School Farm and Country Trust

 Upper Wilting Farm, Crowhurst Road ,
St Leonards on Sea, East Sussex , TN38 8EG

Telephone: 01424 830613
Mobile : 07990 524 559

sarahblackford2003@yahoo.co.uk

Workshops

Sarah Blackford is available to run work shops, talks, visits and consultations on many rural matters including community supported agriculture.

Experience

Upper Wilting Farm is a progressive farm business run by Sarah and Stephen since 1987, who now farms over 250 acres with direct marketing at its heart. Farm diversifications include a farm shop, a box home delivery service and a strong focus on the Christmas market with the production and marketing of oven ready free range bronze turkeys and geese. This is complimented with the production of bacon, hams, sausages and chipolatas from our traditionally reared herd of Gloucester Old Spot pigs and beef. We also grow a range of combinable crops.

The farm now has a Community Supported Agricultural ( CSA ) project up and running on the farm growing a range of fruit and vegetables to the organic farming principles (but not yet certified to sell produce as organic).

We also manage the farms' wealth of environmentally sensitive areas through agri-environment schemes such as the Countryside Stewardship Scheme and shortly moving on to the Higher Level Stewardship scheme. The land includes the Combe Haven marshes and Monkham Woods which are areas designated as Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI's).

Sarah Blackford - areas of expertise

•  Auditor and Inspector of organic food and farming

•  Local Food Procurement Advisor for the public sector – schools, hospitals

•  Training provider in horticultural, agricultural and E.U. legislation

•  Advisory work in direct marketing for agricultural holdings

•  Specialist in horticultural crops, including quality inspection and production

•  Project management of grant funded training programmes and projects for rural ...businesses

•  Grant applications

•  Hands-on experience of day-to-day working on a mixed farm, including marketing, ...management, Single Farm Payment and agri-environmental schemes.