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Farmer Stories

Ruth Ashton-Shaw - How a Scottish smallholding embraces a whole-farm approach

Scotland
Case Study
biodiversity
Livestock
Poultry
smallholding
whole farm approach

All imagery: Joanne Coates © the Nature Friendly Farming Network

Low Auldgirth Steading is a small organic livestock farm located about 10 minutes from Dumfries in South West Scotland. It is run by Ruth Ashton-Shaw, who unexpectedly found herself in farming after relocating to Dumfries and Galloway in search of a better work-life balance. Ruth and her husband had previously lived in Manchester, where they operated a design consultancy with international clients. When her parents retired, the family decided to pool their resources and move to a larger property in the countryside.

They purchased a 30-acre smallholding that had once been part of a much larger dairy estate. In its heyday, the farm had a herd of dairy cows, fattened pigs, and finished turkeys, but by the time Ruth and her husband bought the property, it had been disused for about two decades and was in a state of disrepair. Owning 30 acres was more land than they had ever imagined, and there was no initial plan for how to manage it. The solution came from a passing farmer, now a close friend, who suggested that sheep were the answer. The first sheep arrived on the farm shortly thereafter, and the rest is history.

Today, supplemented by 50 acres of rented grazing land, Ruth raises livestock for meat, eggs, and wool to organic standards, farming in a nature-friendly way that works with, rather than against, natural cycles.

“Everything's interlinked. The environment we can create with small farms is so important for nature, for people and for our food. It’s vital to have sustainable systems where our animals are happy, and our landscapes are thriving."

Ruth Ashton-Shaw

That wasn’t how things started out, though. Initially, Ruth ran a much more intensive system. Learning from larger farming peers, she managed a commercial flock with a ‘bigger is better’ mentality, constantly pushing the limits of what their 30 acres could produce. However, after a few years, she realised this approach just wasn’t working. “It wasn’t fun any more,” she says. “It was a constant battle. The sheep weren’t thriving, and we kept having to buy more and more inputs just to keep on an even keel. We had huge inputs for very little output.”

Ruth had a Eureka moment one winter evening that changed the course of her farming forever. Things had reached a point where she was questioning the viability of the business. The reality of running what she now considers an intensive system was taking its toll, both financially and mentally. While assessing the business’s position, Ruth saw some book recommendations on X (Twitter), including Dirt to Soil, Gabe Brown’s account of how he saved his family farm from the brink of financial ruin by stepping into regenerative agriculture and eliminating most pesticides and fertilisers. “It was a real light bulb moment,” Ruth admits. “There was another way to do this. I was completely sold.”

However, the conversion process wasn’t straightforward. “There’s no magic switch to flick and become nature-friendly farmers,” Ruth says. “It felt like we had to start the learning process all over again and re-evaluate every element of our farm. It was a little daunting, and our neighbours thought we were crazy.”

The first step was to reduce stock numbers and introduce rotational grazing. Any sheep in the flock that didn’t thrive on a grass-based system had to be re-homed. Ruth soon realised the value of focusing on native breeds. The Ryeland sheep, which had previously been a minor part of the farm, began to flourish under the new system. This left Ruth with no doubt that this low-input way of farming was a viable business option. The farm has since added Oxford Sandy and Black pigs, Scots Dumpy chickens, and a gaggle of geese into the rotation. “Having a diverse range of livestock on the farm is just as important as having a diverse range of flora and fauna,” Ruth says. “Each animal takes on a different role and contributes to the natural cycles on the farm.”

“We wouldn’t have a business if we weren’t working this way. With external costs fluctuating almost daily, it’s impossible to financially plan. Now, we are much more resilient and no longer dictated by external factors.”

Ruth Ashton-Shaw

The farm still buys in hard feed when necessary, primarily for the pigs and supplementary feed for ewes before lambing. However, Ruth is confident that the farm can eventually eliminate these inputs as she integrates crop rotations and produces more fruit and vegetables. “That’s the great thing about working this way - it’s not static. We’re constantly evaluating and evolving the system, looking to improve as we learn more,” she says.

When Ruth first arrived at Low Auldgirth Steading, the fields looked like “neatly mown lawns,” but this has since changed. Rotational grazing of the sheep, combined with the rootling activities of the pigs, has encouraged dormant seeds in the soil to start growing again, increasing plant diversity and encouraging wildflowers. The whole process happened naturally, with Ruth avoiding ploughing, replanting or spraying glyphosate. Instead, she let nature take the lead, utilising what was already available on the farm. Since starting the conversion, Ruth has regularly monitored progress through soil testing and has become a self-confessed 'soil geek,' measuring her success by the increased diversity of root structures, earthworm numbers, and rhizome quality across her farm’s varied soil types, which range from thin and sandy to stony and loamy.

In addition to increasing diversity in the pasture, Ruth has been busy planting trees and hedgerows to create and connect existing habitats across the farm. This not only supports wildlife but also increases forage availability for livestock and provides shelter from the elements. Boggy, unproductive areas of the farm have been converted into nature-friendly wetlands, and a quarter of an acre has been transformed into a pond.

These projects are not only boosting biodiversity but also playing a crucial role in making the farm more resilient to climate change and extreme weather. The River Nith, which borders Ruth’s land, floods most years and broke its banks severely in the winter of 2022. Ruth is keen to explore and demonstrate how farming more consciously can help slow the flow of water, reducing the risk of downstream devastation for her neighbours while maintaining farm profitability.

“By farming sustainably, we have the power to restore a huge amount of our countryside and create a more secure future for wildlife and food production.”

Ruth Ashton-Shaw

Community is very important to Ruth, who believes nature-friendly farms are central to rural life. Her meat is sent to local abattoirs and butchers before being sold online or directly to customers who visit the shop. Wool from the sheep is also processed and sold to weavers, spinners, dyers, and knitters. Ruth is keen to highlight the importance of the nature-friendly farming community, whether through national organisations like the NFFN or local groups such as Regenerative Agriculture Southwest Scotland. “We all share a passion and a desire to help more farmers work this way. I’ve always found that if I need help or guidance, the community is more than willing to offer support by sharing experiences, knowledge, or just talking through problems,” Ruth says. “It sounds idyllic, but this is how it should be; we’re all in this together.”

“Even though we’re a tiny dot in the landscape, we can have such a profound impact, and that’s something I want to get out there and talk about. I’m keen to show this isn’t just a little hobby and that small farms like ours can be valuable businesses and the cornerstones of local communities.”

Ruth Ashton-Shaw

All of Ruth’s efforts have paid off when it comes to biodiversity on the farm. Bird numbers have increased significantly, with species such as finches, tits, woodpeckers, and sparrows making the farm their home. Ruth was especially delighted when, in 2022, curlews nested on her rented land for the first time in over a decade.

Ruth also believes her approach has been crucial to the financial viability of Low Auldgirth Steading. “We wouldn’t have a business if we weren’t working this way,” she says. “Costs are constantly fluctuating, and we’re so small we can’t afford to absorb these cost spikes.” Whether it’s managing water to prevent flooding or providing high-quality, sustainably raised food, Ruth is a strong advocate for how small farms can make a significant difference.