Pastoral farms (dairy, beef and sheep)

Pastoral farmers grow grass in fields and keep livestock such as cows or sheep.

These farms often have small fields surrounded by hedges or drystone walls. Hedgerows and walls provide an important habitat for wildlife such as birds and small mammals such as mice, stoats and weasels.

On pastoral farms, a crop of long grass is usually grown to be made into hay or silage for winter feed.

Hay is long grass that has been cut and allowed to dry in the sun and fresh air. When it is dry it is collected up and made into bales which are stored in barns and used to feed cattle and sheep over the winter.

Silage is fermented grass. Farmers cut the grass and then pack it tightly into huge plastic bags where it ferments slowly. This is also used to feed cattle and sheep over the winter. Look out for these huge black bags of silage stacked in fields.

Dairy Farms

Dairy farms produce milk, needed for butter, cheese, yoghurt, cream and ice cream!

A dairy cow can produce 22 litres of milk a day but they need to eat very good   quality grass. In the National Park there are nearly 200 dairy farms. They are found where there is deep, fertile soil, along the coast and in sheltered valleys such as the Esk Valley.

Beef Farms

Cattle produce meat which we make into beef joints, mince, steak and burgers. Leather, used to make shoes and trainers, clothes, bags and furniture also comes from farm animals such as cattle.

Beef cattle need fairly good quality grass. They are tougher than dairy cattle and are farmed in all areas of the National Park on reasonable quality grazing land such as the low valley sides.

Sheep Farms

Sheep are farmed all over the National Park. Hill sheep farming is the main type of landuse on higher ground.

The high moors are colder, wetter and windier than the sheltered valleys. Moorland grass is tough and low in nutrients and only hardy breeds of sheep such as Swaledale or Scottish Blackface can survive here.

These days it is difficult for farmers to earn a living from hill sheep farming and the numbers of sheep on the moors are decreasing.

Sheep provide us with meat and wool.

Adult sheep are sheared or clipped every summer and the woolly fleeces are sold. The hardy moor sheep produce quite coarse wool which is used to make carpets. Lowland sheep produce softer, better quality wool which can be used to make clothes.

Lambs are bred for meat which we turn into chops, mince and joints for roasting.

Did you know?

A farmer might only get 50p for a fleece. Not much for a year’s work!