23/09/2026
Are you ready for a Farm Visit?!
Today: Castlegate Farm
Paul and Kim Billington took on the tenancy of the 200-hectare Castlegate Farm on the Peckforton Estate in 2022. Located beneath the historic Beeston Castle, the farm spans a range of soil types across the Cheshire Plain.
Paul grew up on a dairy farm in Cheshire, where his parents still farm today, and always had the ambition to build his own business. Securing a 25-year Farm Business Tenancy in 2022 enabled investment in a new 24/48 milking parlour and grazing infrastructure, creating a simple, low-cost block-calving system focused on efficient milk production from grazed grass.
Alongside developing the business, Paul and Kim are raising two young children and building a farm for the future.
The herd comprises around 340 Irish Friesians, originally purchased from Ireland as in-calf heifers. Cows calve in two compact seasonal blocks, with approximately 100 spring-calving and 250 autumn-calving cows. Producing around 7,500 litres per cow with high milk solids, the herd is bred using Irish genetics via Genus, with all replacements reared on the farm.
Grassland management is central to the system, with rotational grazing across permanent pasture and long-term leys. The farm receives around 1,000mm of annual rainfall and grows 27 hectares of maize, providing around 40% of the winter ration, which is fed without a mixer wagon. Contractors undertake silage making and slurry spreading, allowing the farm team to focus on livestock and grazing management. Milk is supplied to First Milk, with premiums linked to grazing, regenerative farming and environmental performance.
