Peregrine Aubrey 63 farms sheep on around 370 acres near Slapton based at Eastergrounds Farm which is the home of Innovative Sheep Breeding.
Originally from Kent, he moved to the area in the 1970s and his father Robin owns the farm.
Peregrine has created two breeds of sheep, Maternal Performancelleyns and Maternal ProlleyNZ, lifting production by seven per cent using a composite breed imported from New Zealand on his maternal flock.
He describes this as: “The Best of British and the Best of New Zealand.
“It was thanks to a good friend that I had access to New Zealand genetics.
“We're selling some genetics in order to balance the books and pay for all
the time and trouble of collecting data and breeding superior genetics.”
Peregrine added: “I would like to roll out these breeds further afield but the problem is the cost of advertising.
“Putting flyers into Farmers Weekly would cost £8,000 and neither sheep nor beef are very profitable compared with dairy, chickens and pigs.”
Sheep gestate for around five months (between 142 and 152 days) and the lambs are due to be born around March.
Ewes can give birth to between one and three lambs in a single pregnancy.
The ewes are fed fodder beet grown on site and spring barley, herbal leys and cover crops are also grown on the farm.
Some lambs are sent for slaughter aged around five or six months while other go for mutton, mainly aimed at the Islamic Halal market aged over 12 months.
Peregrine added: “The peak is from April through to July.”
Peregrine has around 1000 sheep in a large shed, these are those expecting three lambs and, reflecting his own choice of listening, are kept entertained by BBC Radio 4.
Those expecting one or two lambs are kept outside in a field.
Peregrine says in farming you have to plan ahead: “When you put a fence up, you're having to think almost 30 years ahead, which no other business, because fencing's really expensive if you're paying for it.
“It only works economically if you can think about 30 years ahead, so most other businesses would talk about a five, maybe at a push a 10 years cycle, with farming you have to think far longer than that.”
So what of the next generation?:
“I have three sons and two are still at home.
“They all want ‘proper’ jobs.
“The 25 year old is a chartered surveyor, the 18 year old wants to do computer science at university and the 15 year old keeps changing his mind, he is coming up to GCSEs and is good at everything.
“They want an easier life, better standard of living and you can't blame them.
“It is also made more difficult by the changes to inheritance tax.
“The wife helps when necessary but works as a physiotherapist for people with learning disabilities so she has more than enough to do.
To find out more about Peregrine’s work visit: https://www.innovative-sheep-breeding.co.uk/