Rosewood Farm makes its home in the Lower Derwent Valley, deep in the Yorkshire Ings. Here, Rob Rose, his partner Natalie Stoppard, and their award-winning herd of 160 Irish Dexters – Europe’s smallest native cattle breed – place conservation, environmentally friendly farming methods, and the highest standards of animal welfare at the forefront of their practice. Rob’s story is one of inspiration, dedication and stubbornness. He started keeping Dexters at the age of 14, and despite being told he’d never make the tiny cows profitable, his perseverance has proved the naysayers wrong. Rosewood has always been a passion project as well as a business – a way of life. Ultimately, the couple’s pioneering methods have won over customers, and now Natural England entrusts Rosewood’s Dexters to graze birdlife and wildflower rich conservation areas. In this episode, hear how Rob is following in the footsteps of Vikings, how each time you buy a steak from Rosewood you are also giving birth to six lapwings, and how the Irish Dexter cattle have befriended three spritely Exmoor ponies Hushwing, Butterbump and Snippick (old world names for the barn owl, the bittern and the snipe). For more information on this podcast, including David's thoughts following this interview, head to: https://www.treesacrowd.fm/rosewood-farm/ Weekly episodes available early AND bonus content made free to forage by "Subscribtion Squirrels" on our Patreon. Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information.