We have some news....we are moving to
To say the last 4 months have been intense would be
an understatement. Applying for a farm tenancy and being offered it, having a
baby and then the hardest lambing season we've had yet due to toxoplasmosis and
the weather, we will look back and smile, but not quite yet, it is still a bit
raw.
We leave our first tenancy here with the Earth
Trust in Oxfordshire who gave us the opportunity to get on the farming ladder
through their initiative called Farmstep. 4 years down the track we've built up
a successful direct marketing business where we sell all our lamb through
farmers markets, private orders and a couple of local pubs and village
shops. We've made wonderful friends and have some lovely customers who we hope we will keep through our online shop!
The business model is not entirely transferrable
but elements we have built up will be, such as our shepherd for the day
experience. We hope to offer bed and breakfast with it too so guests can do the
night slots during lambing should they so wish. One significant element of our new business
plan is having an Environmental Stewardship (ELS &HLS) agreement in place. So far it has
been a steep learning curve of stewardship jargon, all the different FEP codes
for a start which determine the condition of the fields. The permanent pasture
was found to have some interesting species, so much of it can be restored
through particular options. The option codes too have taken some getting used
to but we think we are more or less fluent and can hold our own.
At the moment we know the farm only through codes
and maps. We can't wait to get to know the fields for their individual quirks
and name them. It does feel strange
making cropping decisions for a farm we don’t even know yet.
We've made contact with our new farming neighbours who are already
proving invaluable with their local knowledge of the soil, climate and other
contacts we will need. We will miss our neighbours here, you can't put a price
on sharing local knowledge, experiences and grumbles.
But how do you move a farm? I have visions of our
sheepdog Belle doing some fantastic manoeuvres down the M40 and our tractor
causing the biggest traffic jam!
More soon
Camilla, Roly, Molly, Freddie, Boris and Belle
