James is the fifth generation of his family to farm at Strickley, a 300 acre all grassland organic dairy farm near Kendal, south Cumbria. The farm carries 130 Dairy Shorthorn cows plus 120 youngstock, all cattle are homebred and are also a closed high health herd. Strickley has been part of an environmental stewardship scheme since 1991, when a Hedgerow Incentive Scheme was started to improve and protect the farm’s seven miles of ancient hedgerow. Those hedgerows now make fantastic corridors of life, surrounding the 60 small fields which make up the farm and connect ancient woodland with habitat rich becks, a two-acre pond and newly created wetland areas.

Nature plays a big part in the farm’s decisions and everything possible is done to enhance the biodiversity of all the habitats. In 2022 James and his family were presented with the highly coveted ‘Silver Lapwing’ award, something the whole family is incredibly proud of. The farm is currently in higher-tier and also a mid-tier scheme. Local schools benefit from free visits to Strickley and enjoy pond dipping, hedgerow safaris and learning about dairy production, among other things. James is also keen to learn from outside organisations and works closely with The Cumbria Wildlife Trust and South Cumbria Rivers Trust. He hopes to build on these relationships for the benefit of everyone.

Holly was brought up on a small organic dairy farm in Somerset. That foundation allowed the ethos of working in partnership with land and nature to shape the foundations of career choices. Holly has worked for Somerset Wildlife trust and The National Trust before returning to farming as a tenant farmer. She farms 200 acres of permanent pasture and herbal lays with cattle, sheep, goats and chickens.

The farm has developed over the past five years to create a farming model that is aiming to be resilient to future climate change, with planting of wood pasture, silvopasture, water retention work and restoration of grasslands. The farm is driven to reverse biodiversity decline that has happened and is engaged in HLS and SFI Pilots. The farm produce meats for their farm shop and seasonal food events, alongside partnership working with Good Vibe Veg, a CSA veg scheme now based on the farm. Holly also delivers on farm education sessions for local schools and community groups to encourage a greater involvement and understanding in our landscapes for all.

Anthony runs Quex Park which is a country estate in Kent. The estate grows wheat, oilseed rape, oats, beans, potatoes and maize silage, contract farms and has 60 hectares under environmental schemes. A programme of diversification was also implemented which includes children’s soft play centre, craft village, adventure golf, maize maze, farmshop, restaurant, garden nursery, forest school and paintball as well as events ranging from classic car days to music festivals. He believes passionately that farming and conservation must have a joint approach and it is essential for the future that the public of all ages need to be informed and enthused about the countryside and its importance for food production and wildlife. He has previously been the Kent NFU chairman and been Trustee Board member of the Kent County Agricultural Society.

Nic originates from a dairy farm on the Welsh Borders and spent her first ten years working within family business. The simplicity, integrity and honesty of that cycle and its value to the producer, environment and consumer hasn’t left her conscience. After moving to Cumbria to work with milk recording then animal drugs, she met her husband Paul, latterly moving to Cannerheugh in 2012 with their children. Nature and farming create the heart of their business. After working for AHDB, Nic is now embarking upon developing the farm business full time including the egg mobile, direct sales of meat and starting a glamping enterprise.

Patrick is a farmer and conservationist from Westhorpe in Mid-Suffolk. His 533ha family farm is a LEAF Demonstration Farm, an AHDB Strategic Farm and they are past winners of both the Farmers Weekly Countryside Farmer of the Year and FWAG’s Silver Lapwing award. Conservation is integral to the farm, they have a Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier scheme and Patrick’s ethos is to farm in modern, productive ways while having a farm full of wildlife. Patrick is a BTO licensed bird ringer and an area coordinator for the Suffolk Community Barn Owl Project. 

Jenny lives in North Dorset and helps to run her partner's dairy farm. The family milk 150 British Friesian dairy cows on an all-year-round system in a closed herd. All young stock are kept as either replacements or are raised for beef stores. The farm sells their milk to Arla and also through an on-farm vending machine and to local cafes. Farming alongside nature is the priority, producing nutritious high-quality food while preserving and enhancing the habitat on the farm. The farm is part of a Countryside Stewardship scheme including buffer strips, herbal leys, low input grassland and particularly focusing on hedgerow rejuvenation and ancient woodland preservation. The farm is also a member of the Nadder Valley Cluster group and is looking to become LEAF mark accredited over the next year. The farm has also engaged with the general public through Open Farm Sunday for the last few years. Outside of the farm, Jenny is a farm vet specialising in dairy cows and has an interest in sustainable parasite control in livestock. 

David manages the farming side of his business on the Northeast Essex coast, farming approx. 750ha of mixed soils but predominantly heavy London Clay. His farming system revolves around soil conservation and regeneration using cover cropping, diverse rotations and direct drilling to reduce inputs and improve biodiversity on the land he farms. His farm is also in HLS, and neighbours SSSI salt marsh owned by Essex Wildlife Trust, so he sees a lot of interesting bird life and a variety of habitat on the farm. David is a strong supporter of independent science and farmer led decision making. He is currently chairman of Colchester branch NFU, and also a steering group member for the AHDBs Eastern strategic farm. 

