This business has been sold to Askerton Castle and they can be contacted at www.askertoncastle.co.uk tel no 016977 3332.
Jon and Lynne Perkin are new to Cumbria, but not to organic farming. Both originally from Cornwall,
Whiteholme Farm has given the couple an opportunity to develop a farm of their own.
They both believe that organic farming offers many common-sense answers to the problems facing agriculture, the food industry and the environment.
Situated on the River Lyne in north-east Cumbria, Whiteholme Farm is an organic livestock farm, run by Jon and Lynne Perkin. The farm covers 220 acres and includes the land of the nieghbouring Low Luckens farmstead. Whiteholme produces organic beef, lamb and pork from traditional breeds, with Soil Association registration.
Livestock are kept to high animal welfare standards and enjoy stress-free conditions. Cattle, sheep and pigs are naturally healthy and have a good quality of life. The result is fine tasting organic meat which is prepared in the farm butchery.
As an organic farm, Whiteholme does not use any artificial fertilisers or synthetic pesticides. Instead they rely on farmyard manure, natural fertilisers (for example the use of clover to "fix" nitrogen in the soil) and good husbandry to maintain fertility of the land.
The farm has an extensive Countryside Stewardship agreement for the restoration of hedgerows, species rich hay meadows and pastures. Strips of ancient woodland border the river and its tributaries, some of which are designated Sites of Special Scientific Interest for their mosses, lichens and ferns. New plantations of native trees, oak, hazel, ash and gean cherry have also been planted.
By using sustainable farming methods the farm provides the habitat for a wide range of birds, animals and wildflowers. Roe deer, hares and red squirrels are seen regularly and at dusk, badgers and otters may be seen. Each spring the haunting cries of the curlew can be heard across the fell and the woods hold a host of bluebells and ramsons.