Livestock
Sheepdog Breeds: The Border Collie, the New Zealand Huntaway and Which Dog Fits UK Farms
A dog, a flock, and a conversation you can barely hear.
From the fields and beyond
Livestock farming in the UK
UK livestock coverage from an editor’s seat: beef, sheep, dairy and pigs — gate-price policy, bTB testing changes, antibiotic targets and the welfare standards under debate. Tim Harfield doesn’t run livestock himself, but livestock policy sets the rural-economy weather for every farm.
Livestock
Soay Sheep of St Kilda: Britain’s Most Primitive Breed
Meet the small island sheep that kept her independence.
Livestock
Swaledale Sheep: Breed Guide, the Mule Connection and Life on the High Moors
Tim’s take: The Swaledale is the sheep on the Yorkshire Dales National Park badge, and for once the marketing is accurate: the high Pennine moors are Swaledale…
Livestock
Blackface Sheep: The UK’s Most Numerous Breed and Why the Hills Run on It
Tim’s take: Stand on any Scottish hill road long enough and the sheep that walks out in front of the car will be a Blackface. No breed…
Livestock
Orf in Sheep: Symptoms, Treatment and When to Vaccinate
Tim’s take: Every flock meets orf eventually, usually in the lambing shed, usually at the worst moment: a pen of thriving lambs one week, scabby mouths and…
Livestock
Sheep Breeding in the UK: Tupping Dates, Ewe Lambs and Ram Ratios
Tim’s take: Sheep breeding decisions get made in August and paid for in March. The ram going in this autumn sets next spring’s lambing percentage, the labour…
Livestock
Cattle Gestation Calculator: Calving Dates for UK Herds
Use this cattle gestation calculator to turn any service date into an expected calving date, then plan the scour vaccination window around it.
Industry
How Much Does a Cow Cost in the UK? (2026 Prices)
Current GB deadweight values turned into per-head money, why there is no public national price for store and breeding cattle any more, and the CPH number and…
Industry
How Much Does a Sheep Cost in the UK? (2026 Prices)
Live per-head figures from the August 2026 trade, the arithmetic behind a finished lamb's value, why breeding ewes have no national price, and the CPH registration you…
Livestock
Crofting in Scotland Explained: Crofts, Duties, Grants and How to Get One
Crofting supports 21,000 crofts and 30,000 people in the Highlands and Islands. How crofts work, the duties involved and the grants available.