Martin farms with his family at Montague on the western edge of the Pevensey Levels in East Sussex. Two thirds of the land falls across grazing marshes, managed to restore wetlands for nesting Lapwing and Redshank and a complex of damp and herb-rich organic pasture. He looks after a flock of some 850 Romney ewes and a mixed breed beef herd of Sussex and Angus cattle. 

Neil was born and brought up at Hill Top Farm, Malham in North Yorkshire, where he now farms with his partner Leigh. In 2003, as part of a conservation grazing scheme he re-introduced 20 Belted Galloway cattle to join the Swaledale sheep flock. This proved to be a defining time for Neil in terms of ethos and mind-set, as he sought more sustainable and environmentally friendly production methods.

Chris and his wife Fiona have recently moved to Exeridge Farm, Oakfordbridge, Devon, a new and exciting challenge involving ancient woodland and hay meadow restoration and creation of wildlife ponds. Previously they owned and managed Nethergill Farm in the Yorkshire Dales. They built an eco-hill farm business with a sustainable added-value meat activity, an educational and field study facility and eco-tourism holiday lets.

Chris is a partner in Nethergill Associates, a business management consultancy currently assisting with the conjecturing and management of future farming uncertainties in all four countries within the UK. He is co-author of ‘The Less is More’ report commissioned by the RSPB, National Trust and Wildlife Trust. A former farm tenant and farm manager, Chris now has thirty years of business management experience. Nethergill Associates has expertise in financial management, marketing and farm business planning

Stephen and his family run a small herd of Pedigree Dexter cattle on the shores of Strangford Lough near Greyabbey and on tenanted National Trust ground at Groomsport, County Down. They have introduced a range of regenerative farming practices in a desire to farm with nature, and sell their high quality, affordable beef through direct selling and attending local food markets. Their cattle have won numerous awards at agricultural shows and they sell their pedigree livestock to other Dexter farmers. They are NFFN members and certified Pasture For Life Beef farmers.

Michael Meharg farms a 250ha suckler cow enterprise in county Antrim which includes conservation on a number of protected sites in NI. Passionate about the environment and rare breeds and with a background in ecology, Michael facilitates work with farmers in the Lough Neagh area Environmental Farming Scheme, focusing on delivering for priority habitats and breeding waders. Michael is interested in how the public and the market can better support nature-friendly farming produce across Northern Ireland.

Helen and husband Charlie farm 50 acres in rural Tyrone with an ever-increasing mixture including flax (for fibre), oats, potatoes, apples and pears. They are the first commercial producers of Irish grown linen in forty years. Helen is a co-founder of Source Grow, an online platform to help farmers decide what to grow to suit their soil and local market demand. It allows restaurants and retailers to place orders with multiple growers for delivery within two days. Helen is also an Entrepreneur in Residence at Queen's University Belfast and an Innovation Broker for the Water Innovation Network, working to create nature-based solutions to improve water quality in the Ballinderry Catchment.

Three years ago Bronagh O’Kane returned to the family farm in County Tyrone  after a career in the Royal Air Force. Since then, Bronagh has made it her mission to improve the financial resilience of the farm by restoring its soils. Bronagh has trialled a range of innovative techniques including the use of compost and worm castings to bring the soil back to life, reduce dependency on inputs and build livestock health. Bronagh was recently recognised as Farming Life’s Young Farmer of the Year in 2022. 

Tim Morrow farms at Streamvale Farm, a dairy farm situated in the Castlereagh Hills above Dundonald. Tim has worked on the farm since his return from a stint at Newcastle University in 1980.

David is an arable farmer & passionate about the environment. He was the Purdey Gold Award Winner 2016, Northern Ireland Wildlife Farmer of the Year 2015 & RFS Farm & Small Woodland Award joint winner 2021. David is also a committee member of the management body for the Strangford and Lecale AONB and advisory member for the Strangford Lough Marine Protected Area.

Charlie Cole a first-generation farmer who manages Broughgammon on the North coast of Antrim. The farm, famous for its award-winning rose veal and goat burgers, has been championing sustainability and the principle of ‘forward-thinking farming’ since 2012. Broughgammon is a mixed system aiming to demonstrate high welfare standards, environmental stewardship resilience and profitability. Charlie is a passionate advocate for locally produced sustainable food, highlighting that nature-friendly farming can play a key role in addressing many of the current problems facing food and farming at present.

After retiring from a long career in politics, David has more time for farming. His wife, Anne, and he operate a certified organic beef and sheep system on their small farm in County Antrim. They celebrated David’s ‘retirement’ by planting over 400 metres of native hedgerow and are now watching it grow. David believes that nature-friendly farming can play a pivotal role in providing solutions to a number of the environmental challenges we face at present. It is pivotal to halting biodiversity loss as well as helping face the climate challenge.

