WORK ON THE ESTATE

Farming
FIND OUT MORE
About OUR FARMS

Islay Estates runs an extensive in-hand farming operation over a large area of the Estate. The farming practices and livestock on the ground vary greatly across the Estate as the land and topography ultimately dictate what is possible. As a whole, the farm is operated with the environment in mind and operations are planned to complement the wildlife, flora and fauna and natural features.
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Livestock are reared naturally on the hill and on the in-bye land, where they graze all year round. Their diet is supplemented with silage that is grown on the estate and additional hard feed is fed in the winter as and when required.

WHAT WE FARM
Cropping
Our sheep flock
Our cattle
Sports

Our Barley cropping

We grow approximately 100 acres of barley on the Estate, which can be challenging due to the climatic conditions. The barley is sold to Bruichladdich Distillery for malting and the straw is retained for bedding young stock in the winter.

A flock of mule ewes graze the low ground on the Estate and all are run with the Suffolk tup.

We sell lambs from grass to Bridgend Hotel and the remainder are sold through United Auctions on Islay.

We have recently introduced a hill flock of Blackface ewes which are well suited to our expanse of hill land. The hill ewes are run with the blackface tup and a percentage of ewes are tupped by the Blue face Leicester to provide replacement for the Mule flock.

Pedigree registered Luing cattle are farmed on the Estate, they are well suited to the land on Islay and being native thrive in even the harshest weather.

We have recently started to cross some cows with the Simmental bull to begin the establishment of our Sim-Luing herd.

All our cattle are part of the High Health scheme and are blood tested annually to retain this status. The bullocks are grass reared and then sold on our menu in the Bridgend Hotel.

A stay at the Hotel also gives you access to Islay Estates’ famously fertile trout fishing.

Boats can be reserved on several lochs, or if you would like some bank fishing, this can be arranged at favourable rates. Your trout can even be cooked in the hotel for you. More information can be found here.