Rosamund explains:

‘We have been farming for 70 years but at the beginning we just did what we felt was right and had never heard the word organic ( let alone regenerative).
We care passionately that all the animals should have a fulfilled and content life, which is the main reason we allow them to live in family groups. There are many benefits to this system apart from the animals enjoying each other’s company. When young calves live with a preponderance of adult cattle, they acquire immunity to parasitic worms and that means we don’t have to use anthelmintics; we haven’t used any for over 40 years.

We also encourage the sheep to live in family groups too and we can already see the benefits though we have had the sheep for a much shorter time than the cattle: 12 years as opposed to 70.

We have always felt that the land, the wildlife and the farm animals were all part of one holistic system and we have never used any chemicals on the land since we came here.

Everything is connected and if you use aggressive methods anywhere on a farm, it will have consequences somewhere else.

It’s like living at the source of a river: if you pollute the river, it won’t affect you but it will harm everyone downstream.

The pastures at Kite’s Nest are rich in herbs, clover and rare grasses. With diverse soil types ranging from heavy clays through alluvial loams to light stony Cotswold brash and small areas of both peat and sand.

The varied soil types support a range of different trees including willow, poplar and alder, walnuts, oak, ash, wild cherry and silver birch, as well as field maple, sycamore, with shallow rooted larch and beech trees.

Rosamund says:

‘The farms’ wonderful wildlife is hugely important to us not only as a source of visual pleasure but as an indication of the health of the whole farming system.’

‘Butterflies have long been regarded as ‘indicator species’ and scientists and conservationists worldwide recognise that if their numbers decline then human populations will suffer accordingly. Our wildflower meadows have been buzzing and fluttering with many brilliant kinds of butterfly, moth, grasshopper, bee and numerous other creatures. Our wild bird species are fabulous too as are our large numbers of different trees.’

‘Everything in life is connected and the way we treat our land and the creatures that share it with us has a definite impact, which radiates out in all directions.’

The Kites Nest herd is a single-suckle beef herd.

Calves are born outside, with cows naturally weaning their calves about 8 weeks before the next calf is born. Older calf remain in the herd as well, with its mother and other relations.

The cattle stay out all winter, though they are given the choice and a proportion of them sometimes choose to come indoors over night during severe weather.

Antibiotics are never used routinely, but the farms high welfare approach means they will treat the occasional individual animal with antibiotics if it gets a serious infection.

The farm is home to two flocks of sheep; Lleyn and Hebridean/Shetland. These sheep have a natural diet, grazing varied grasses and browsing trees and shrubs.

The farm is owned and run by farmer Rosamund and her partner Gareth. Rosamund has now written two books about her farming life. Her first being ‘The Secret Life of Cows’ and the second beautifully entitled ‘The Wisdom of Sheep and Other Animals: Observations from a Family Farm’