We want to say a big thank you to Jamie Oliver and Jimmy Doherty as Friday Night Feast has been a gift that keeps on giving. They took our story of Free Range Dairy Network to a much larger audience and it really caught a spark with viewers who for years have seen our dairy…
The launch of our new website (which I hope you approve of by the way) has prompted me to reflect on how far Free Range Dairy Network has come since the original website was first launched in 2011. Back then free range milk was just an idea in my head, born out of frustration with the…
We have exciting news, Vacherin the leading sustainable London catering company, will convert all their conventional milk to Pasture Promise free range milk, from 1st August. This is a fantastic coup for us as it shows that more and more people want, not just great tasting milk but, also a clear assurance that it comes…
By Jenni Hobbs, The Hobbs family at Barhouse Farm. Last year when I wrote my Christmas blog looking back over the year, it was at a turbulent time. Neighbours who had been dairy farmers for many years, just like us, left the industry and we feared with milk prices so low that we could be next.…
This month is Sustainable Restaurant Association’s #coffeemadegood campaign which encourages coffee roasters, baristas and consumers to think about where the coffee has come from? They are also encouraging people to think about the milk too. A 6oz cappuccino will consist of 1oz of espresso and 5 oz of milk plus some froth. Milk plays an…
By Robert Newton, a Free Range Dairy Farmer. We were very excited in January 2016 when Cotteswold Dairy, our milk buyer for nearly 20 years, confirmed that they were to start selling Pasture Promise Free Range milk. It was a big commitment to make as the milk has to be totally segregated which involves a…
We are absolutely delighted to have received so much interest in Pasture Promise free range milk, following our recent appearance on Jamie and Jimmy’s Friday Night Feast . People everywhere, are demanding to know that the milk they buy comes from cows free to graze in fields, for at least 180 days and nights a…
There is now a link on our home page to the Pasture Promise TV website. If you scroll down to the bottom of the page, you will find it under the ‘Follow Us’ section alongside the Facebook, Twitter and You Tube icons. Graham Harvey is doing some great work to promote sustainable milk and meat…
One of the top predicted global consumer trends for 2021 is Build Back Better and nowhere is this more apparent than in the food and farming sector and this is also why we’re joined the Sustainable Restaurant Association (SRA) After the turbulent year we’ve been through, with concerns about health, the environment and climate change,…
It’s the time of Spring Cow Turnout. A joyous occasion not just for the cows but everyone lucky enough to witness it. It puts a smile on your face, especially as we struggle through our own lockdown. We are all looking forward to our own turnout, to be able to gather outdoors with six people…
Last April we conducted a survey with Censuswide UK (April 2020) we found that: 75.40% of people hope that British farmers can continue to produce fresh milk and dairy in the current crisis. 74.10% believe it is vital that we build strong local food networks to safeguard domestic food supplies. 68.30% say the Coronavirus pandemic…
Resilience might seem like the latest buzzword, it was previously used as a technical term to measure the ability of a substance to return to its usual shape after being bent, stretched, or pressed. Now it’s used to describe the ability to be happy, successful, again after something difficult or bad has happened. It might…
There are many calls for farming and food production to become more sustainable. But making big changes to the way they farm is a risky business for producers. Choosing to reduce inputs, keep less stock on land and sell less tonnes of food will reduce farm incomes, unless people are willing to pay a price…
Like most people, farmers need a sense of purpose in their work and in their lives. For many this purpose has become little more than a need to pay the bills each month. This is particularly true when milk producers are paid price for their milk that barely covers the cost of production on farms.…
Last week the Obesity Strategy was launched, in part because evidence shows being overweight remains one of the biggest risk factors in fighting Covid-19. Almost two-thirds (63%) of adults in England are overweight or obese and concerns have been raised that this may have contributed to the high number of coronavirus deaths in the UK.…
Yesterday the newspapers were full of stories about how we’re now moving into the next phase of easing lockdown, and I have to wonder as we start to move towards ‘normal’ if the changes made during the pandemic will continue into the future? Almost straight away during lockdown we saw people adapt their shopping habits.…
The Agriculture Bill was introduced to set out the way in which agriculture will be funded after leaving the EU, with the introduction of a new “public money for public goods” payment scheme putting the focus on animal welfare, the environment and sustainability. The Bill recently had its third reading in the House of…
The Irish Food Board, Bord Bia, have announced the introduction of a new ‘Grass-Fed’ Standard for Irish milk, which requires cows to be fed a minimum of 90% grass. It sounds like there is little room for anything else in the diet of these cows, but just how much grass does 90% grass-fed really mean?…
When I started In Conversation With, I never imagined how the world could change from one post to the next. Only 6 weeks ago farmers were seen as pariah’s in the media but this pandemic has shown they are essential workers working hard to keep the nation fed. I hope this new respect for our…
It’s such a simple thing for most of us to open the door, step out into the sunshine and go wherever we please. So it’s no surprise perhaps that many are already starting to feel trapped, as restrictions on our movements are imposed to halt the spread of this ruthless Coronavirus pandemic. There are now…