Will Lacey of Laceys Farm tells us more about life in the beautiful Bucks farm his great great grandparents started a century ago

Summer isn’t just our favourite season. The ladies on Laceys Farm – set amid a glorious patchwork of hills – also love the sunshine, as do their calves.

“The cows are all out to graze the fields now”, says Will Lacey. “We have cows calving all year round, so new arrivals are possible every day. The calves love warmer weather, charging round the fields burning off their energy.”

“The calves love warmer weather”

Will’s family have farmed the same land for seven generations and welcomed visitors last month for LEAF Open Farm Sunday. “We’re a working farm, so it’s great to open the farm, with milking demonstrations, tractor and trailer rides, a barbecue and special offers in the shop.

“We’re doing lots of work to improve and enhance the environment across our farm, with a patch work of different habitats including hedgerows, chalk grasslands, wildflower meadows and winter bird feed crops. The soil is our most valuable assest, so how we manage this and look after it is crucial for the success of our crops and the future of farming.

“Farming is very consistent year on year. Our summer stars with harvesting our grass before moving on to hay, barley and maize crops. We have benefitted from the wet spring, being on a chalk hills we need regular rainfall, and our grass volumes have been good this year.

“We are so lucky in this area to have such a variety of habitats. And with a great mix of dedicated farmers and land managers looking after the countryside we are all fortunate to be able to enjoy it through out the seasons.”

“It’s great to see the work started by my great great grandparents more than 100 years ago continue. We’ve always farmed in a way that supports farming and looking after the countryside. Through the farm shop we can tell people what happens on their local farm and you can enjoy the harvest of our produce.

“One thing few people know about farming is that it’s a tech industry! Every cow is managed individually so that we can know everything from how much milk she produces, how many steps she does a day and even how many hour she sits down for!”