How long have you been involved in farming? 
I’ve been around farming since I was a little girl but working in the farming sector since 2009.

What first attracted you to industry?
I’ve always had a great love of the outdoors from a very young age. I had ponies from the age of 2 so I was always outside. When I was younger we lived on a farm in Kettlestone where my dad was a farm mechanic. I have many pictures of me bottle feeding lambs or riding in a tractor. I went to agricultural college to study horses at school leaving age. As time went on life changed and so did adult responsibility. I sold my horse and my father bought me two dairy calves for my 21st birthday which I reared and then sold on. I also started working on a straw based pig finishing unit where we finished just under 2000 pigs on a high welfare system. We also reared calves on contract which I loved. This is where the love of sheep also started; I stared helping a brother and sister team with their Border Leicester sheep with lambing, at shows and so on. This then started me looking into other breeds, the Hampshire Downs caught my eye with their fluffy heads and velvet black nose, they were a winner for me. With easy lambing and they finish off grass, so I invested in 3 beautiful ewe lambs and the rest is history. I lambed them in my garage so I could hear them out of the bedroom window (I do have pictures for evidence ha-ha!).   

How do you find being a young women involved in agriculture?
I’m not going to lie I do find it tough.  I find it very lonely sometimes especially winter with shorter days. Being mostly male dominated you have to gain the respect and prove you can do as good a job as them. Men are known for their banter so you have got to have a strong back bone and brush it off or if you’re like me just give it back to them tenfold! I’m lucky enough to have worked alongside some fantastic farmers that have been flexible with working, as having two young children under 5 has it challenges. I’m quite an emotional person so I always cry if I lose a lamb or calf. I find nowadays there are more women in the farming sector as they have a more maternal side when it comes to livestock. I think our qualities as women In agriculture actually helps the tough males open up about problems (well slightly). Being a mum in agriculture has some very rewarding moments and some not so, but if you can juggle husband, boyfriend, partner, children and grab some you time you’re on to a winner. My fiancé and I work with each other all the time a we are one hell of a team when we are together yes we argue but we come as package and I’m very lucky.  

 How long have you had your Hampshire Down flock?
I’ve had my current Hampshire’s since July 2018 so just over a year, which was gifted to me from a very good friend. I’ve been involved in Hampshire’s since 2010 when I purchased my first 3 ewe lambs. Sadly I lost my last original hamp ewe in august of this year.

What first attracted you to the Hampshire Down breed?
It was their presence, with their velvet black ears and noses and wooly heads, they have a stubborn characteristics which I actually really like, it gives something about them. They lamb with ease and they are quick to get up and suckle. They are very hardy. They don’t need any supplementary apart from laming time. They have ad lib hay all winter when grass is in short supply. Just an all round great sheep.  

What is the history of the breed ?
The Hampshire breed was started about 150 years ago. The Hampshire Down was born from the cross of three different breeds, Wiltshire Horn, Berkshire knot and the Southdown. Over the last 50 year the Hampshire has been developed as a terminal sire  

How many Hampshire’s do you have in your flock?
We currently have 11 breeding ewes, 2 breeding rams, 1 ram lamb and 1 ewe lamb.   
 
What future plans do you have for your flock?
Over the next 3-5 years we would like to build up to 100 breeding ewes. Keeping hopefully all ewe lambs as breeding females, either to go to the showing flock or to the pedigree commercial flock. The showing flock will be made up of the best I can produce to sell on to other breeders. These will all be kept MV Accredited. We will hope fully build up our lamb boxes with our pedigree Hampshire lamb. 
 
As a native breed, are they still suited today commercial market?
Yes. The commercial market is changing. Farmers seem to want lower input but still get output from the lambs. This is where the Hampshire Down as a breed comes into its own. It’s a terminal sire which means it’s a ram that provides the genetics to optimise lamb growth, convert feed efficiency and lamb carcass quality. Cross bred lambs finish of mother’s milk and grass from 14 weeks of age. The Hampshire cross lambs and pure lambs are quick to get up and suckle moments from being born. Strong, hardy lambs which gives them the best start. We start lambing in December so the weather is not always the best and they cope so well in the hardest of conditions.

​What advice do you have for someone wanting to become involved with farming and sheep in particular?
My advice would be think about what aspect interests you and go with that. Don’t just go into anything because if you’re not dedicated you will most likely fail (been there and learnt the hard way!) I chose sheep because I’m passionate about my breeding and genetics. Producing a ram that will go on to produce cracking fat lambs for the commercial farmer or producing high quality show stock (early stages on both but that’s the plan) you must have the drive to want to be up at all hours. Endure the wonderful weather we have here on the British isle. Be willing to learn and adapted to different systems. Drive and stubbornness not to give up is one thing, I’ve learnt more over the past 5 years as things don’t always go to plan and things change. Always talk to an experienced shepherd or shepherdess to gain as much knowledge as you can, you may not like everything you come across but experience is a wonderful thing. But most of all love, love, love what you do as farming can be so rewarding.  

