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About the Farm
Background
The Food Animal Initiative (FAI) is a livestock farm set up to develop and demonstrate farming systems that provide discernible benefits to animal welfare, the environment, and human health. To be successful these systems must be practical and commercially viable. The farm used to be owned by Oxford University, but FAI now rents it from them. Set alongside the River Thames just outside Oxford, the farm has cattle, sheep, pigs, chickens, flower-rich grassland and includes Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs). FAI also grows cereals and forage for the animals. The farm provides a unique opportunity to see real and future farming in action.
Environment
The farm is situated in a lowland area
and much of the land lies in the River
Thames
flood plain. In winter, areas of
the farm land often become flooded. The
soil in
the area is a mixture of clay loam
and sandy gravel.
People
The farm manager supervises several members of staff who look after the individual animal enterprises. These include a stockman, herdsman, shepherd and a chicken unit operative. Contractors are also employed to assist with the ploughing, drilling and harvest work. Additional part-time and seasonal staff are also employed and these roles are often filled by students. The administration of the business is carried out by the office staff, which manage the financial records and keep detailed data on all the enterprises.
