Cockle Park Farm
Cockle Park farm is a 262 ha mixed farm situated about 18 miles north of Newcastle upon Tyne and is owned by the University. The farm is let to the School as a tenant farming unit.
The principal objectives of the farm are to provide:
- A research facility especially in the area of livestock production
- Demonstration facilities for teaching purposes
- A viable farming business
- Provide space for interdisciplinary research, educational facilities and equipment demonstration
The farm's revenue is broadly comprised as follows:
- Milk sales - 50%
- Crop sales - 17%
- Livestock sales - 33%
Farming is based on the following livestock:
It also grows conventional arable crops such as:
The farm has been part of the facilities of the university since 1896 and was one of the first experimental farms to be established in the country. The farm is home to the world's oldest continuous grazing and hay cutting experiment on the Palace Leas Meadow. The original farm buildings include Cockle Park Tower which is a scheduled ancient monument.
The farm is also home to the newly installed Anaerobic Digestion Plant, which will generate heat, electricity and digestate - an organic fertiliser from the farm’s pig and cattle manure.For further information on Cockle Park, or to arange a visit, please contact he University farms' director Dr Philip Cain, or the farm manager David Watson.
Cockle Park Farm
Newcastle University
Ulgham
Morpeth
Northumberland
NE61 3EA