Wild Farm is situated in the Cairngorms National Park on the Glenlivet Estate near the village Tomintoul. We currently farm Soay sheep, Belted Galloway cattle, Red deer, Fallow deer and Iron Age pigs, as well as providing a home for part of the Cairngorm Reindeer herd for some of the year. The winters here can be harsh, the spring late and the summer short, so it was important that we chose animals able to withstand the rigours of winter, make the most of the short growing season and thrive with little intervention. All the animals we keep on the farm today are hardy, self sustaining and low maintenance. Apart from regular checking and if necessary, feeding, they look after themselves to a large extent, leading as natural a life as possible.
Wild Farm is comprised of three adjoining hill farms stretching from fields alongside the River A’an (Avon), (a major salmon fishing river ) to heather moorland at almost 1500 feet. There is a mix of good grazing/arable land, rough grazing on marginal and higher ground, coniferous plantations and native woodlands.
The cattle, sheep and deer graze for most of the year, and are supplementary fed in the winter months with hay and silage grown on the farm. The wild boar are the only animals that need daily feeding all year round, otherwise they escape and look for food elsewhere! All our meat is grown on the farm, killed locally and sold off the farm; you couldn’t get lower food miles!
Since 1990 we have developed our overriding ethos of low input/high output, where our animals, look after themselves for much of the year with very little intervention. We have found that by keeping low densities of stock and enabling ‘natural’ living environments we reduce cases of illness or deficiencies.
For us wild farming has evolved over more than 30 years and begun from a desire to split our unique Cairngorm reindeer herd and establish them at a second site here on the Glenlivet estate. We knew our reindeer would only ever occupy the higher reaches of any hill farm and with that in mind we needed to decide how we would use the lower fields and pastures.
Any of our animals sold live can be transported to anywhere within the British Isles. We also welcome visitors to the farm during the summer months but it is essential that all visits be arranged and booked in advance. We also have cottages and spaces to rent should you wish to book your holiday with us.
We hope you enjoy learning about our farm and the animals that live here with us!
Tilly and Alan Smith