WE’RE ON BBC COUNTRYFILE…

As some of you may have spotted on the TV on Sunday 18th January, we were delighted to welcome the BBC Countryfile team to Darts Farm!

The episode, “Meet the communities working tirelessly to protect Devon’s Exe Estuary”, highlights the people and places caring for our remarkable environment and we’re proud to be a part of that story.

George, Maddy and Jack showed them our beautiful fields on the banks of the River Clyst - a tributary of the Exe Estuary - sharing how we embrace the natural landscape and increase biodiversity by flooding our wetlands and grazing our Ruby Red cattle.

You can see us on BBC Countryfile ‘Exe Estuary’ on iPlayer now!
🎥 Catch us from 32 minutes 30 seconds into the episode
Watch Here

Our Ruby Red Devons

The stars of the show were our beautiful herd of Ruby Red Devon Catlle - a native breed perfectly suited to our farm and wetlands.

Their lighter frame allows them to spend most of the year outdoors on the wetlands grazing, without damaging the ground, naturally fertilising the land as they go.

They typically head out in March and remain on the land for up to 9 months. In the depths of winter, the herd is brought into a warm barn. This seasonal rhythm plays a vital role in how we manage the land and support wildlife across the Clyst Valley.

Wetland & Biodiversity

Once the cattle are inside for winter, we deliberately block ditches to allow water to flow back into our fields, temporarily shrinking the farm by up to 40 acres. This creates rich wetland habitats that attract a wide variety of wildlife, from migrating birds to insects.

Over 20,000 birds migrate through the valley each year and RSPB surveys over the last decade have shown how grazing cattle positively impacts the local ecosystem.

Having farmed this land for generations, it is our duty to protect it for the future. Balancing farming with nature and giving the soil, river, wildlife and our Ruby Red Devons space to flourish together.

Darts Farm

WE’RE ON BBC COUNTRYFILE…

Posted in The Farm, News on 21 Jan 2026

Our Ruby Red Devons

Wetland & Biodiversity

Be part of our community

Tags

Related blog posts

The Money You raised for Hospiscare

Raw Honey now available!