The Ethical Herdsman

14/06/2026

Marshmallow harvesting!🤣
We make around 250-300 bales a year for the cows pre calving. ( Dry cows)
The grass is headed and mature and the long strands and high fibre make good feed that gives good feed value without having to intake large amounts.
Cows love it and for us it’s like opening a little ball of summer 😎
Made a start on moving them back to the farm this afternoon, going to keep us busy for a few days I think.
🐮🤠

13/06/2026

Morning everyone 🐮🤠

12/06/2026

10/06/2026

Suns shining! Calves are happy and healthy and I’m busy cutting grass.
At this time of year once the cows are finished in a field I then cut the grass to tidy up for the next time they graze it.
At the moment with lots of good growing conditions we have a lot of grass around. Cows and calves will be back in here in about 4-5 weeks by which time it will be lush, refreshed and a few less weeds🤠🐮

05/06/2026

Tea time gives me a chance to check in on the cows. Each evening we give a little bit of the parlour feed to the cows ( about 1/2 kg each) this evening was no exception except it was dry and the sun was shining which made a nice change on the rest of the week.
Have a lovely weekend folks and don’t forget your cheese orders. New selection box and restocked on cheese The Ethical Dairy website
🐮🤠

05/06/2026

Vet student time.
Had the pleasure of Angus’s company this week, a second year vet student at the Royal Dick vet school in Edinburgh.
Based near Dumfries Angus travelled in daily to assist with the daily activities.
A great help, next student arrives today 🤠🐮

Ps. Anyone that brings chocolate gets a good report 😉🤠🐮

03/06/2026

Someone was a little surprised to bump into me and three dogs out for a stroll. Thankfully only I spotted her about ten feet away, apparently a ball 🥎 is more interesting 😰
A real beauty 🥰

03/06/2026

Wet day jobs today, although we clean and rebed the cows twice a day throughout the winter. It builds up over time.
So today’s task is digging everything out ready to power wash for the next time.
Without the calves in the shed I would probably stop at this stage but to help with pathogen control and overall good health, a deep clean every summer makes life a lot easier for me and them.
Hope the sun is shining somewhere 😎, please send back so I can go back to mowing grass 🤪
🤠🐮

03/06/2026

📢 SAVE THE DATE 📢

🐄 The Farmers' View on Cow-Calf Contact

Join us for a fascinating webinar featuring two pioneering dairy farmers:

🌱 Charles Ellett-The Ethical Dairy
🌱 A.J. Capewell-Peckforton Dairy Farm

Chaired by Rachel Annan, this interactive panel discussion will explore how Cow-Calf Contact (CCC) systems work in practice. Hear directly from the farmers about their experiences, challenges, and lessons learned, with a live Q&A session giving participants the opportunity to ask questions.

📅 18 June 2026
⏰ 14:00 GMT
💻 Free Online Webinar
🗣️ Held in English

Whether you're a farmer, researcher, student, or simply interested in innovative and ethical farming approaches, this is an event not to be missed.

🔗 Register now: https://ucd-ie.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_a048iRODS0-mlFZiadtAXQ

01/06/2026

Happy world milk day 🥛
Let’s see if we can make every cow and herdsman happy in 2026