Ruth Dalton

I am an independent agricultural advisor, specialising in low-input, environmentally sustainable farming systems. I help predominantly beef and sheep farmers by advising on grazing management, soil health, integrating trees into livestock systems, and breed choice. I also have experience of English government grant schemes, and am a Specialist Advisor on the Scottish Farming Advice Service register. I’m also a mentor in the Pasture for Life “Pasture and Profit North” project, and an independent facilitator for the company 3KQ, specialising in running environmental meetings and stakeholder engagement.

At home we farm 180 acres with native dual-purpose cattle – 120 acres of these are grazed on conservation agreements where inputs have to be carefully considered, for example by avoiding or carefully timing the use of chemical treatments.

I have also worked as a freelance project manager for the Cumbria Farmer Network for the last 5 years, leading on the RDPE-funded “For Flock’s Sake” sheep scab project across Northumberland, the Yorkshire Dales and Cumbria, and on follow-up sheep scab projects.

For the Network, I’ve also facilitated meetings on a range of sheep and cattle health topics including liver fluke, blue tongue virus, tick-borne diseases, bull fertility, colostrum quality and more, with the help of our very engaged and helpful local farm vet practices.

I’m particularly interested in how livestock decisions and land management practices can promote livestock health, and therefore how we can sustainably stay ahead of the parasites in the “arms race”!