We recently caught up with first generation farmers Helen and Neil Ridge at Fresh Meadow Farms in Dallington, East Sussex. Having got to know them over the last few years at our local farmers market we jumped at the chance to visit their farm to shoot a short film to help promote the Farming in Protected Landscapes (FiPL) programme, which is delivered locally by the High Weald National Landscape team.  More than £1.3million has been awarded so far, and with funding still available for farmers and land managers in the High Weald, I was keen to learn more about how the grants have benefited ..read more

We recently caught up with Organic Beef Farmers Sam and Becky Newington at Burgham farm in Etchingham, East Sussex to shoot a short film to help promote the Farming in Protected Landscapes (FiPL) programme, which is being delivered locally by the High Weald National Landscape team. With funding still available for farmers and land managers in the High Weald, I was keen to learn more about how the grants have benefited Sam and Becky’s family farm. Descending down a small country lane we arrive at Burgham Farm in the Limden Valley, near Etchingham, East Sussex. After parking up in the farmyard ..read more

We recently meet up with first generation small holder Dr Joanna Gore at Green Oak Farm in Brightling, East Sussex to shoot a short film to help promote the Farming in Protected Landscapes (FiPL) programme, which is delivered locally by the High Weald National Landscape team. More than £1.3million has been awarded so far, and with funding still available for farmers and land managers in the High Weald, I was keen to learn more about how the grants have benefited Joanna’s smallholding. Farm Visit Just next to the picturesque village of Brightling, sits Green Oak Farm, a certified Biodynamic and ..read more

We recently caught up with Organic Dairy Farmer Dan Burdett at Cockhaise Farm, near Haywards Heath in West Sussex to shoot a short film to help promote the Farming in Protected Landscapes (FiPL) programme, which is delivered locally by the High Weald National Landscape team. With funding still available for farmers and land managers in the High Weald, I was keen to learn more about how the grants have benefited Dan’s family farm. By some miracle we managed to pick a sunny and dry day in January to visit Dan. Arriving at Cockhaise farm, Dan greeted us and we walked through the farmyard, where a ..read more

Back in October the kind people at Nestera gifted us one of their 100% recycled plastic chicken coops – the large raised model. I wanted to share a bit more about our experience so far (along with a couple of Christmas gift ideas). Our coop arrived flat packed in cardboard boxes and I managed to rope in my father-in-law Peter to give me a hand to build it. Once we’d unpacked everything and read the instructions (which were easy to follow) it took us about an hour and half to assemble. As we slotted it together we were impressed with the quality of the materials and liked the simplicity of the ..read more

Cereal production is fundamentally inaccessible for most people. For eight months of the year the fields look just like grass. There are no cute lambs or calves to look at, no colourful vegetables to pick. To grow and process cereals you need specialist machinery, which is far out of the reach of most people. Therefore, unlike growing vegetables, it’s not just something you can start doing for yourself. Sadly, whether they like it or not, many arable farmers are forced by practical and economic constraints into producing commodity crops, with little opportunity for any kind of direct relation ..read more

We visit Kingsclere Estates in North Hampshire to meet Regenerative Farmer Tim May, to learn more about his sustainable model of share farming and land management. Tim is the fourth generation to farm at the family owned 2,500 acre estate located in the Hampshire downs, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty near Basingstoke. His great grandfather, a solicitor in London, purchased 250 acres of sporting land for hunting. His grandfather increased the farm to around 1,500 acres and Tim’s dad has since added another 1,000 acres of land. Interestingly, due to the legal background, the farm has alw ..read more

Following on from our recent three part farm stay series about setting up and listing our shepherd’s hut on Airbnb. We’ve learnt so much since starting out on our farm host journey last year and love being Airbnb hosts. For anyone else thinking about setting up a farm stay there is now a handbook you can download. It’s packed full of useful information, inspiration and practical tips. You can download it by clicking on the link below. Airbnb Farm Stay Handbook More Information If you’d like to learn more about our own journey you can read our posts about becoming Airbnb farm stay hosts below ..read more

Over the last few years I’ve built up a small meat box business direct from our family farm. It might not appeal to all farmers, but with very little in the way of startup costs – it’s not that difficult to give it a try. I’ve enjoyed building up our meat box business over the last few years and from a small sideline, it’s developed into one of the major income streams on our family farm. To help other farmers thinking about selling meat direct from the farm gate, I’ve outlined a few tips below to help you get started. You can also find another 18 case studies in a report by the Landworkers A ..read more

Last year we visited pioneering cattle mob graziers Sam and Becky Newington in Etchingham, East Sussex to find out more about their regenerative farming practices. Sam and Becky Newington are equal partners in Limden Brook Organic, a regenerative farming business that rears and finishes store bullocks. Together they mob graze large groups of cattle, managing over 160 hectares of permanent pasture. Work experience and returning to the home farm Growing up on the family farm, Sam enjoyed helping his parents with their dairy enterprise and from an early age knew he wanted to be a farmer. After s ..read more