HEREFORD cattle have been thriving at Stitchcombe Farm, so much so that they have been rated the most improved herd of Hereford cattle in England for 2016.

Martin Gibson, of Grove Farm, claimed the award from the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board as his herd showed the greatest genetic gain for commercial characteristics over a 12-month period.

The news came as quite a surprise to the 55-year-old, who has only been in the Hereford cattle business for the last three years.

His results of improvement were recorded by the Hereford Cattle Society, crunched by a computer and then sent to him in the post.

"I am delighted to get this Improved Herd Award. As it is a statistical award we now need to provide the proof behind the figures," said Mr Gibson.

"Our aim is to be winning shows and selling our surplus breeding stock while keeping our local butcher happy. I was bowled over by it all, it came completely out of the blue.

"It took a lot of research, getting the top rated bulls, doing artificial insemination and improving the quality of the animals."

Situated in the Kennet Valley near Marlborough, Grove Farm is a 95 hectare farm with 69 hectares of grassland bordered by mature woodland.

Mr Gibson is from a farming background and he and his wife Ninna bought Grove Farm as a dairy unit in 1999 after his father’s farm was sold.

Five years later they made the decision to close the dairy herd and focus on beef production. They chose to use the Hereford, a native breed that suited their ambition and farming philosophy, valuing conservation and supporting ecological diversity within their grassland.

"We still have a long way to go but we are going in the right direction. All the big names in the industry for breeding capacity have won this award so hopefully we can emulate their success," added Mr Gibson.

The Stitchcombe herd comprises of 100 Hereford cattle and is run alongside a flock of 40 Hampshire Down sheep.