Our Farm
Robert and I both come from a long line of farmers, and so – having grown up with cows and farming life in general – perhaps it is no surprise that we are so committed to what we do.
There is no greater thrill than watching a new born calf stagger to its feet and reach for that first drink from its Mum; or to see a field of barley swaying in the breeze like the waves of a golden ocean; or to hear a woodpecker hard at work in a tree in the early morning, before the bustle of the day begins; or glimpse a fox darting round the perimeter of a field below the farm.
We are privileged to be custodians of the countryside, and so lucky to be living in this beautiful part of Fife – where the sea meets the land, and produce from both offers a rich and diverse ‘food culture’.
Our cheese offers a taste of this land and these traditions, of which we are so proud.
The Stewart family have farmed at Falside since the 1930s, and the dairy has always been central to the business. Today, Robert and Jane – together with sons Ben and Adam – run a diverse rural business incorporating the milking herd of 200 homebred Friesian Holstein cows, the cheesemaking, and also an arable acreage growing winter wheat, winter barley, spring barley and oilseedrape.
Our cows enjoy 5 star accommodation in a cubicle shed fitted out with individual pens where each cow can lie down in comfort on her own special mattress. She can choose when and how often she goes to be milked in our state of the art modern robotic milking system which allows for optimisation of cow comfort, contentment – and health.
All the cows are born and raised at Falside. Bull calves are raised as ‘entire bulls’ (not castrated), and sold for beef at maturity. Heifer calves go to the bull and produce their first calf at approximately 2 years old. When that first calf is born, the mother will start to produce milk, and will join the milking herd. Expert stockmanship is required to ensure that each cow is happy and healthy, and she will give birth to a new calf every year (so that she will continue to produce milk) – but she has a ‘maternity leave’ for 6 weeks before every birth (that is a longer holiday than most of us can hope for!)
Traditional farming methods at Falside continue in time honoured fashion – dung from the dairy is spread back on the land, crop rotation is carefully planned, hedges around the fields encourage wildlife and song birds to flourish, and now, traditional cheesemaking completes the circle ‘from field to plate’.
