Heidi M. Sands is one of our small team of contributors and is our livestock expert.

She was born and brought up in rural Lancashire and has lived in the north-east of Scotland for the last 30 years on her family’s small farm.

Heidi has a lifetime’s experience with livestock. She has bred goats and sheep, kept beef cattle, had working dogs and been involved with pigs, poultry, and other small livestock. Heidi also grows fruit, vegetables and other crops for smallholding use. She has a particular interest in British native ponies. She currently keeps Herdwick sheep and has written for Smallholder magazine since 2013.

An award winning writer, Heidi is the author of eight books; her latest book ‘For Love of the Clydesdale Horse’ was published in the autumn of 2017 by Old Pond publishing.

Twenty-five years ago Heidi began to share her knowledge and enthusiasm for the rural and smallholding way of life with others. She has written for many national and local periodicals covering topics as diverse as the introduction of equine passports, the benefits of stockjudging and Icelandic sheep. She’s also had the good fortune to meet and speak to many farmers, smallholders and country dwellers who have been only to delighted to share their experiences with others through Heidi’s writing.

Heidi is also a keen mountain biker who ranks one of her biggest accomplishments as having biked across Scotland from coast to coast.

For more information about Heidi’s work see heidimsands.ukwriters.net

If you have any livestock questions for Heidi do email editorial@smallholder.co.uk.