A DORSET family are embracing new methods of farming by launching their own website.

The Trowbridge family hope their site, the Dorset Farmer, will encourage more people to reconnect with where their food comes from.

Mum Louise said their 400-acre dairy and pig farm focuses on high standards of welfare and selling direct to consumers.

The mum-of-four said: “Visitors are always welcome to come and see our pigs. We need that connection to our food. I think it’s easy to forget what animals are for, so hopefully by opening our gates, people will be interested and come and find out more.

“English farmers have a lot to be proud of, so it’s nice to open the farm and show there is nothing wrong with the way we do things.”

The dairy remains the main source of income for the farm, with sideline businesses in the rare-breed Berkshire pig herd and partnerships with Dorset Wildlife Trust and schools local to the Stour Provost farm.

Louise said: “We are looking at a project where schoolchildren research what wildlife they would like to coax into the area and then take ownership for that.

“It would be lovely if that developed into something they could come and visit for years to come.”

There are challenges in selling direct.

Louise said: “It can be difficult to get the price right, and as we do not have a huge pig herd, maintaining a weekly consistent product can be difficult, so we encourage our customers to fill up their freezers once a month.

“But we want to keep it at that local level and small scale. With a small herd we are able to make sure the pigs have space to roam and a completely outdoor lifestyle.”

She added: “I would hesitate in saying this is the future of small farms but it is working for us and we have had some lovely feedback.

“It will be interesting to see how the farm develops in the future.”

  • BRINGING broadband to the countryside would boost rural business according to a new poll.

The Countryside Alliance carried out a poll to find out if people thought that bringing broadband provision to the whole of the UK would boost the economy.

Eighty-five per cent of rural dwellers said that rolling out high-speed broadband would have a positive impact.