Tim grew up on a Hampshire dairy farm. After attending Sparsholt College he milked cows for a year in Minnesota while doing a university course there as part of an exchange programme.

He worked on stations, ranches, fruit and arable units across Australia before returning to the family farm, the bulk of which was sold a few years later. His brother moved the dairy to north Wiltshire while Tim relocated his suckers to Salisbury but over the years, the effects of the system led him to disperse his herd. In 2001 he started a new breeding herd, from Hereford x Friesian calves of known health status bred to stabilisers; he has monitored their health ever since.

His management system is more ‘holistic’, based on cattle able to make best use of the forage available like Lucerne and sainfoin rather than adapting the farm to suit the animals. An opportunity to experiment with conservation grazing led him to establish an additional herd of rare breed Shetland cattle on three sites close to his farm. He’s also diversified, most notably into recycling agricultural polythene.

Tim joined the CHECS board in 2020 and is also on the Shetland Cattle Breeders Association committee. He’s interested in sustainable farming projects, specifically those involving cattle, and sharing information on their practical application with farmers, government bodies and the public.