Howemill

Also known as being a contrary madam and refusing to be told what to do 🤣🤣

Walking our bulls off the conservation grazing job they’ve been on for a couple of months - off to fill their bellies on deferred grass.

Thanks! NE Scotland got off lightly, generally don’t get too hammered from the south or west as we’re hiding behind the cairngorms!!

Oh lawks 🙄

Joel Williams presenting on the main stage at the conference

A slide setting out the six regenerative principles of understanding context, minimise soil disturbance, maximise crop diversity, keeping the soil covered, maintain living roots and integrate livestock.

Tallinn old town square at night after a light snow fall

I’m at the #NorthernRootsForum in Tallinn this week - what an incredible venue, line up of speakers and programme for the next couple of days 😃

Walking along the lane past #TheWeeMob with the dog today and some of the younger cattle came to say hello 👋

A little dawn wander down the road this morning for our Angus group (including bonus Dilly
Bean at the back!!)

Looks like some good resources already - have you seen this one

britishbirds.co.uk/journal/arti...

We’ve had some challenging weather over the last couple of weeks, but the cattle have been thriving!

The big thaw started overnight, looking forward to an easier week ahead… 🌱

Took Corrie out for her first full day beating today -hunted (+ even pointed ❤️) beautifully, still on the longline to ensure a solid recall.

I love beaters wagons - 20 dogs in here & not one grumble, bark, growl or snipe - all beautifully behaved & keen to do the jobs they were bred & trained for

Rootstock - Rootstock

Next month, Thursday 6 February: Rootstock, a future farming conference for the South West. Looking forward to speakers including Minette Batters, Hodmedods' Josiah Meldrum, @howemill.bsky.social, @jamesgyke.bsky.social, @no1farmerjake.bsky.social rootstock.ag #Agroecology #Devon #Cornwall

Low winter sun viewed through bare winter birch trees

Lovely late winter sun.

Temp is almost in double digits, which is weird and not very festive…but enjoying some down time though.

Hope you all have a lovely festive time Bluesky pals! 🎄

A windy morning for the Angus micro mob!

Fresh bite, and they can tuck into the treeline if they need to for shelter so they should be absolutely fine as this weather blows through 🌱

Close up photo of a cows nose

Vet holding a cows hoof

Snowy field in the dark with a cow walking away in the dark

Ooft!
Bit of a day - woke up to unexpected snow, headed out to find the cows not being where they were meant to be, a vet visit for an injured leg on our only remaining gallloway cow and then half the herd got out again this evening in the dark 🤦🏼‍♀️

…and is a one of the deep levers of transformation for sustainability as set out by Dave Abson et al (2017)….building on the work of Donella Meadows 40-50 years ago.

“Stuff like "less livestock" is fairly obvious.” Whoah there…is it? Because there’s plenty of us showing that a whole pile of assumptions made about livestock are incorrect…so I’m not convinced at how obvious this is.

Winter sun coming through old birch trees, there is a dog in the middle ground looking towards the camera

Frosty, sloping field in the foreground with a view across wooded valley and rolling hills.

What a braw day it was yesterday 🤩

With around 6.5 hours daylight at this time of year, I make a real effort on desk based days to get out for some afternoon winter sun ☀️

A great mental reset 🧘🏼‍♀️

Water coming off the hill nice and clear.
Permanent pasture delivering the goods after snow and rain 🌱🌱

A vest is pregnancy testing a cow in a cow crush, whilst two men stand next to the vent to review the results with him.

Over the moon and beyond elated that both our herds scanned at 100% in calf yesterday 😃

Here’s hoping for an easy(ish) winter weather wise so we can cruise through to spring 🌱

Seven people stand in a line - including the poster of this photograph who is third in from the left.

Great day today with Pasture For Life at the Moredun event: The role of livestock in future food security.

A privilege to represent grass fed systems and talk about what we do with HRH The Princess Royal.

Thank you @pjskuce.bsky.social for the invitation

With ongoing calls to reduce meat & dairy consumption, important to remember different production systems deliver really high levels of efficiency given that people can’t eat grass & that grass fed systems deliver beneficial health outcomes for people👇

www.pastureforlife.org/research/re-...

Ah no - up the road from there, Wye Valley. Mostly maize and wheat/barley.

A small group of black cattle graze to g grass next to and among winter bare birch trees. There are some patches of snow on the ground.

Our little Angus group have been doing really well this week in the snow - the melt is on, and they were enjoying some shelter from the wind this morning in the trees 🌳 🐂🌳

#CowsInTrees

Agree with that Simon. Get it under grass AND get the grazing management right.

Grass has huge benefits for flood mitigation.

We need waaaay less bare soil exposed in these more challenging rain events during autumn/winter.

What are the main blockers to practice change that will keep more soil in-field? It’s an expensive thing to lose. 2/2

In Gloucestershire today and having driven a ten mile stretch this morning the difference between pasture run off 💧 and cultivated run off 🟤 was so so stark.

Calls for reduced livestock numbers and a need to create more resilient farms are becoming increasingly incompatible 1/2

What a joy to be listed alongside some legends!!

Thank you 🙏🏼

A snowy scene, looking over a fence into woods, with a small cow in the distance poking its head over a gorse bush.

I’m in Edinburgh this week then heading to Somerset for the LandAlive conference - quick check on our wee Angus group before I left home! ❄️

@robyorke.bsky.social good to see you here 👋

If we get 2ft snow and repeated freeze thaw, yes.

So we have them strategically placed ready for that sort of weather.