Rampisham Hill Farm in Hooke is farmed by David and Ruth Wilkins.  They were delighted to be this year’s winners of the Melplash Agricultural Societys Best Managed and cultivated small farm (199 acres and under).

David commented, ‘It was fantastic to be able to have the farm competitions back again this year. Expecting a large number of entries after the year out, we are very pleased to have been awarded first place for our overall farm management. The judge was able to visit our farm to examine our overall management of the farm, as well as our management of crops, livestock and the environment.’

Our story:

We farm at Rampisham Hill Farm in Hooke and sheep are currently our main enterprise.  We have bred Dorset Down sheep for 13 years now, as they are very well suited to the low input grassland the have on our farm. Originally the Dorset Down sheep came from a cross of Hampshire Down and Southdown breeds to create a breed renowned for its ability to be an outstanding Terminal Sire, producing fast finishing lambs off grass alone.  The Dorset Down sheep also has a very sought-after fine fleece with an excellent crimp and lustre, making it a perfect choice for spinners and weavers. Although the Dorset Down is now on the Rare Breed Survival Trust rare breed watch list, it still makes an excellent crossing sire on commercial ewes.

Installing the new carder

We are nearly at the end of two years of the planning and building of a wool processing mill on our farm ‘Rampisham Hill Mill’ and we hope to be able to start processing fleeces for other farms this autumn.  We will also be launching our own range of yarns and craft products for those that want to work with local wool, traceable back to the farm it came from, but don’t necessarily own any sheep themselves.

Looking to the future, we are aiming to continue to improve our flock performance, as well as building up our new wool mill diversification.

Supporting shows such as the Melplash Agricultural Show is vital for the local farming community to showcase to the wider region the importance of local farming to our economy and the environment and we look forward to hopefully being back on the showground in 2022’

David and Ruth Wilkins

Rampisham Hill Farm