Manifesto

We will never buy or use pesticides. Ever.

This one is simple - we just don't believe in halfway houses.   We're not going to tinker around with it, using 'organic alternatives', or whatever, we're just going to make the best of whatever Nature cares to provide.   So far, it's been enough and we see no reason to change.

Our electricity comes only from renewables

 One day, fossil fuels will run out, and we aim to have the food supply ready for that eventuality!  We're not able to currently generate all our renewables here on the farm, so we also use Octopus Energy, who supply purely renewable energy. 

Land Use

Our cattle are not fed what could have been eaten by humans instead. They remain 100% grass fed throughout their lives. We don't believe in diverting human food to animals - that's not their role in sustainable farming.   Our animals live on our native pasture - all but 20 acres of our grassland is part of the remaining 3% of unimproved pasture left in Britain and we see it as vital to preserve it.


 

Poop Power

We're big believers in old-fashioned muck!  Manure is our only fertiliser and because we don't use chemical wormers routinely, our muck is biologically active and rots quickly, only releasing smell when disturbed for mucking out and spreading.   Slurry simply isn't on our agenda.   We use our hay for bedding, so the 'goodness' we take from the land is returned to it.

Small tractor turning hay

Sustainability

No doubt about it, few people want to be out in the burning sun with a scythe these days, so we are reliant on tractors to cut the acreage we now have.   However, we purposely run small tractors at just the right horsepower for the job which saves a LOT of diesel use. We also actively experiment with alternatives to drive down fuel usage too.

Food Freedom

This might seem an obscure one, but to us it is vitally important to maintain our independence from the global companies which control farm animal genetics. We wouldn't want to be reliant on them, lest they start to control the 'tools' of our trade. The animals they produce also typically require far more intense inputs than we think is neither sustainable nor financially worthwhile to relinquish, so we need our own tough, thrifty stock!

Outdoors

Call us old fashioned, but we think the act of grazing is probably important to the well being of a grazing animal. For that reason, we like to let them do it for as long as possible!  Thanks to our grazing system, we can graze up to 10 months of the year even on wet ground without damaging it. Because we graze a nature reserve, we keep in mind flower and nesting timings.

 

Truly British

Keeping money in our local economy is important to us.   We carefully check out the few suppliers we do use and stay as local as possible. When you give a £ to Rosewood, it will in turn be spread around other independent British businesses, so it works hard for OUR country's economy, not disappearing into a tax haven somewhere...

Nature

We don't mind taking time out to create opportunities for wildlife - sightings brighten our day!   Through our close relationship with Natural England, our land provides space for the nestboxes built via their volunteer scheme - already we have numerous owl and swift boxes in situ.

 

Waste

Putting ALL the emphasis on meat has put a lot of pressure on animals and farmers to get bigger, leaner, faster.  Not only does utilising less popular parts of the animal save waste and imports, it allows us breathing space on growth rates and feed requirements, as muscle mass is only a part of the income from each animal - please support this important aspect of production!

 

Replanting

 Hedges don't just help wildlife - they provide shelter for our stock and make stock logistics easier, so we're more than happy to put more in when funds allow and have already reinstated many hedges here on the farm. If you'd like to donate to put up another hedge in the Yorkshire countryside, just let us know!