North Aston Farms is a beautiful 900 acres of verdant, organic pastures, wild hedgerows, and woodland surrounding the pretty Cotswold stone village of North Aston, bordered by the River Cherwell and Deddington Brook.
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Mainly a grass farm, raising beef and dairy cattle, and sheep, we also have a small acreage devoted to organic arable crops. The much-admired North Aston Dairy was started here in 2006, supplying bottled organic milk directly to our local community, and has been going from strength to strength ever since. We retail a small amount of our own beef and lamb, with the rest sold via the Organic Livestock Marketing Cooperative.
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We have been certified fully organic since 1992 and we enjoy farming in a way that allows wildlife to thrive and produces highly nutritious and delicious food.
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Since 1997, we have also been the home of North Aston Organics, a vegetable grower and popular box scheme.
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<< About the farm
Who we are >>
We are a family farm, owned by the Taylor family, who have been in North Aston for over 100 years. The farm and dairy are currently managed by James & Vicky, with the guidance of James' father Jeremy.
James grew up on the farm and is currently the head honcho, although it doesn't always feel like it when he is shovelling dung! He works hard to keep the show on the road while not-so-secretly preferring to spend his time singing, playing the piano and juggling!
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Vicky grew up in the neighbouring village of Duns Tew and spent many happy hours here on the farm hanging out with James' sister, Catkin, while throwing the odd admiring glance in James' direction! They have been happily married since 2004 and have two children (who show absolutely no interest in farming whatsoever...yet!).
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Jeremy set the farm in a nature-friendly direction when he began the conversion to organic in the 1980s. He continues to be motivated by all things ecological and is never happier than when out in the fields cutting docks by hand.
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We all share a deep commitment to making the farm and estate work for local people and for nature, whilst striving to balance the books.
At North Aston Farms, we are firmly committed to growing nourishing and nutrient-dense food in a way that not only sustains the land but heals and improves it.
Farmed "conventionally" for several decades, the land saw a drastic decline in its wildlife population, which led to the decision by Jeremy Taylor in the 1980s to transition the entire farm back to an organic, nature-friendly system. Ever since, we’ve been working tirelessly to restore the diversity of flora and fauna and plant miles of hedgerows and trees around the farm.
However, it is our pasture-fed livestock that are helping us do the crucial work of bringing an abundance of life back to the soils. They are our greatest asset and looking after them is our top priority!
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In 2022, we began our journey into regenerative farming, actively rejuvenating our soils and pastures, sequestering carbon back into the ground, and helping restore defunct water and nutrient cycles. The first step on this journey was our move towards adaptive multi-paddock grazing of our beef and dairy cattle. We are very excited about our plans for the years ahead - watch this space!
<< Our farming philosophy
Get involved >>
There are several ways to support the work we are
doing at the farm and get more involved...
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1. BECOME A CUSTOMER
By far the best way to support us is by joining our loyal customer base. We sell milk, cream, yoghurt, ice cream, rose veal, beef, and lamb - as well as eggs and bread.
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2. SPREAD THE WORD
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If you have tried our produce, or visited the farm and like what you see, please tell your friends, family and neighbours in the local area about us.
We can be found on Instagram and Facebook at @northastonfarms and @northastondairy.
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3. JOIN OUR MONTHLY NEWSLETTER
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Every month we send out a newsletter sharing a more detailed look at what's been going on at the farm. You can read the full archive of newsletters here.
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4. EXPLORE THE FARM
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There are several miles of public footpaths and bridleways crisscrossing the farm, and we'd love you to come and explore the farm and see the work we are doing firsthand.
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From time to time, we open the farm up for guided tours and other exciting events. More details will be announced in the newsletter (see above)!
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