Our home farm on the Southwood Estate

Close-up of the Welsh Black Cattle

Southwood is our home farm and the gateway to the hectares (and hectares!) of coast and countryside that we care for in north Pembrokeshire. It’s the base from which our heathland conservation grazing programme is run.

Conservation grazing

We’re helping to continue a centuries old farming tradition, with our grazing animals enjoying a natural grass-based diet from heathland areas, all whilst keeping the habitat in good condition.

That’s why you won’t always see our beautiful Welsh Black cattle and Welsh Mountain ponies here at Southwood Farm as they’re usually out and about grazing our heathland clifftops and commons between St David’s and Fishguard.

Without regular grazing, heathland quickly becomes overgrown at the expense of its iconic heathers, flowering plants, insects and birds. Livestock keep the competitive scrub and grasses in check, maintaining open vegetation that is richer for nature.

We’ve been working with local farmers to restore the heaths since the 1990s and are very proud of the progress made since then.

Welsh Black cattle at Southwood Farm
Welsh Black cattle grazing
Welsh Black cattle at Southwood Farm

Our herd

Both Welsh Black cattle and Welsh Mountain ponies are known for their hardiness, versatility with all kinds of terrain, self-reliance and placid temperaments. As such, the native breeds are well-suited to our conservation grazing needs.

Our livestock ranger takes care of the herds and to ensure even grazing pressure, the animals are moved between heathland areas across north Pembrokeshire. On average, the cattle and ponies cover 100 hectares of land each year.