| Vauxhall City Farm | |
|---|---|
 Entrance to Vauxhall City Farm | |
  Location within central London | |
| Type | City Farm |
| Location | Vauxhall, London |
| Coordinates | 51°29′14″N0°07′09″W / 51.487139°N 0.119111°W |
| Status | Open year round |
| Website | https://vauxhallcityfarm.org/ |
Vauxhall City Farm is a city farm located in Vauxhall in the London Borough of Lambeth. The farm is run as a charity focusing on education, youth work, animal care and horticulture [1] and is a centre for Riding for the Disabled Association.
Vauxhall City Farm was founded in 1977 as Jubilee City Farm by a group of architects squatting at St Oswald's Place, following large-scale demolitions in the neighbourhood between 1972 and 1976. [2]
The farm contains animals such as alpacas, sheep, goats and pigs which are used for the farm's education and youth work as well as for filming and photo-shoots. [3] The farm's pigs have appeared on the Alan Titchmarsh Show [4] and the goats were used to graze a meadow on the roof of the Queen Elizabeth Hall on the South Bank in 2013. [5] [6] In April 2009 BBC London's 'Farmyard Cam' streamed live footage of the sheep at the farm. [7]
In October 2013, Vauxhall City Farm was approved for planning permission to provide a major overhaul of the farm alongside new affordable housing. [8] [9] In 2013, the farm was also granted a fund from Sport England and The National Lottery to build three new stables. [10]
Entrance to the farm is free, and there is a cafe and gift shop. [11]
The farm operates a therapy riding centre as well as youth and animal projects. Former riders at the farm include Sam Martin, [12] who trained to take part in the 2016 Summer Olympics. In November 2011 the farm offered twenty London families free riding lessons run by European Dressage Championship gold medalist Emile Faurie. [13] [14] It also hosts a group of Spinners who make yarn from the wool of the sheep and alpacas using dyes cultivated from vegetables and plants grown on the site. [15] [16]
The farm's riding school offers lessons for people with disabilities, [17] while children can "own a pony" during school holidays to learn how to care for them and ride them. A scheme with local schools and nurseries allows children to watch chicks hatch in their classrooms. [18]
The llama is a domesticated South American camelid, widely used as a meat and pack animal by Andean cultures since the pre-Columbian era.
Animal husbandry is the branch of agriculture concerned with animals that are raised for meat, fibre, milk, or other products. It includes day-to-day care, management, production, nutrition, selective breeding, and the raising of livestock. Husbandry has a long history, starting with the Neolithic Revolution when animals were first domesticated, from around 13,000 BC onwards, predating farming of the first crops. During the period of ancient societies like ancient Egypt, cattle, sheep, goats, and pigs were being raised on farms.
Pasture is land used for grazing.
Orf is a farmyard pox, a type of zoonosis. It causes small pustules in the skin of primarily sheep and goats, but can also occur on the hands of humans. A pale halo forms around a red centre. It may persist for several weeks before crusting and then either resolves or leaves a hard lump. There is usually only one lesion, but there may be many, and they are not painful. Sometimes there are swollen lymph glands.
A petting zoo features a combination of domesticated animals and some wild species that are docile enough to touch and feed. In addition to independent petting zoos, many general zoos contain a petting zoo.
The Royal Agricultural Winter Fair (RAWF), also known as The Royal, is an annual agricultural fair that is held in Toronto, Ontario, Canada during the first two weeks of November. It was inaugurated in 1922 in the Coliseum, on the grounds of Exhibition Place. It has since been expanded to also take up the Enercare Centre and remains an important exhibit for livestock breeders. Elizabeth II, as Queen of Canada, was the fair's royal patron. Members of the Canadian Royal Family have also been guests of honour at the fair. It is the largest indoor agricultural fair in the world.
The Rare Breeds Survival Trust is a conservation charity whose purpose is to secure the continued existence and viability of the native farm animal genetic resources (FAnGR) of the United Kingdom. It was founded in 1973 by Joe Henson to preserve native breeds; since then, no UK-native breed has become extinct.
