On the Farm
If you're wondering more about the story behind Newhay and our focus on the small animal feed market, read on to discover One Yorkshire Farmer’s Story as we celebrate the launch of Newhay’s new website.
After months of hard work and dedication behind the scenes at Newhay, and mid-harvest season - our busiest time of the year - we are delighted to officially announce the launch of our new website. We wanted to make the new site faster, with a fresh design, easier to navigate on desktop and mobile, more user-friendly and we wanted to add exciting new products to our online shop.
Our core values remain the same
At Newhay farm we are proud to work to the highest standards, using only the purest certified seed and simple and respectful farming methods to produce premium quality hay that is as tasty and healthy as nature intended.
Having won awards over the past 15 years for our nutritionally robust feeding hay our family-run business now focuses on producing premium quality nutritious Timothy feeding hay specifically for small domestic animals. We’re dedicated to making sure that every nibble of every lovingly produced hay bale brings natural Yorkshire goodness to small pets up and down the country and beyond, direct from our Yorkshire farm.
“I am super proud of the entire team who’ve all worked tirelessly to get to this stage in our family business, building a range of the most fantastic products, and launching a brand new website and online shop. I’m so proud of Newhay; where we’ve come from, what we’ve achieved so far and our totally homegrown provenance. We’re excited for the next stage of our journey and helping to make a real difference to the health and wellbeing of small pets nationwide.”
How did Newhay begin?
The North Yorkshire based business is owned and managed by husband and wife team Ian and Helen Burrows along with their children and Daisy the dog.
The journey of Newhay began when Ian who managed a 400-acre farm in Selby, North Yorkshire, was asked by a local equestrian trainer to provide consistent quality feed for racehorses. Ian has always had a long-term passion for farming with a background in agriculture, but he had a mission to improve quality even further by setting up his own farm.
With incredible success at growing premium grasses, Ian he turned his attention to manufacturing and packing at Newhay to ensure the same level of quality was maintained right along the supply chain, and his work successfully managed to significantly reduce the high levels of mould and dust that was evident in hay products at that time.
Using his knowledge of engineering and agriculture, Ian created a unique manufacturing process that enabled Newhay to create a much faster production process, removing moisture to help retain a higher nutritional value once the hay was harvested. This ensures only the best quality hay which is not only high in fibre and low in sugar, but is also irresistibly delicious!
Where are we now?
As a result of Newhay’s hard work and dedication to the small pet feeding hay market, we are now proud to be the leading growers and producers of specialist hay products in the UK, supplying a wide range of products for many well known pet food manufacturers including retailers in the UK and Europe, as well as selling our premium brand directly from the farm.
Today Newhay’s journey focuses on processing quality Timothy Hay for domestic rabbits, guinea pigs, Chinchillas and other small pets rather than high-performance racehorses. We know how important quality hay is to small herbivores and to make sure we reach as many as possible as well as supplying other retailers, consumers can buy our Newhay Premium Timothy Hay directly from our farm via our online shop.
Having enough hay is important for all small animals because it helps prevent obesity, maintains a healthy gut function, and supports healthy teeth. This is why everything we do at Newhay is designed to produce the best quality Timothy Hay, and support the wellbeing of your furry friends.
Our manufacturing is no exception, where we’re proud to get our crops straight off the field and into the barn ready to be packaged within just 48 hours of harvesting. This takes a lot of hard work, since we need to cut the crops at the right time when the weather and grass quality are just right to ensure our hay remains at premium quality for your animals.
Premium quality hay production is especially important since at least 80% of your small pet’s diet should consist of good quality hay to help avoid unnecessary visits to the vets and live long and healthy lives. This is why at Newhay, we make your pet’s health our business!
Our award-winning farm
In 2012, Newhay received the amazing news that Ian was announced as the winner of the prestigious award of “Diversification Farmer of the Year”. This much coveted accolade recognised Newhay’s commitment and dedication to producing premium animal feeds, rewarding Ian’s sustainable farming methods and innovations.
The farm also achieved accreditation and certification of both the Universal Feed Assurance Scheme (UFAS) and The Feed Materials Assurance Scheme (FEMAS), demonstrating Newhay’s dedication to providing customers and their furry friends with premium hay bursting with British natural goodness.
At Newhay, operating in a way that protects the environment is very important to Ian and everybody who works at the farm. Protecting wildlife around crops before doing any farming is taken very seriously by our whole team. This is achieved by sowing lucerne and natural meadow plants into our fields to encourage nectar loving insects such as bees, moths and hoverflies to remain safe in their natural habitat.
We also cut field margins after nesting season to protect birdlife and cut out sections of the fields during harvesting to allow any wildlife to escape safely.
Watch our video to earn more about our farming journey and family-run business or find out more about our award-winning farm.