Life On The Farm
Unexpected Snowy weather on the farm
Who’d have thought within a few weeks of relocating to the new farm in the North Yorkshire Moors National Park we’d be covered with a blanket of snow in the first few days of December. The snow wasn’t forecast and […]
It’s a whole new learning curve.
Starting out again on a new farm was never gong to be easy. It’s nearly 3 weeks since I moved my Iivestock on the farm and no two days are the same. Between Frodo the Hebridean ram lamb jumping out […]
Big Move to a New North Yorkshire Moors Farm
It’s taken a lot of planning, months of stress but I’m finally relocated to my new farm in the North Yorkshire Moors National Park. Having started farming just 2 years ago at the age of 50 it’s a huge move. […]
In with a Bang.
The 5th of November is a history date in the farming calander as it’’s the start of the tupping season for many farmers. It’s an old proverb “in with a bang out like a fool”, so the thought is, bonfire […]
Shortlisted For British Farming Awards
I’m excited to announce I’ve been shortlisted in the Against The Odds category of the British Farming Awards. These annual awards recognises British farmers and agricultural businesses for their commitment, resilience and innovation to an industry that consistently serves the […]
#Farm24 2023
It’s #FARM24 2023 and I’m proud to be involved and support one of the largest digital events in farm that showcases what great work farmers do. The event starts from 5:00am 3rd of August for 24 hours and allows farmers […]
Damian Barson’s Podcast Interview with Rural2Kitchen
Wallace Currie from Rural2Kitchen podcast says the following about our interview. Damian, who has worked in finance, sales and owned businesses in those sectors too has had one constant in his life, training dogs. At 16 he took on his […]
2023 Great Yorkshire Show
As an ambassador for CFMOTO UK it was great to be invited to visit the Great Yorkshire Show and provide my support. I met some amazing people and talked all about the current and new models that have planned for […]
My Podcast Interview with Becca & Lizzie
Click the link to listen to my podcast interview with Becca & Lizzie discussing my farming journey and the challenges I’ve experienced as a first generation farmer at 50. Listen to my podcast.
Why we Shear Sheep
With the weather getting warner sooner than expected and the sheep in heavy fleeces I decided to have last year ewe lambs shorn earlier than the rest of the flock which are still feeding lambs and unable to be sheared […]
Update on Lambing 2023
We’re a couple of weeks into the lambing 2023 season. It started off slowly and like other farmers throughout the UK, I was hit with really dreadful weather. It’s been a disappointing lambing season for many farmers who lamb outside […]
Working with CFMOTO
Since I started farming, I’ve relied heavily on my CFMOTO CFORCE 520S to get me around the farm. I purchased the ATV from Courtfield ATV Services and have been really pleased with it’s performance. I always describe it as getting […]
New lambs arrive on the farm
Today I started lambing with the arrival of a set of twins. Unfortunately, next lambing was triplets, with the ewe struggling I quickly intervened. The first and third was dead, second I managed to revive but unfortunately she didn’t survive […]
How important is a good sheepdog on your farm?
Today is the official first day of my 2023 lambing season. With the promise of good weather and some of my fields being boggy, I made a last minute decision to move ewe lambs across my farm and the pregnant […]
A week to go until 2023 lambing commences
It’s that time of year again in the farming calendar. A week today on the 2nd April I commence my second lambing season of my farming journey. It’s only twenty months since I started farming as a first generation farmer […]
A visit to a Cumbria Farm
With huge plans for 2023 I was lucky to be able to visit a farm opportunity in The Lake District National Park this week. Whilst visiting I met some beautiful Herdwick Sheep that are one of Cumbrias heritage breed. Visiting […]
Farmers Guide Interview about the 2023 MindYourHead Campaign for Yellow Wellies
This week is Yellow Wellies Charity – MindYourHead mental health awareness week campaign to help highlight the need to recognise mental health within the farming community. As an new 2023 ambassador for Yellow Wellies I was happy to be interviewed […]
The Mind Your Head campaign (Yellow Wellies Charity) 13th – 17th of February
The Farm Safety Foundation’s Mind Your Head campaign aims to dispel the myths and tackle the stigma attached to poor mental health in the farming industry • The Mind Your Head campaign was started by the Farm Safety Foundation (Yellow […]
Fingers Crossed for a good Scanning Result
It’s that time of the year again where we pray for a great result from sheep scanning of my ewes. Today Meg from What_The_Flock visited my farm in my second year of scanning to scan my ewes. As it’s only […]
Photo Shoot with Farmers Guardian – Skye my Border Collie
Wow what a great photo of my Skye. I was lucky enough to be interviewed by Emily Ashworth at the Farmers Guardian (click hereclick here) on my journey into farming. This is a photograph taken by Marcello Garbagnoli which wasn’t […]