How long have you been interested in sheep and how did you get interested in them?
Cattle have always been my passion, but have always had a small interest in sheep which escalated when I first bought my Blue Texels in 2016. I was selling stores in Newark market when there was a pedigree sheep sale the same day, some smart blue ewe lambs caught my eye, I ended up buying my first 3 foundation females for my flock.

Why did you choose Blue Texels?
I have always liked them as a breed because they are small and shapey, so are easy for me to manage and handle them on my own. As well as there sassy attitudes they are a great terminal breed, that grow and grade well. 

How many blue texels do you have?
4 ewes; 3 foundation ewes,1 purchased for different bloodlines ,5 shearling ewes; 4 homebred, one purchased (champion ewe lamb last year) , 2 rams and 6 lambs. ​

Do you see your flock expanding?
My future flock plans are to expand to no more than 30 head, and concentrate on breeding quality females to sell in society sales. Any ram lambs are going to be castrated and I am going to market the meat to local pubs. I want to focus purely on breeding females for the time being.

What advice would you give to someone who is interested in getting sheep?
My advice for anyone going in to sheep is to research the breed suited for grazing and management system in place. Also think of the end target market, and what you are aiming for to breed and sell. ​

​When did you first come up with the idea of the ‘Calf at Foot Dairy’?
It was something I’ve always wanted to do, but The Calf at Foot Dairy seed germinated in 2009
 
What breed of cow do you use for your milk production, and what made you choose this particular breed?
The herd is mostly made up of Jersey cows, but we have crossed a few Red Polls in for robustness, helping to cut down on inputs. I chose the Jersey breed because my father recommended them when I bought my first house cow for my young family. The reason being, Jersey cows are quiet and small but with a big personality. They are easy to handle, very affectionate, easy calving and they weren’t so high yielding then and the milk is delicious and very creamy.

How many milking cows do you have?
We have around 18 milking cows but are only milking 14 a day due to some cows nursing their calves exclusively. We do not take milk if the calf needs it.

What does the average day consist of on your farm?
In the warmer months we gather the cows from the marsh at sunrise (too flipping early), then it’s up the lane ready for milking. The cows are milked just once a day and one at a time, coming into the parlour when their name is called.  After milking, the parlour is washed down and the milking machine is cleansed by mid-morning. All the milk is bottled and cooled, the washing up is done and the bottling shed is cleaned down.  We muck out all the sheds and yards/lounging areas and straw/bed up with pitch forks and barrow. At around lunchtime we pack up the milk into delivery boxes ready for the collection driver/courier in the afternoon.  Sometime in the afternoon/ when the cows decide they are ready, we walk them back down to their grazing marshes for the night.  We return to the yard to finish off any mucking out, filling feeders, checking water troughs etc for the morning.  The self-service customer fridges are restocked.  Office work has to be squeezed in and around the farming chores taking up about 4hrs per day.  
During the winter months the cows stay on the yard and the extra work is more mucking out and more feeders need filling (hay/haylage)
 
The idea behind your whole business is the health, happiness and welfare of the cows; how does your milk yields compare to ‘normal’ dairy farming?
Yield is not a priority to us so we don’t compare (but much less if we did, we probably get a third of the milk in comparison)

​​Why do you feel it is so important for the cows to keep their calves until weaning?
To make a cow have a calf to produce milk exclusively for us is going against nature and is one of the most extreme forms of animal exploitation. This is the whole essence of why I started the dairy; if you look on the website you will see the reasons.

​You sell your raw milk directly from the farm, which is the lowest food miles possible! Do you have any other outlets for your raw milk?
Yes, as well as our 24/7 self-service farm gate shop, we also have an online national delivery service. So we can send milk all over the UK for next day delivery!
​

​What obstacles have you come up along the way with your business?
Being told it’s a ridiculous idea to keep the calves with the cows.
Misogyny, finding money/land/farm, bad landlords, no locals doing things differently so advice and understanding is hard to come by as it’s all conventional thinking.

Where do you plan to take your business next? 
To use more regenerative holistic farming methods. As well as cutting down on inputs and plastic use. 

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You are a first generation farmer; do you have any advice to someone looking to get into farming that is not from a farming background?
To make sure you are 100% committed because you will fail if you have any other hopes/dreams/aspirations as livestock farming is a hard and relentless slog and if you have another calling you ain’t gonna last.  However if you know this is your calling then don’t ever let anyone convince you that you can’t do it, follow your dreams. Surround yourself with support from positive people who believe in you and your dream. Don’t be put off by other people and remember when/if they laugh it’s either because they do not understand or they feel threatened.  Focus and specialise on the one thing that grabs you the most, put everything into that and only once you have perfected that, then think about introducing the other things that will compliment it.  So for me the one thing that I really ever wanted to do was high welfare dairying. I loved and wanted to do so many other things but I have learnt over the years that by spreading myself too thinly I can’t be effective at anything. The other thing that grabs me is regenerative agriculture and holistic grazing methods, and only now after 7 years of becoming a registered dairy business I can think about implementing these to compliment my dairy and restore, soils, and the ecology in the environment I work.   
Also make sure you have the right animal and system for your environment and use social media well, to sell your story and your product. 

