Rosewood Farm

08/10/2026

A fine choice of wildlife to adorn our bank notes, and all are species that can be found right here in East Yorkshire!

The results of the public vote are in

18/09/2026

Last week Rosewood Farm was visited by the food control officer from our local council and we’re pleased to receive a ‘very good’ food hygiene rating for our meat packing facilities & systems. 🍔🥩🍗. 😁🥳

16/09/2026

‘The ancient craft of hedge laying is experiencing a strong revival as farmers use techniques that peaked in the 18th and 19th centuries to boost wildlife, capture carbon and help tackle flooding. ‘

As we gear up for autumn work on the farm we took some time out to show off some of our laid hedges to Chris Thomond from the guardian. Laying hedges is not only good for the long term health of the hedgerow and wildlife that depend upon them, but it also creates a thorny barrier to our Dexter cattle.

‘It’s really taking off’: hedge revival as farmers rediscover ancient tools

You can see more pictures and read the full article here; www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/sep/15/conservation-gateway-drug-farmers-embrace-ancient-craft-of-hedge-laying

09/09/2026

Not all our orders are delivered by van…

Rosewood.Farm

31/08/2026

We’re enthusiastic to utilise new technologies on the farm to help us manage our land and animals better. One such feature of the NoFence GPS system is the ability to monitor activity levels and movements for individual cattle.

At around 11pm last night an alert came through to say that one animal’s activity levels had dropped below normal. This can mean one of two things, either the animal is ill & is moving around less or they have managed to lose the GPS collar. We were able to monitor the herd overnight and see that his activity levels had returned to normal this morning.

Here is a short clip showing the herds’ movements around the field since midnight.

20/08/2026

We hooked up the small baler again to join local volunteers in helping the Ellerton Church Preservation Trust to gather in the wildflower hay from among the gravestones of the historic Ellerton Priory church. Back in April the meadow here was awash with cowslips, and as summer started the Yellow Rattle, which we bolstered with some of our own seed last Autumn, was out in force too. Now that most flowers have seeded the crop is cut & removed to gradually reduce the fertility in the meadow and allows more wildflowers to compete over the coming years. Only the Great Burnet now remains around the gravestones as it continues to mature and set seed.

Deciding to use the baler to gather the hay, rather than piling it directly onto the trailer, allows us to compare the yield from one year to the next. Although we only have last year to compare with, at 16 bales in 2026 the yield is down by a massive 24%. No doubt the biggest factor has been the drought we have experienced this year, which has hit grass growth hard, but also we hope the reduced fertility from hay cuts, and the [hemi-parasitic] Yellow Rattle have also played their part.

It is perhaps counter intuitive that a farmer should be trying to reduce yields but wildflower hay is so much more than just a feed - it benefits nature and the character of the local landscape, as well as keeping our animals healthy and also makes the beef taste amazing.

The churchyard meadow is free to visit year-round but on Sunday 13th September 2026 Ellerton Priory church is also hosting a Heritage Open Day. The church will be open from 10.30 am until 5.00 pm with three chances to join Phil's legendary guides tours at 11.30, 1.30 and 3.30. Wonderful home baked refreshments and ample parking. Free to attend with donations to Ellerton Church Preservation Trust.

Location; YO42 4PD ///warmers.clinking.propelled

www.heritageopendays.org.uk/submission-event/ellerton-priory-church-churchyard-and-landscape.html

18/08/2026

Did you know that Askham Bog reopened to the public last month after a lengthy closure for refurbishment?

Hear on BBC Sounds as Yorkshire Wildlife Trust President Alastair Fitter describes what is so special about this ‘cathedral of nature conservation’, so close to York city centre, and what you may see when you visit.

www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0p2m4hk

14/08/2026

The ongoing drought affects the behaviour of many creatures such as this female butterfly that we rescued from the cattle’s water trough. Usually Purple Hairstreak (Favonius quercus) butterflies spend their entire lifecycle up in the tree canopy where we barely notice them. Presumably this one only came down to ground level in search of moisture before becoming stranded in the water. The species is the only UK butterfly that depends entirely, from egg to adult, upon Oak Trees, so is perfectly at home in our Oak woodlands and hedgerow trees.

10/08/2026

We’ve tried something a bit different for 2026 - growing a crop of wheat before establishing a new grass ley. Here the combine harvester cuts the crop and literally separates the wheat from the chaff, leaving us with a trailer full of grain for the hens and some straw to use as winter bedding for the cattle.

Before the advent of artificial fertilisers all arable crops were grown in rotation on mixed farms with grass leys & grazing livestock to build up soil organic matter before utilising the resulting fertility to grow a grain crop.

Last year we spread manure on this field before sowing the wheat and although the weather has been far from ideal (droughts & heatwaves do not make for good growing conditions) the manure helped to retain just enough moisture in the soil to produce a modest wheat crop that will be more than enough to feed our pasture raised chickens next summer.

28/07/2026

It's turnout day at
Conservation grazing is at the heart of what we do and we are delighted to be working with Yorkshire Wildlife Trust once again for the 5th year running.
Plenty for these guys to eat!