‘This dry summer has been a real test for us on a new farm’ said Ollie White as he showed me the view from the top of the farm. Since taking the tenancy at Dalditch Farm near Budleigh Salterton in March 2023, he’s had to learn to adapt to its light sandy soils which he admits ‘don’t retain much of anything’. Having previously farmed on a clay loam at a County Council farm in Somerset, the move has taught him even more about resilience.
Driven by a passion for producing the best quality meat from grass and fueled by his 2015 Nuffield Scholarship travels, Ollie has built an online retail business over the last 15 years that allows him to employ two full-time and one part-time member of staff, plus 2 students on 87 ha that form part of the Clinton Devon Estate.
Unfortunately, I don’t get to do much hands-on farming these days,’ admits Ollie, who focuses his time on looking after and developing his farm business, which includes an online shop and a self-service farm shop located in the former dairy. It’s taken 15 years to build such a strong and loyal customer base, but this direct connection with customers means the farm is not left vulnerable to fluctuations in market prices. And by adding value to everything produced on the farm, I have been able to make a small farm pay.
Ollie White outside the farm shop
Each year they directly retail 50 head of cattle, 150 lambs, 5,250 meat chickens, 500 geese, and 200 bronze turkeys, all raised on pasture. The organic rotational mixed grazing system that Ollie has developed helps return much-needed nutrients to the soil, building vital organic matter. The poultry are all seasonal, with three batches of chickens reared between April and October, and the geese and turkeys finished by early November. The birds are rotated around the farm and protected by four Maremma livestock guardian dogs.
Two of the farms Maremma guard dogs keeping a watchful eye on the turkeys. Photo credit Farm to fork
Ollie made the bold decision to sell everything frozen, a move that did cost him some customers but ultimately took pressure off the team and livestock, while also reducing the risks of handling fresh produce with a short shelf life.
“Our poultry live outside 24/7 as part of our pasture-raised ethos, but this approach suits the milder months of the year,” explains Ollie. “We now finish all our Christmas birds by early November, which allows us to use local slaughtering facilities before the Christmas rush and to pre-sell our birds. It also helps us stay one step ahead of bird flu season, enabling us to depopulate the farm before migratory birds arrive in full force, when the risk of infection is highest.”
Ollie went on to explain the importance of extensive grazing. “Ruminant livestock are built to graze and if we can finish our cattle and sheep on grass alone, we don’t need to buy in organic feed”. Ollie’s Nuffield Scholarship focused on this very subject, concluding that there is growing demand from consumers for 100% grass fed meat for it’s health benefits as well as eating quality. Whilst appreciating that this system doesn’t work in every situation, it’s a system that enthuses Ollie and his team. “Farming is hard work, if you can build a business that you enjoy and are passionate about, it motivates you even on the wettest, coldest of days!”
Since first joining FWAG SW in 2015, he has worked with Devon Farm Environment Adviser Sammy Read on developing Mid-Tier and SFI schemes for the farm. He sees environmental funding as an important revenue stream for the farm. ‘We’re working with our landlords on some pioneering agroforestry plans for the farm’ shares Ollie. ‘I’m working with Jenna Higgins and Simeon Day from the FWAG Tree Team to develop a farm wide tree planting scheme. Our hope is that this can be funded from the newly opened Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier and allow us to plant a mixture of trees for livestock to browse as well as producing timber, fruit and nuts’.
‘Trees have to be a part of the future of Dalditch Farm’ enthuses Ollie, ‘if we are going to be weatherproof we need to not only provide shade and shelter but we have to retain moisture and build organic matter in our vey light sandy soils’
Before we leave our viewpoint, Ollie proudly tells me that in the two years since they moved to the farm there has been a 66% increase in the diversity of bird species. This didn’t go unnoticed by our team of judges who awarded Ollie the runner up prize in this year’s John Whetman Devon Bronze Otter Award. Lead judge Rob Wolton went on to say how impressed they were by the development of a simple, environmentally-friendly management systems that cut overheads and require very little tractor movement – most of the work is done by quad bike.
The view from the top of the farm, looking across to the Pebblebed Heaths.
Future plans for Dalditch Farm centre on optimisation rather than expansion. Ollie’s aim is not to take on more land, but to increase the basket spend of his loyal customers by broadening the product range. Pasture-raised pigs and laying hens are among the options being explored, alongside potential non-agricultural diversification projects that could see surplus farm buildings put to more valuable use.
To find out more about the farm and their organic meat for sale visit www.farm2fork.co.uk
Kate Harris, September 2025.