2023 Lambing Time and Dog Attacks on the Farm
For many that follow my social media and blog you’ll have read about the horrific dog attacks in 2022 on my sheep that resulted in one of the ewes being killed leaving an orphan lamb without a mother. As the […]
Interview with Farmers Guardian
Farmers Guardian Article Back in November I was fortunate enough to be interviewed by Farmers Guardian to discuss my journey as a first generation farmer at the age of 50 and how my World Record Border Collie Skye is progressing. […]
Merry Christmas from Tessleymoor Farm
I’d like to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas from the farm. This has been my first full year of farming. I started my journey as a farmer in May 2021 with no experience and no equipment, after purchasing my […]
Wow these guys are growing quick – Piglets on the Farm
It’s only been three weeks and wow I can’t believe how quick they are growing. Look at the size of my new piglets on my farm. My last Saddleback pigs were a lot friendlier than these guys, maybe its the […]
New Pigs On The Farm
If you’ve followed by farming journey for a while, you’ll remember my Saddleback pigs. They were a lot of fun to have around and the pork packs went down really well. Yesterday I collected some new pigs for the farm. […]
Tupping Time At Tessleymoor
I’m learning as I go as a first-time farmer. I like to follow tradition – what has worked for generations for other farmers is good enough for me. For example, with tupping time the saying goes: go in with a […]
How hard is it to keep Boer Goats on Tessleymoor Farm
It’s been just over a year since we first introduced Boer goats to my farm. At first the attraction of a few goats followed by kidding, was what drew me to owning these animals. We started with 3 but quickly […]
New Hebridean Sheepdog Training Sheep – Tessleymoor Farm
Last week saw the addition of a further 10 sheepdog training sheep to my farm. Having used 5 Welsh sheep for sometime, they’d started to become almost robotic in their traits, when training a dog across them. Therefore I decided […]
Photo Shoot with Skye my Border Collie – Sheepdog Training
As I grow my social media presence through YouTube and my film production tutorials, I was fortunately to have Jack my tutor and friend to call at my farm to photograph Skye whilst she was working and training. This photo […]
Ram Lambs Growing Well
2022 Lambing at the farm commenced in March and yielded a good percentage especially as it was my first ever lambing season since setting up my farm in 2021. Lambing only 39 shearlings I had 72 lambs but unfortunately losing […]
Get Your Tessleymoor Farm Merchandise
Here at Tessleymoor Farm we really appreciate the support and interest we have received in our farming journey. To celebrate a year at the farm, we have launched a range of farm merchandise so you can show your support for […]
It’s time to plan tupping time 2022
Wow it’s that time again and it’ll be my second year of tupping season. Last year I put Whisky my coloured Ryeland tup in with my shearlings around the 28th of October so it’s time to start planning. With just […]
Update on a busy few weeks on the farm
Despite my plan to bring more video content to my YouTube channel the last few weeks have been manic. So I thought it’d be easier to combine all the events into one video. We’ve erected around 2500 metres on new […]
Extreme Weather Affecting Farming In The UK
This last week has seen temperatures soar to over 30 degrees. This has affected many farmers across the UK. Unlike farms in the south, I’ve had green grass that has enabled me to graze my livestock. The only issue I’ve […]
Farm24 – Tessleymoor Farm
It’s great to be part of Farm24 this year. This is an initiative set up by The Farmers Guardian to show the public the passion and commitment it takes to produce the food we eat. I’m just over a year […]
New Ways To See What’s Happening At Tessleymoor Farm
I’m happy to launch a new and exciting way for you to see what’s happening at Tessleymoor Farm. Over recent years in my dog training business, there’s been a massive move to online training. Covid contributed to this with the […]
Second dog attack and this time it’s fatal
I reported on Tuesday about the horrific dog attack on my favourite mule sheep. Unfortunately on Tuesday night another attack occurred where my Ryeland Ewe wasn’t as lucky. Unlike my Hexham Blackface Mule, the Ryeland breed isn’t as strong and […]
Dog Attack On The Farm
This morning I was doing my checks on the sheep as usual. I noticed my favourite ewe, who has successfully raised triplet lambs, stood on her own in the field with just one lamb. As I approached her I saw […]
Difficult Birth To End Lambing Season
Wow what an experience. This was not only my first year as a new farmer but I experience what lambing is about jumping in the deep end with both feet. I have never farmed no even lambed a ewe, but […]
What’s happening with my lambing | spring 2022