Hillside Animal Sanctuary, based in Frettenham, Norwich, and with a site at West Runton, North Norfolk, is the United Kingdom's largest home for different kinds of farm animals and horses. The vegan-run sanctuary is funded entirely on public donations. The sanctuary was established by Wendy Valentine and its patron is actor Martin Shaw.
Woburn Safari Park is a safari park located in Woburn, Bedfordshire, England. Visitors to the park can drive through exhibits, which contain species such as southern white rhino, elephants, tigers and black bears. It is part of the estates of the Duke of Bedford that also includes Woburn Abbey and its 3,000-acre (1,200 ha) deer park. The Safari Park itself covers 360 acres (150 ha).
Hackney City Farm is a city farm and private alternative school in Haggerston Park, located in the London Borough of Hackney. It is situated at the junction of Hackney Road and Goldsmith's Row.
Animal fibers are natural fibers that consist largely of certain proteins. Examples include silk, hair/fur and feathers. The animal fibers used most commonly both in the manufacturing world as well as by the hand spinners are wool from domestic sheep and silk. Also very popular are alpaca fiber and mohair from Angora goats. Unusual fibers such as Angora wool from rabbits and Chiengora from dogs also exist, but are rarely used for mass production.
The alpaca is a species of South American camelid mammal. Traditionally, alpacas were kept in herds that grazed on the level heights of the Andes of Southern Peru, Western Bolivia, Ecuador, and Northern Chile. More recently, alpacas may be found on farms and ranches worldwide, with thousands of animals born and raised annually. Alpacas are especially popular in North America, Europe, and Australia.
The goat or domestic goat is a species of goat-antelope that is mostly kept as livestock. It was domesticated from the wild goat of Southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the family Bovidae, meaning it is closely related to the sheep. It was one of the first animals to be domesticated, in Iran around 10,000 years ago.
Meanwood Valley Urban Farm is a city farm established in 1980 in Meanwood, Leeds, England, which has animals and crops and an environmentally friendly visitors centre. The farm is on Meanwood Beck and occupies 24 acres (97,000 m2). The main entrance is on Sugarwell Road.
Big Barn Farm is a British live-action and animated children's comedy television series following the lives of four young animals on a farm which uses a combination of live-action and animation. It was produced by The Foundation and commissioned by Michael Carrington for the BBC children's channel CBeebies. It was narrated by Ben Fairman in the first series and Dave Lamb in the second series.
Assured Food Standards is a United Kingdom company which licenses the Red Tractor quality mark, a farm assurance programme for food products, animal feed and fertiliser. Multiple cases of animal abuse have been reported on Red Tractor assured farms.
A ranch is an area of land, including various structures, given primarily to ranching, the practice of raising grazing livestock such as cattle and sheep. It is a subtype of farm. These terms are most often applied to livestock-raising operations in Mexico, the Western United States and Western Canada, though there are ranches in other areas. People who own or operate a ranch are called ranchers, cattlemen, or stockgrowers. Ranching is also a method used to raise less common livestock such as horses, elk, American bison, ostrich, emu, and alpaca.
Wetheriggs Animal Rescue is a registered UK charity. Wetheriggs is an international animal rescue centre now located on the A66 just outside Barnard Castle in County Durham, England. The rescue centre takes in a wide range of animals apart from domestic cats and dogs. Many of the animals were previously pets which could no longer be looked after. The majority of the other animals have been rescued from around the UK. Some of the animals have also come from other animal centres on the world as part of swaps.
Agriculture has in the past been a major part of the economy of Wales, a largely rural country which is part of the United Kingdom. Wales is mountainous and has a mild, wet climate. This results in only a small proportion of the land area being suitable for arable cropping, but grass for the grazing of livestock is present in abundance. As a proportion of the national economy, agriculture is now much less important; a high proportion of the population now live in the towns and cities in the south of the country and tourism has become an important form of income in the countryside and on the coast. Arable cropping is limited to the flatter parts and elsewhere dairying and livestock farming predominate.
Drumlin Farm is a 291-acre farm and wildlife sanctuary which is also the site of the headquarters of the Massachusetts Audubon Society. It is located at 208 South Great Road in Lincoln, Massachusetts.
