A Day in The Life: Dick Tucker, Exmoor Horn Farmer

In celebration of our brand new Limited Edition Lana mattress and bed set by Vispring, this week, we are in the beautiful hills of Exmoor to visit Dick Tucker on Lucott Farm, where his family has been farming for over 70 years. He’s one of only 120 registered breeders of the native Exmoor Horn, one of Britain’s oldest native breeds.

But what does a day in the life of a sheep and cattle farmer in one of the World’s most beautiful locations look like? We followed Dick Tucker around Lucott Farm to see for ourselves.

As a sheep and cattle farmer with lots of other job titles rolled into one, what I do very much depends on what time of year it is.

The first task each and every day is to start by essentially checking all of the livestock. I’m looking for problems! In the spring and when we’re lambing, the ewes get monitored 24hrs a day, and then gradually, as the lambs get older, they get moved further away from the farm.

When shearing has happened (2nd week in June), it means that the ewes will have a daily check as there’s no risk of them getting cast (stuck) on their back from getting too hot carrying around all that extra wool.

The farm is very busy in the summer, harvesting, collecting, and storing feed for the winter months.

In the autumn, we ensure that the ewes are in the best possible condition to prepare them for the winter months and when they meet the rams (daddy sheep).

The winter consists of a lot of additional feeding. While the grass doesn’t grow, the ewes require special feed to keep them and the lambs they are carrying in the best possible health before the spring.