Toplines and Tales

This week we are piloting something new, which may or may not go on to be called The Bottom Line podcast.  Just two mates, both anonymous, chewing the fat, unshackled! Shackles probably are required though, instead of alcohol! Aside from the general bullsh*t, we dissect this year’s Kelso tup sale.  My sidekick coming out with statements such as ‘females are your future, males are your cashflow’ to ‘sheep looks like a fag paper with a head stuck on it,’ it certainly is not a listen for the faint hearted.

In this episode I chat to forward-thinking Will Laurie about his move to Yorkshire and his dedication in taking the Ryeland sheep breed to new levels of commercial sheep production. 

To wrap up this 3 episode series, we look at the commercial aspects of the modern Ryeland sheep and identify where it sits within todays sheep industry. I speak to top commercial sheep breeder Bobby Morgan about his large Ryeland flock as well as Philippa Gray about her journey into the breed and how Ryeland meat takes pride of place in their farm-shop and butchery. 

In this, episode 2, of the Ryeland sheep podcast, we discuss the finer points of wool with one of the country's leading experts who also happens to be a long standing Ryeland breeder, Stephen Hipps. This certainly is highly educational for anyone with an interest in sheep. I also speak to Susan Bryden from Dumfries about how the Ryeland breed has spread its way across the UK and beyond. 

In the first of a 3 part series for the Ryeland Flock Book Society, I speak to an old friend of the Toplines and Tales podcast, livestock historian Clive Davies, as well as local breeder Jonathan Webb, about the ancient history of the Ryeland Breed. Dating back to medieval times, the breed rose to prominence in Herefordshire and the surrounding areas and found global fame for its excellent quality wool. We speak about it's remarkable journey through the ages in a highly interesting episode. 

After 5 years creating and running the Toplines and Tales podcast, and 4 months away from it being extremely busy, T&T is back. Going forward, we will have a variety of formats, but still include some good guests and interviews.  This week we start a series of short poems, written by myself, and others. I have also narrated this one, but we will may have guest narrators in future ones.  Volcano is based on a true story, about a real cow and our exploits at The Royal Show. The story was first previewed in my book In Bed With Cows, some 10 years ago. If you have ever heard me after-dinner speaking, she has often been part of my subject matter.