213 | Huw Foulkes, North Wales | Swimming Against the Current: A Micro Dairy with Red Polls and a Case for Regenerative Farming

213 | Huw Foulkes, North Wales | Swimming Against the Current: A Micro Dairy with Red Polls and a Case for Regenerative Farming

From Grazing Grass Podcast | Rotational Grazing, Soil Health & Profitable Livestock Farming by Grazing Grass

March 4, 2026 · 1h 19m

About this episode

Huw Foulkes discusses his experience running a micro dairy with Red Poll cattle and the principles of regenerative farming.

Huw Foulkes runs Pentrefelin Dairy in North Wales in the UK, where he has built a grass-based cow and calf micro dairy around native Red Poll cattle while also stacking direct-to-consumer beef and other enterprises to serve his local community. In This Episode, We Explore: Starting a cow and calf micro dairy with a low-input, grass-based mindset Why Huw chose Red Polls for a dual-purpose dairy and beef system Managing long rest periods and mob-style rotations to build soil and drought resilience Farming on dry, light sandy soils and what that changes in grazing decisions Outwintering strategies including bale grazing and standing hay Building a direct local market through farm gate sales, coffee shops, and education UK requirements for legally selling milk, inspections, and testing Keeping infrastructure simple, including milking with a portable machine in an older parlor How beef boxes help move the whole carcass and teach customers new cuts Adding poultry, pigs, and trees to stack enterprises on the same acres Using farm tours and courses to educate the public and support local food systems Why This Episode Matters This conversation is a practical look at building a resilient…

People in this episode

Guest: Huw Foulkes

Topics covered

  • micro dairy
  • regenerative farming
  • direct-to-consumer sales
  • livestock management
  • soil health
  • local food systems

Keywords

  • micro dairy
  • Red Poll cattle
  • regenerative farming
  • direct marketing
  • local food
  • soil resilience
  • bale grazing
  • farm tours

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Pentrefelin Dairy

Products: Red Polls

Places: North Wales, UK

More episodes of Grazing Grass Podcast | Rotational Grazing, Soil Health & Profitable Livestock Farming

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Grazing Grass Podcast | Rotational Grazing, Soil Health & Profitable Livestock Farming podcast page.