Wharfedale, North Yorkshire
Thwaite Hall Farm
A closed suckler herd of pedigree Aberdeen Angus that has not bought in a single animal for over twenty years.
Farmer
Jack & Sarah MetcalfeHolding
410 acresHerd
Aberdeen Angus, suckler herdBreeds
Aberdeen AngusThwaite Hall is a 410-acre lowland holding on the south-facing bank of the River Wharfe. Jack and Sarah keep a closed pedigree Aberdeen Angus herd of 96 suckler cows.
“Every cow here knows her name. That sounds soft until you see how it changes the way they handle.”Jack & Sarah Metcalfe
The herd has not been outsourced in over twenty years. Every animal on the farm is descended from the four foundation cows Jack's grandfather bought at Carlisle in 1971.
The cattle are finished entirely on grass and home-grown red clover silage. The Metcalfes have never used a feedlot system and have no intention of starting; they believe the grass-only finish is the single biggest reason their beef tastes the way it does.