The Lint Mill

Colin and Debby are first-generation farmers near Carnwath in South Lanarkshire, Scotland. They established The Lint Mill in 2009, became Soil Association-certified organic in 2016 and recognised with the RBST Scotland Sustainable Small Farm of the Year in 2024.

“For us, farming here has never been separate from the rest of our life — the way we manage the land, keep our animals, and welcome guests in our B&B all comes from the same set of principles. We’re strong advocates for nature-friendly farming” says Colin.

We asked them a few questions about Heritage Farm Feeds and the build a pallet service.

What happens at The Lint Mill?

We focus on rare breed animals — our sheep are Soay and Castlemilk Moorit, our pigs are Oxford Sandy and Black, and our goats are Golden Guernsey and Bagot. We also rear turkeys for the Christmas market. We offer courses for people interested in small-scale farming, we host farm walks, and we offer luxury B&B for which we have a Green Tourism Gold Award.

What do you use from Heritage Farm Feeds? 

We build our own pallet through Heritage Feeds Online, tailored to each of our species. As smallholders, we don’t have the storage facilities to have feed blown in, so being able to order bagged feed — and build a pallet that covers everything from the sheep to the goats — makes a real difference to how we operate.

What was your situation like before using us and what challenges were you facing? 

Finding good quality feed that was affordable for organic production had become increasingly difficult. Many feed merchants only really wanted to service large-scale intensive farms, and smallholders like us often felt like an afterthought.

How have things improved since using the Build-a-pallet service? 

Our animals thrive on the feed — the quality is consistently high across every species we keep. We also get full nutritional breakdowns for every feed, which is essential for our own knowledge but also for our Soil Association inspections.

Would you recommend Heritage Farm Feeds?

Yes, without hesitation. We’ve recommended H J Lea Oakes to a number of people we know who rear their stock organically, and every one of them has come back impressed.

Who would benefit most from using this service? 

Smallholders like us, particularly anyone keeping several different species and needing bagged rather than blown feed, and especially anyone farming organically who needs traceable, well-documented nutritional information.

What would you say to someone considering using Heritage Farm Feeds? 

The customer service and delivery is excellent — if you have a question, they’re quick to answer and follow up to make sure everything’s as it should be.

For a full range of Organic Feeds click here.