How long have you been working with Longhorn Cattle?
I moved to Buckinghamshire in 2013, I was drawn to David’s (my boss) enthusiasm so I knew it was the right decision for me to come and work with a breed I hadn’t worked with before It was a challenge to get to the top. It was also a great opportunity for me to shine, with the backing and support to get where we wanted to with the breed.

Where do the Longhorn originate from and what is their history?
History is being made by me!... The Longhorns are beef cattle that originate from Craven, in the North of England. The breed was initially used as a draught animal, which its body is well suited for; the milk was also collected for butter and cheese because of its high butterfat content. The notable long, curved horns that serve to distinguish this breed from others can make an individual appear aggressive, although by temperament they are usually friendly.

What would you say the most attractive attributes of the Longhorn’s are?
People seem to see a lot of negatives to the Longhorns, the horns are probably one of the first things to put people off. People need extra space because of the horns and they carry the negative stigma of many native breeds of being slow finishing. However, with the improvements within the breed this is no longer the case, if farmed correctly. There is such improvement in the breed now people look past the horns and see a good suckler cow. They have a strong maternal instinct, easy calving, high milk yield; they flesh out well with the right food. They will finish on grass (turning grass into flesh) better than a continental, and finishing quicker than most native breeds.  Higher profit margins within a beast, with not as much supplement feeding.

How many Longhorn’s do you now have in the Pointer herd?
We have 42 Longhorn cows, 15 two year old heifers which being introduced to the bull this spring. 5 bulls, 2 bought in and 3 homebred and all working. As well as the Longhorns we have Highland cattle. We have 5 different breeds of sheep; Hampshire Downs, Coloured Rylands, Exmoor Horns, Greyface Dartmoors and Valais Black Nose and finally... Middle White Pigs. All pedigree!

Back to the Longhorns...You are in the middle of calving at the moment; do you find the Longhorns to be good mothers?
Yes, excellent mothers and good temperament, but I am always cautious and I treat everyday like a new day every time I see them. As my temperament changes daily, so does theirs.

What do you do with your young stock; do you sell them on to other breeders or retain them for your own breeding stock?
We do a bit of everything, we wean all our young stock at 9 months then go through them all and work out what we want to be kept back to reintroduce in the herd. These are chosen for specific attributes, I am looking for length, locomotion (keeping fit and healthy on their feet), and decent growth rates. You start to understand what cows are breeding what! Anything that doesn’t make the grade has their horns removed and males will be castrated. These are then sold as stores straight away. The ones that make the top 25% are retained and haltered and any we don’t keep ourselves are available to buy both privately and at society sales. 

​Do you sell your Longhorn beef locally, if so what feedback have you had?
Our boss keeps a few for himself, just for his own private functions and events. Otherwise we sell the young stock as stores so not finishing them ourselves.
 
You show your cattle, what do you look for in a show animal?
I am looking for conformation, something that is stocky not fat but well fleshed. Length is important but you can’t always get flesh and length together. For the cows I want a nice feminine head and a bull to have a strong masculine head. I want width for easy calving and something, which walks well.  The horns are irrelevant, with this breed the horns do not have to be symmetrical and can go any direction, the horns are irrelevant to the butcher! 

Why do you feel showing is important for you and your cattle?
I think it is more important for the breed, whether it does me a favour or not because I have a good cow. It does a favour for the breed, which has had hard, times but is now on the up! It is a great selling platform for both the breed and me. It is even better when you are winning! Nothing better than your hard work paying off. 

​What is your favourite thing about owning cattle?
I am just addicted to cattle since my Grandfather introduced me to them. I couldn’t think of anything better than being with him and his beloved Dairy Friesian cows. I bought my first Highland cow with money I got from the Government to fund my college, but I realised my money would be better spent on a cow which I paid off £25 a week for a year! Now the rest is history!

What advice would you give someone looking to get cattle?
Don’t bother! No joking… it brings you great joys but sometimes it can be hard work and painful with loss but the good overcomes the bad and I wouldn’t want my life without cows in it!

I would like to say a HUGE thank you to Jamie, for taking the time to show we around the amazing Pointer farm. I had a fantastic morning learning all about the Longhorn cattle and being introduced to all the other breeds on the farm. I certainly learnt a lot and got a massive amount of inspiration for drawings and prints. If you would like to learn more about Pointer Pedigrees take a look at their website > www.pointerpedigrees.com and follow them on Instagram > @pointerpedigrees. 

Here is the pencil sketch which I did from a 2 year old heifer, her face was a especially difficult, even now I am not completely convinced by it. I spent so long trying to put the suggestion of her eyes, it is hard because you can barely make out their eyes through all their hair. After finding the drawing a little tricky I knew that the print would be even harder, as it is always difficult to put subtle detail into my hand stamped prints.