The Webster Family

Taylors Farm Shop Ltd, Taylors Farm, Lancashire

Creating and managing a supply chain of quality, suckler-bred beef from farm to retail has brought unfounded success to the Webster family’s enterprise.

The family unit sees Roger Webster and son, Andrew, run the farm with Roger’s wife, Bernie, and their younger son, Joe, managing the retail and butchery side of the farm shop respectively which now collectively employs 41 people on a full and part-time basis between them.

The shop trade was built around beef, for which Roger sources mainly British Blue cross and Limousin steers and heifers for finishing from auction marts in Cumbria in the main.

Extensive redevelopment of traditional farm buildings into purpose built straw yards means up to 160-head of cattle can now be held at one time.

Animals are bought in from 12-months to 20 months old in order to meet the throughput demand of the farm shop and are drawn on weekly for slaughter before being brought back to the farm for butchering and processing.

No additional feed is bought in for the beef finishing unit and more than 100 acres of the farms total 600 acres goes into wheat and barley which is preserved as grain or wholecrop for the beef unit.

Communication

Roger says: “The mix of feed is working well and we have not had a case of acidosis or bloat in the 17 years we have been on the regime. We buy stores from September to May, from 12 months old up to 20 months, and we can introduce them to our feeding regime straight away, irrespective of what system they have come off.”

The family is also passionate about showcasing British farming to the public and are proud to produce a product via a transparent supply chain which their customers want to buy.

The farm opened its doors to around 1,700 visitors last year as part of Open Farm Sunday, and regularly welcomes groups and organisations through the year.

With the success of the farm shop exceeding any initial expectation, the family is looking ahead to further expansion plans in the future to meet their growing customer base and demand.