DHF News: March - June 2025
The 183rd Annual Suffolk Show will take place on the 28th and 29th of May 2025. This year, Robert will proudly serve as the President of the Show. The President acts as a prominent figurehead, representing the Suffolk Agricultural Association and the farming community. His responsibilities include engaging with dignitaries, promoting the Show to young people, and enhancing the diversity of those involved in farming. In collaboration with our Bruisyard team, we will have our very own stand at this year’s event. This will be a fantastic opportunity for us to showcase the excellent work we are doing in food production, conservation, and hospitality. You can find us in the Farm 4 Future area—do come along and say hello! For more information or to purchase tickets, www.suffolkshow.co.uk please visit
The past couple of weeks have begun to feel delightfully springlike, despite a few chilly nights. The weather has allowed us to return to the fields for spring oats and barley drilling, sugar beet planting, and applying nutrients to our winter crops. Many of you may have spotted the sheep grazing on the cover crops near the village, and I would like to say thank you to everyone for being considerate by keeping dogs on leads and sticking to the permissive paths. The fields that have been grazed will soon be sown with Wildfarmed barley and a white clover understory. This approach will enable the white clover to cover the soil beneath the barley, helping to suppress weeds. Additionally, clover is a nitrogenf ixing plant, which will contribute to the health of the barley.
This spring, we will also grow a few fields of mustard seed for condiment (for Coleman’s). The mustard plant produces flowers similar to oilseed rape, with bright yellow petals, but it flowers a month later, providing an excellent resource for pollinating insects.
Our Red Poll herd is nearing the end of calving, with only three cows left to calve. Soon, they will be out on the lush pastures, where the calves will enjoy racing round and playing together—a truly heartwarming sight. They lead happy lives, extensively grazing the fields around the farm. Our trusty bull Canute has been sold to Writtle College where he will enjoy the next couple of years of breeding, and we welcome a new bull called Maverik to Dennington Hall. We change bulls every 2 years due to heifer calves entering into the breeding herd, and therefore we need to change the sire bloodline.
We have recently ventured into something new by offering boxes of our own venison and beef, all raised right here on the farm. It has been quite a leap into the unknown, but the support from the local community has been overwhelming—thank you so much! If you would like to be notified when more boxes are available or hear about any special offers, please sign up for our newsletter at www.denningtonhallfarms.co.uk/farm-produce
Unfortunately, we have once again fallen victim to fly-tipping at Bruisyard. Our team dedicates countless hours to caring for crops, animals, and wildlife areas across the farm, so it is incredibly frustrating to see the countryside treated like a personal dumping ground. We have reported this particular incident to the local council and are now left to clean up the mess. I urge everyone to remain vigilant; if you witness a crime, please report it to the police via the online portal. Fly-tipping can be reported to East Suffolk Council. Let us all work together to protect our beautiful countryside. Wishing you a wonderful Easter, and we look forward to meeting many of you at the Suffolk Show.
Ryan McCormack, Dennington Hall Farms manager
