Welcome to the Weir Farm Guide

Weir Farm SceneWeir Farm is a small farm in East Hanney (22 ha), predominantly old grassland extensively grazed by a mixture of cattle and horses. It is an attractive farm with small fields, surrounded by hedgerows, with the Letcombe Brook - a chalk stream flowing through the farm. River valley features include ancient pollards. Old field patterns are still visible and have been identified as ridge and furrow. There are beautiful old wildflower meadows with cowslips, yellow rattle and meadow crane's bill. Other features include traditional farm buildings and an assortment of machinery. There is a community woodland for studies next door at Church Farm.

CalvesCattle are over wintered indoors to avoid poaching the ground and fed on hay and corn (cereal) that has been grown on the farm. They are turned out again in the spring. The hay is made in July to allow the wildflowers to set seed. Corn is planted in September and combined in the following August. The straw is baled and used for bedding and the corn is stored in a silo for winter animal feed and also for chicken feed. Farmyard manure is spread in autumn onto the arable field. The chickens are free range and provide eggs for the farm.

Horse StableThere is also a horse livery, which is the major enterprise providing grazing and exercise for the local people and their horses. The horses graze alongside the cattle in the summer and in the winter they are stabled and allowed limited grazing to maintain the grass meadows. They are fed from the farm and bedded down on straw or shavings.

The farm has changed over the centuries and has been farmed traditionally for at least 100 years when 3 men were employed full time. There was once a small dairy herd, pigs, and horses were used for ploughing and all farming actitives. During the Second World War the furthest grass field was ploughed to provide extra food and then reseeded back to grassland after the war.

HorseIn recent years the farm has diversified to provide stables for horses, grazing and two exercise areas. Many farms especially smaller ones have had to diversify due to a decline in profits due to changes in the agricultural market place, Common Agricultural Policy (EEC) and larger farms have better economies of scale. The general trend is for farms to get bigger.

The farm is run daily by Nicky Kauert with assistance from Peter Kauert at the weekends.

Oxfordshire is on of the drier counties with an average rainfall of 650mm comparable with East Anglia. Most rain, falls october - January. In 20 of the last 70 years there has been no lying snow in the coldest months in January and February. Southwest winds are the most common but with a notable period of northeast winds in spring.

The soil is well-drained chalk loam on grassland.