We are a mother (Tanya) and daughter (Erinna) farm business. We shepherd on a tenant rented hill farm in Mid Wales, which is part of the Elan Trust Estate.
It is relatively rare to find two women managing such a remote farm, and we recognise how fortunate we are to be able to make best of this opportunity (along with facing its challenges of course!).
Tanya has been shepherding at the farm since the early 1980s and has over 30 years’ experience of sustainable farming practice – farming in partnership with nature and environmental conservation.
Erinna, a keen young farmer and shepherd, is a Next Generation Ambassador with the National Sheep Association. As a child she spent her formative years at the farm helping her Taid (Welsh for ‘grandad’) with livestock, and preparing food with her Nain (grandmother) during the farm’s sheep gatherings. After training at Gelli Aur Agricultural College, she spent some years contract milking dairy cows at farms across the UK, before returning to the Elan Valley to work at a local visitor centre.
We greatly value:
Good quality nutritious food as part of a healthy, balanced and affordable diet
Erinna is a qualified and experienced cook and catering supervisor. She is also a consultant with a local community group for a renowned slimming company – and she is keen to promote healthy balanced diets and lifestyle. Erinna leads our product development at WildShepherd.
Local
To reduce stress on our livestock and to reduce our carbon footprint, we promote sustainable farming with nature, use a local abattoir, make products in our on-farm butchery unit, and invest in our off-grid and renewable energy systems to run the farm.
Quality livestock and standards
We have a variety of livestock including sheep, goats, sheepdogs and Welsh ponies (for shepherding). We show our livestock and have won many awards including championships at major agricultural shows. Animal welfare and quality standards are the foundation of our farming with nature practice.
