The Farm
A natural way of life
The Digg & Co studio is right in the middle of the family farm in the rolling hills of Devon. Together with Bella, her parents, Dev, Collin, and Albert we look after the land.
Once an intensive dairy unit, the 110 acres is now a living laboratory hosting natural farming, holistic management principles, and habitat restoration. With ecological design and the highest levels of animal welfare driving decision making, the team is engaged in a process of landscape healing which started about 20 years ago with planting over 15 acres of woodland.
As the process took hold, we started to notice the grasslands responding, with species richness spreading in from relaxed hedgerow management and pioneering wood. Funghi has returned to the meadows and we work closely with Devon Wildlife Trust to promote local grasslands. Specifically, we are restoring a habitat known as Culm which is characterised by beautiful swathes of Ragged Robin, Southern Marsh Orchid and Sneezewort, among others. This damp to wet grassland once hosted flocks of Lapwing, Curlew and Golden Plover as well as the now critically rare Marsh Fritillary butterfly and together with other farmers we hope to reconnect sites to once again see the animals amongst our herd of Devon Ruby Reds, horses and chickens.
Our inspirations come from many areas, but specifically we have gained understanding and insight from Robin Wall Kimmerer, Masanobu Fukuoka, Alan Savory and Andre Voisin. We see the farm as an interrelated system, totally connected and dynamic with the energy of the parts combining to create the ecosystem. The mission is to emulate landscapes such as Satoyama and Native American, where the balanced relationship we have with the land allows all life to thrive, and offers us a life of what we need without taking too much.
Working with the Devon Wildlife Trust, we produce seed for meadow restoration. If you are interested in purchasing seed from our meadows, please get in contact via the link below or design@diggandco.com
The Devon Reds
The cows are the workers that drive biodiversity gain here on the farm. Through a mob grazing practice, which emulates that of the grazers that our grassland flora evolved alongside, the cows disrupt and disturb the ground in such a way that they invite and encourage the colonization of many wonderful plants. This results in healthy land, healthy cows, and delicious beef. Seasonally, we sell boxes of this beef direct. To reserve your box please get it contact via the form below, or email ashbarndevon@gmail.com
Join us..
Set within the context of landscape, this restoration is in its nascency and the results are at times surprising. It is in exciting time and we are always looking for enthusiastic, energetic and intrigued volunteers to help with its day-to-day workings. We offer lodging etc, so if you are interested in getting involved, then please fill out the form below and we will be in touch. This coming year we are undertaking some large scale grassland restoration in collaboration with the Devon Wildlife trust at Puddington Moor, as well as the typical daily activities of haymaking, holistic grazing, plant growing, and seed harvesting. Please get in touch via ashbarndevon@gmail.com or @millbartonfarm on Instagram.