On the edge of Frome there is a farm with a difference, offering beef from a herd who are pasture-led on a carefully project managed system which combines 'old' style farming with high tech gizmos.

The regenerative farming method at Meadowsweet Farm is all about replenishing and regenerating the land with careful grazing, moving the herd, sometimes twice a day, to a fresh piece of land. That is being done by way of electric fences but soon each animal will be fitted with an electric collar and GPS tracking system so they are rotated to give each tract of land time to recover.

We went along to speak to Hannah of Meadowsweet Farm about the venture and to meet her herd and learn more about regenerative farming. A farm without insecticide, herbicide and artificial fertiliser which means happier cows and tastier meat.

Hannah who is 33, returned to farming after time at a desk and is now putting her technical competencies to use on the farm.

First of all what is special about the herd - apart from the fact they all have names? At the core it is about regenerating the land " What we do, " explained Hannah " is strike a balance on what is best for the soil and what is best for the herd. I would love to have them out all year round but sometimes if it very wet we have them inside, but they are mostly out in the pasture. " At its very core regenerative farming is trying to leave the land and the eco system for future generations. Instead of taking away things from the land we want things to work as naturally as possible. So no pesticides, no herbicides, and the land is protected to offer as much biodiversity as possible."

Tell me about why you chose Shetlands

"Shetlands are a rare breed they are endangered and by keeping them and breeding from them I am hoping them to keep going. Also they are very much suited to this type of farming system. They are a small cow so that also makes them lighter on the land. They do very well of 100 per cent pasture diet, they are hardy and thrifty and they don't need much maintenance. I am quite small too, so their petite frame is good for me on the farm." Meadowsweet Farm sells its meat direct so Hannah is in charge of the whole process - from animal husbandry to delivering the meat. You can read more about it HERE: and see the delight she has in her herd Together with like-minded farmers, Hannah Steenbergen is part of a Whats App group to share best practices and the farm is looking at diversifying perhaps having some pigs and in making the cow's own manure more nutrient dense by how it is stored. Rearing, feeding, and caring for each animal is around £900 and each one gets a moving 'goodbye' when they are taken to slaughter.

High tech grazing system across 36 hectares

" The only boost for the land is the muck from the barns and even that the team at Meadowsweet are looking at new ways to ferment and enhance it as a field dressing - again without any chemical additives. "This muck builds up all winter, last year's still composting so it is a really enriching fertiliser. But it also doesn't cost us, so I also wont be impacted by increase in fertiliser prices. We improve the soil life which in turn improves the ecosystem and have happy cows. " As well as making it work as a productive system we need to make it regenerative for the farmers themselves so they can live off it. I grew up in a farm in North Yorkshire which was a dynamic farm, so I do have some of my ideas from there, then I went and did other jobs and then I came back to farming in my 30s."

And how does the meat taste?

"We have had some really nice feedback - I think it tastes better. The meat are slow growing animals, so in comparison to how majority of meat is grown where the animals are typically slaughtered under 24 months old, they will be fattened up on grains whereas our herd lives longer and grows more slowly. What you end up with meat with more marbling. They are slaughtered between 24 and 36 months and only on a case by case basis, when the animal is ready at a local abattoir. " We do have some cross breeds too here and we are struggling to keep up with demand for our meat. But we can't expand the herd because we do not have space for a 300 cows, but we could fit in a few more." Currently Meadowsweet, which started only two years ago, is small scale, slaughtering a single animal every one to two months alongside a micro dairy, with two dairy cows milking for the farm's own use.

It is all in the planning

Hannah tells us: " I plan their grazing carefully in such a way that their grazing and natural abilities and manuring and even the saliva from their mouths has a micro bacterial impact on the soil quality, so a complex rotation around the land. It is hard work but it it is beneficial for the farm as a whole and I think the main stream farming world is catching up."

So change is hard - for all of us.

"If your whole system is geared towards a system that it is not regenerative it is very hard to change. Its hard to change too with something you have grown up with thinking is the right method.

"But I think with regenerative farming there are more and more incentives to do it. I know I have met farmers the cost is the main reason to change.

" I am doing what I love. I much prefer this to sitting in front of a computer in an office all day and I love working with cows. The best bit of my life is being around them all day. That's very satisfying."