HILBOROUGH ESTATE

The Hilborough Estate comprises a mixed arable and stock farming

operation of 1770 hectares in Norfolk. There is a further hill farming operation in
Yorkshire which is just under 2000 hectares and devoted solely to sheep. An important
factor to both estates is the sporting aspect, in Norfolk wild Partridges, Pheasants and
Duck and in Yorkshire mainly Grouse.

The main crops grown on the estate which has traditional light Breckland
soils overlaying chalk and marl, are carrots, parsnips, potatoes, onion sets, sugar beet,
barley, wheat and some linseed. We are trying to improve our soil fertility and hence the
recently introduced sheep and also considerable increase in pig numbers. We plan to
increase the area of clover and ryegrass leys on account of having more sheep.
Additionally there is also a stud at which bloodstock is raised for racing.

Both estates rely almost entirely on farming operations and each would be
in the top quartile from a profitability point of view in their respective fields of farming.
It has been one of my cherished aims to integrate the operation of these estates more fully
since I believe that there are advantages to be had. I will develop this theme more fully
subsequently.

Irrigation is a fundamental necessity to the estate since it enables

vegetables to be grown as well as supporting three pig herds and probably a fourth
shortly. Pigs have two important effects on the estate, they are labour intensive and thus
provide excellent rural employment and also they encourage much invertebrate life. This
is particularly important to the substantial population of waders and other birds which the
estate supports. Many of these birds have experienced considerable declines in Great
Britain. At Hilborough I am glad to say that due to the sporting side of the estate and
therefore the relative freedom from predation combined with the food provided by stock
farming, our experience has been the opposite.

Due to the mixed farming characteristic of the estate, employment is

relatively high and comprises a total of 27 people. Additionally the vegetable production
provides considerable employment at the local packing plant which is approximately 5
kilometers distant. We hope to continue increasing employment levels should we be
successful in having another pig herd. It would involve a further four men being
employed on the estate, and therefore the equivalent to a man employed for every 57
hectares of ground.

Scientifically the estate is most important for hosting approximately one

seventh of all of the Stone Curlews nesting in England. The entire estate is a S.S.S.I.
Relations with English Nature are excellent, the Government body responsible for such
designations.
 Earlier I mentioned the possibility of integrating the two estates more
fully. There is of course a limit to the extent to which you can integrate a purely sheep
enterprise with a diversified operation such as at Hilborough. However, I have a
considerable concern about soil fertility as well as having a need for sheep on the area of
heathland and dry grassland. Accordingly we have now started buying mule ewe lambs
(Swaledale X Blue Faced Leicester) and reselling them about a year later as shearlings.
This works well and helps to build soil fertility through grazing the leys. It is also an
excellent means to increase insects which in turn will help many farmland birds such as
Grey Partridges and Skylarks. Finally it enables me to manage the heathland areas better
from a grazing point of view and also help bird life.

Hugh van Cutsem