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 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. 

These are my final hand stamped prints which I created from my pencil drawings. I take all the 'main' shapes from my drawings to create simple stamps from, which I then use to build up and create the coloured prints. I then work back into the stamped prints, putting in all the characteristics and detail. I am really pleased with how these prints have turned out, I think it is mostly because of the character and distinctiveness of the Hardwick breed. They also have such variety of texture and colour within their fleeces which really compliments the hand stamped technique. 

                     Arya, one of Helena's ewes due to lamb in March.

How long have you been interested in sheep and how did you become so involved with them?
I have been interested and involved with sheep from an early age, having grown up on a farm and working alongside Mum and Dad.

What made you choose the Norfolk Horn?
They are practical but a different and characterisitc breed, with their horns making them look nice.

​How many Norfolk Horns do you have now in your flock? 
I now have 17 ewes, all to lamb this coming season.

​What is the temperament of Norfolk Horns? Are they easy to handle with their horns?
They can be quite naturally unsettled if they are not looked over regularly enough, but once they know you they are calmer and easier to work with.

How many lambs have you had this year?
This year, I had 12 lambs for the 7 ewes that lambed.

What do you plan to do with this years lambs?
As this years lambs were Norfolk Horn x Charollais hopefully they will all be sold as freezer lambs in about two months time.

What are you looking for in a 'good' Norfolk Horn?
I always look for nicely shaped horns personally, but they should have a good conformation all round too.

Do you have Norfolk Horn Sheepskins made?
Yes, we have them back from the lambs.

​Do the Norfolk Horns make a good sheepskin?
Their sheepskins are very similar to the Suffolks and the Charollais sheepskins, being thick and varying colours from cream to more speckled and some darker brown, but they are slightly smoother usually. 

What is your favourite thing about owning sheep?
The satisfaction and pride at lambing time, especially seeing new borns.

What advice would you give someone looking to get sheep?
Choose a practice and relatively calm breed, to make handling them easier.

These are the hand stamped prints of the beltex sheep which I created from the pencil sketches that I did to begin with. It is always difficult doing an animal that doesn't have a bold colour, especially when it is white/cream and making it stand out. However, the Beltex is so distinctive and striking looking that I think that the portrait is really effective.

​How long have you been interested in sheep and how did you become so involved with them?
I had always wanted sheep and kept asking my Dad if I could have some lambs but on a particular day in March 2014 he said ‘yes!’. I started with five orphan lambs, I then sold the two male lambs to a local vendor and kept the three ewe lambs for breeding. This was the beginning my commercial flock. I bought cross beltex ewes and a beltex cross tup and I liked the lambs and this was when I decided I liked the breed. I then went on to buy three pedigree Beltex shearlings and two ewe lambs in 2017. As well running my pedigree flock of Beltex which MV accredited, I run separate commercial flock alongside. 

Why did you choose the Beltex breed?
I was first attracted to the Beltex because of their conformation and pretty heads. As well as this they are popular for the meat trade with their muscle conformation, producing lean meat which grades well. They do take a little longer to finish but there is more taste in the meat for the customer. I have found that using a Beltex tup on my commercial flock has been successful and produce better shaped lambs. The Beltex ewe produces a small lamb, which is strong and fast growing, they have good maternal instinct and make extremely good mothers. 

​How many Beltex sheep do you now have in your flock?
In my Beltex flock In total I have 6 ewes, 5 ewe lambs and 2 ram lambs, 2 tups and 10 shearlings to breed with this year. In my commercial flock I have 80 ewes, 4 tups and 170 lambs (I have already sold quite a few of the early lambs).
 
What do you plan to do with this year’s lambs; will you be selling them on or retaining some for breeding stock?
I will keep all my Beltex ewe lambs to go to the tup in september 2019, I plan to sell the ram lambs as shearlings for other flocks. With my commercial lambs, I sell them all to a combination of local butchers and private customers as meat boxes. I started doing farmers markets in August 2017, I was approached by Hickling Farmers Market who were interested in having home reared lamb. Since then I have started attending more farmers markets including Stalham and Aldborough. Farmers Markets has been a great place for me to promote my stock and the home reared lamb I produce and has lead to a lot of repeat custom.  

​You have recently sheared your sheep, why is this important to do at this time of year?
I started to shear in February but this was purely just for my show shearlings, so that by the time the agricultural shows come about their fleece has come back. Otherwise I shear in May and this is important to prevent them from getting fly strike in the warmer weather. When a sheep sweats they can’t release the heat through their wool this is when the flies start hanging around and lay their eggs in the fleece, which turns into maggots which then begins to eat the sheep alive. This is a big problem with sheep in the Summer months and the main reason we have to shear them. 

You show your Beltex sheep, what do you look for in a prize-winning Beltex?
When I am looking for a good animal I want good muscle conformation, an animal that stands nice and square and walks well, an animal that catches your eye with presence in the field. Straight back and good width between the loin. Specific traits within a Beltex you would definitely want is a small head. 

What is involved in your show preparation?
To start my show preparation I have to halter train the sheep so I know that the can walk and get in and out of the ring with out too much embarrassment! When they are in the ring they are shown off the halter so you want to be able to catch them reasonably easily. Bathing is the main preparation to get the grease out their fleece and also trim their fleece so that they look shapely and well presented.

​Why do you feel showing is important for you and your sheep?
I feel showing is important as it is a chance to show my stock off to potential buyers, especially as I am hoping to sell my ram lambs onto breeders. It is also a chance to promote my meat as people get the chance to see the animals I am producing. 

What advice would you give someone looking to get sheep?
Have patience, they can make you very stressed! Sheep are idol, they always want to do the opposite of what you want. You have got to love sheep! If you want to get into them on a larger scale get a dog as this will make your life easier.

​What are your plans for your flock over the next few years?
I hope to expand my pedigree Beltex flock to 100 and to be able to take my stock to the larger sales to help promote my flock (St.Theobalds) and get my name out there. With my commercials I plan to get up to 500 breeding ewes, continuing to cross them with Beltex tups and continue to sell the meat both to butchers, markets and farmers markets. 

I am already looking forward to continuing to visiting more farmers with their livestock and creating more prints for future design ideas!

These 12 cards will be available to purchase on the website individually and in a pack of 12, take a look at the 'CARDS' section in the 'SHOP'.