William Martin
Cornwall
Beef (grass-fed) & turkeys (free-range)
BEEF (GRASS-FED) & TURKEYS (FREE-RANGE), CORNWALL: Will Martin is a first-generation farmer who, with his wife Kate, rears Shorthorn cattle, free-range turkeys and geese on 300 acres (121 hectares) of grass pasture near Truro in mid-Cornwall.
The enterprise is the fulfilment of a life-long dream, says Will, who grew up nearby. “I’ve always been passionate about farming and spent every spare minute helping out on my uncle’s dairy farm while growing up.”
On leaving school Will studied agriculture at Duchy College then took a degree in Agriculture at Harper Adams in Shropshire. When an opportunity to take on a farm in his native Cornwall came up, he grabbed it with both hands.
Will farms ‘regeneratively’, with a view to enriching soils, sequestering carbon and boosting biodiversity. His 300 Shorthorn cattle graze on herbal leys (a mix of herbs, grasses and flowers planted to enrich the soil), which provide a varied and nutritious diet, while also boosting the farm’s soil health and wildlife. In winter, they’re brought inside for a few months to calve and are fed silage made from the farm’s own grass.
All of the cattle are bred on the farm, and spend their entire lives there. The beef is ‘Pasture for Life’ certified. It’s sold direct to customers via the farm’s website, its one-day-a-week pop-up farmshop, and the weekly farmers’ market in Truro. In addition, Will sells native-breed Saddleback pork and lamb hogget reared by neighbouring farmers.
Every year Will raises around 2,200 Bronze free-range turkeys, and 300 Embden geese, for the Christmas market, buying them in as one-day-old poults (chicks) and slaughtering them at 26 weeks or older. Unlike mass-produced birds, they are dry plucked then hung for two weeks to enhance their flavour and tenderise their flesh.
“People see the birds as an annual treat so are happy to pay for the cost of producing them ethically,” says Will. His beef, turkeys and geese have won multiple Great Taste Awards, something he’s immensely proud of. “It feels like such an achievement after all the hard work and care on the farm. It’s the ultimate validation of compassionate regenerative farming.”
Will loves being outside and working with the animals. He also enjoys the contact with his customers. “There’s nothing better than hearing them rave about a meal they cooked with our meat. Or that their Christmas turkey was the best meal they had all year!”
Will enjoys playing and watching rugby and enjoys spending time with his wife and children, Charlie and Flora.
Talking Point
Will is keen to communicate that cows, provided they are a hardy breed, can survive purely on grass, and do not need to be fed cereals. “Farmers, and the general public, often think that cows can’t survive purely on a diet of just grass. But they can – provided you have the right breed of cow and manage your grassland properly. Cows are miracle animals in that they can graze fields that could not be used to grow crops and they can convert the grass into delicious nutrient-dense meat. Our pasture-fed Shorthorn beef is more expensive than supermarket meat, but if people don’t insist on prime cuts, it doesn’t break the bank. Offal, for instance, is extremely affordable.”
Declared interests
Member of National Farmers Union. Member of Traditional Farm Fresh Turkey Association.