Between them, the Dumble farmers have over a 100 years of experience in breeding cattle.

We bought our first 6 Highland cows in May 2022, with the intention of building a fold to manage our conservation scheme, on our 83-hectare farm in the middle of the Hull valley. We were instantly obsessed! As part of our Higher Tier Countryside Stewardship, we took on a Native breeds at risk option and agreed to breed pedigree, registered, pure breeding Highland cattle, with a requirement to have at least 65 by the third year (May 2025) of our agreement. Having bred cattle all our lives; we relished this new challenge. Over the following year (from mid-2022 through mid-2023), we bought select animals from several different farms in the north of England, hence the Dumble Fold of Highland cows was established. We acquired our first stock bull, the wonderful K2 of Cladich, who has provided firm foundations for our first breeding season (2023). All 3 Dumble Farmers are qualified to perform  artificial insemination. This helps us bring in new genetics with some very promising males born in 2025, as candidates for future breeding within the fold.

Dumble Farm’s primary focus is conservation. Highland cattle have qualities that make them ideal for sustainable farming, nature recovery, and conservation management. Our aim is to produce quality, medium-sized, hardy cattle that meet the breed standard. Our cattle are reared as naturally as possible,extensively grazed on grass grown without the use of fertilisers or chemical sprays. The cattle receive very little supplementary feed, so they grow slowly, maturing a little later than animals fed for beef production.  Many of our cattle are halter trained and heavily socialised, to produce friendly, easily handleable cattle, suitable for any situation where they may come into contact with the public;  be it showing, petting or conservation. Each year, we have quality breeding females for sale, plus steers available for conservation projects/nature reserves or ‘pet’ homes.