As the hours of daylight get fewer, they become more precious on a hill farm. Like a lot of other farmers I also have a full-time job off farm, so farming work must be done before and after work. I am lucky that my employer, the National Trust, allows me to work flexible hours, but checking animals that graze remotely can be difficult during the winter as our belted galloway cows can take more than an hour to find.
We decided to try some new technology to help us save time, and it is working really well. The cows are wearing electric collars that show you their location via a phone app. In the morning, before I leave the house, I can see they are grazing at around 1,200ft near one of the masts that sit on top of some fells.
