What we feed animals matters because it has profound consequences for them, us and the planet. And it’s not just what they eat, but how.

The key to good health in a house cow is to keep her content and nutritionally replete. However, having an understanding of what can go wrong will help both prevention and cure.

Our farming methods foster a vast array of flora and fauna. Here we list a few that have been found flourishing at Smiling Tree.

There’s an old saying, “Never leave the sheep in the same field long enough to hear the church bell ring twice”. In other words, move them every week.

Soil science 101: understanding how one key element of nutrient cycling in the soil works via ‘the poop loop’.

What gives food its taste, and what makes up all those flavour compounds that excite our taste buds and provide a truly satisfying mouthful to savour?

Set stocking can to lead to a degradation in soil quality and ecology, water management and pollution problems, and an increase in parasites in livestock.

How to separate cream and make butter on a small-scale, including tips and troubleshooting.

You have three votes (meals) a day. Your food choices directly support the farming methods and the industry that put the food on your plate: they influence not only your own health and wellbeing but that of the farm animals and the planet too.

How a cow’s diet and contentment affects both the taste and nutritional value of the milk she produces, as well as her overall health.

Safe production of raw milk starts with raising cows in conditions and using practices conducive to maintaining health and preventing disease.

Getting the cream means understanding both the physiological process of milk production, and the psychological process of milk let down.

Do we need to milk our cows twice a day? We we look at the pros and cons and how once-a-day milking might be the best option for cow, calf, cow-keeper and consumer.

How to milk a cow by hand and thoughts to consider on when hand or machine milking might be the best option.

Guidance on getting a cow in calf, the oestrus cycle, and the calving process, as well as preparing for that all important first milking.

Keeping a family cow or setting up a micro-dairy. Here we cover the land and shelter requirements plus tips on buying cows.

What is cow-calf dairying and why don’t all dairy cows keep their calves?

How milk is made and what gives a good let down.