It’s day 23 of lambing on the Tessleymoor farm. My Ryeland tup aka Whiskey covered the ewes over two cycles, giving me a longer lambing time, perfect for me as a first time farmer. So far 29 ewes have lambed, […]
Working with iLivestock
I’m happy to be working in collaboration with iLivestock to manage my farm. This farming app allows me to manage my livestock and keep records updated from wherever I am on the farm. It keeps livestock records, including breeding and […]
Learning Curve – Lambing 2022
Being a first time farmer everyday is a learning day. Like my dog training clients I’m always seeking advise and guidance from my friend in the farming community. Instagram is one social media platform that has a farming family that […]
First Lamb On The Farm
Today marks a big milestone in the life of the Tessleymoor Farm as we welcomed our first lamb into the world. She was born in the field, quickly and easily. Her first-time mum, a Hexham Black Faced Mule, did a […]
Spring Is In The Air
It’s my first spring on my farm and I am loving it. The weather is warming up so the grass is starting to grow. This is great for the sheep, although I will need to supplement their feed for quite […]
From Field To Fork
Today I’ve achieved from field to fork. It’s the day I’ve collected my free range Saddleback pork from my good friend and butcher Ian at Saswick House Farm Butchers . On the 12th August 2021 I collected four Saddleback weaners […]
Update and a New Project on the Farm
The last two weeks have been manic. Whether it’s dealing with family illness, personal life, running a business or the start of a new project on the farm – life is certainly never boring. With only 11 days until lambing, […]
Sustainability and Quality of Life for my Pigs
When I started farming last year, my whole aim was to create a sustainable environment. I am committed to providing a 100% top quality life for the animals. For the pigs that I have taken to be processed today, this […]
Sheep Scanning
Today saw me getting ready for my first ever sheep scanning of my flock. Being a first time farmer everything I do is a learning curve. I haven’t had years of experience so it’s all about learning on the job. […]
Rounding up Rogue Sheep
It’s a drizzly Friday morning on the farm. I’m stood resting on a gate drinking my coffee, gazing across the fields. I second glance across at the size of my flock, or should I say the flock that isn’t all […]
Seasonal Eating
When I was growing up in Burnley, I would get sent to the greengrocer’s at the end of our road. I would get the fruit or vegetables I was sent for and bring them home in brown paper bags. I […]
Goatopia
Goats are some of the most interesting animals on the farm. I am looking to grow my goat business and so need to ensure they have the perfect set up to thrive here on the Tessleymoor Farm. To this end, […]
New year plans
There’s a lot of planning involved in farming. Farmers that have been working their land for years know exactly what needs to be done when. With my new farm, I’m learning as I go along. I also have a lot […]
Happy new year
What a year 2021 has been. It’s the year when I finally realised my dream of having my own farm. After months of lockdown and frustration, I decided to go for it and I haven’t looked back. As the year […]
Warming Up The Farm For Winter
This weather is really harsh for farmers. Keeping the livestock fed and in good condition in the constant rain is proving to be quite a challenge. The sheep are out in all weathers but they are built for it with […]
Red Sky In The Morning
After a stormy weekend, this beautiful sky was a great to see on Monday morning. I was out and about checking on the livestock early as the temperature hit -5°C overnight. Sheep are very hardy and don’t normally need any […]
Eat local
Renovations on the farm are continuing at a good pace. The priority at the moment is to complete the goat pen. The building we are using needed roofing to prevent water coming in. As winter draws in, keeping the goats […]
Dog Training On The Farm
As regular readers will know, the Tessleymoor Farm is a new venture. My main business over the past decade and more has been dog training, including specialist gundog training for working dogs. This is a thriving business with my services […]
Stuck in the mud
It’s been another week of progress and challenges on the farm. The renovations are going really well, with buildings brought up to the standard required for the welfare of livestock. The goat building is taking shape nicely and will […]
New Goats Arrive
I’ve taken delivery of nine new Ruby Red Boer goats. The breeder brought them all the way down from Kincardineshire near Aberdeen in Scotland. You can imagine that after the long journey, they were keen to have a play about […]
Pigs on the run
The Saddleback pigs decided to take themselves on a bit of an adventure this morning. Lured by the smell of apples from a neighbouring field, they managed to find their way out of their paddock. The first I knew about […]
Tessleymoor Farm – The Story So Far
Welcome to my new Tessleymoor Farm blog where I will be exclusively sharing updates from life on the farm. I will of course continue to blog on my dog training page and you can find blogs about the early days on […]