and anyone otherwise unable to attend.

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Photo Credit: Gail Caddy