Tony Johnston is a Chartered Forester who runs the largest Christmas Tree farm in Northern Ireland. As a forestry agent he manages woodland for over 100 private and corporate landowners. He sits on the DAERA RDP Monitoring Committee, Plant Health Stakeholders Group and is the Confederation of Forestry Industries representative with the Forest Service Grants and Regulations Branch, focusing particularly on grant scheme development. He was a runner-up in the 2019 NI Farmer of the Year award.

Denise Walton and her family took over Peelham Farm in 1993. They farm to encourage birds and pollinating insects to live on the land. They converted to organic following the CAP reform of 2002, which facilitated funding. They restored hedges and fence lines, making sure they connected so birds and wildlife can use them as a food source or for protection from predators. Denise says there needs to be a balance between productivity for livelihood and productivity for wildlife, which is why grant aid is important. 

Phil Knott is a crofter on the Sleat Peninsula on the Isle of Skye. Phil lives with his partner and daughter on a 3ha wooded croft. He has come to crofting from a different angle to most, that of being a wildlife and land management expert but with no direct farming experience. His knowledge in flora, fauna, geology and soil has given him a good grounding and makes him look at the land in different ways to others. Being a wildlife tour leader has taken him all over the world, as well as to every corner of Scotland, especially the Highlands and Islands where he has studied all of the different farming practices.

He moved to Scotland in 2004 and has always wanted to manage his own piece of land, it took over ten years to find the right spot, but it was worth waiting for. Pockets of land are hard to get hold of in the Highlands of Scotland, but crofting does give present an opportunity to get your foot on the ladder.

Ruth Ashton-Shaw is an organic and regenerative farmer working with native livestock breeds to produce high-quality meat, eggs and wool in Dumfries and Galloway Scotland. Ruth is a new entrant farmer and has owned and run Low Auldgirth, a 30-acre farm with an additional 50 acres of grazing, for the last eight years. In this time she’s focused on developing new nature-friendly practices and approaches to effectively develop a farm business which is both profitable and sustainable. Ruth prides herself on her ability to challenge the ‘norm’ and has become a passionate champion of sustainable and local food systems. Ruth has appeared on both regional and national TV discussing some of farming’s most challenging matters alongside championing change for small producers throughout Scotland. She is always happy to listen, learn and discuss every aspect of food, farming and nature, as she believes it’s the most important industry with the power to effect change on a local, national and global level.

Patrick Laurie farms at Culkeist, near Dalbeattie. A small number of pedigree Riggit Galloway calves were bought in 2015, and this has grown into a suckler herd which grazes at Culkeist and on surrounding moorland in East Galloway. Patrick worked as a project manager at the Heather Trust for eight years, running their communications strategy and delivering advisory support on issues such as peatland restoration, heather beetle, black grouse conservation and marginal grazing for moorland and hill farmers across the UK.

In 2018, he moved to Soil Association Scotland to deliver their Farming with Nature program, funded by KTIF, RSPB and Scottish Water, looking at issues which ranged from grassland improvement to bracken control and the conservation of lapwings. Now working freelance, Patrick retains a range of clients across Scotland, providing support and advice for estates, farms and upland businesses. He is currently engaged in setting up The Galloway Hills Network, a farmer-led group designed to explore innovation and best practice in upland farming.

Bio coming soon!

Bio coming soon!

Hywel farms at Esgairllaethdy, Myddfai near Llandovery in Carmarthenshire in the western end of the Brecon Beacons National Park. His farm includes a160-acre upland/hill beef, a sheep farm, 20 acres rented land plus 80 acres of conservation grazing and grazing rights on the adjoining common. Hywel has cut out bagged fertiliser completely, reduced bought in concentrates considerably, stopped using chemical sprays, reduced the number of wormers and pour-ons used. He has also reduced the use of plastic and makes more hay. He has created habitat corridors, pond, and manages hedges differently by allowing them to grow taller and wider lightly trimming in a rotation. Some are left to grow which will mean hedge laying or coppicing. Finally, he has established some herbal leys. He believes that working with Nature is key, not against it.

Although from a farming background, Sam didn’t start working in agriculture until her mid-thirties. Now living on the banks of the River Elwy in North Wales, her holding comprises of lowland fertile flood plain and ancient steep woodland. She is passionate about health, welfare and the behaviour of both livestock and wildlife. Sam believes strongly that a biodiverse and regenerative approach to farming and our soils are key to mitigating the effects of the climate crisis. By re-sowing maize fields with species-rich permanent pasture mixes as well as planting hedgerows and trees, Sam is working for soil resilience, reduced erosion, increased carbon sequestration all year round and a complete regenerative system encompassing livestock and nature.

Tony has always been concerned about climate change, first installing solar panels on his off-grid farm in the 1990s.  As a tenant of 680ha of upland land, he joined an environmental scheme and converted the farm to organic production over 20 years ago. Tony enjoyed this low input method of farming, the farm was also changing into a more pleasant landscape. He describes the increase in plant diversity and nature as a welcome by-product of his farming system which can also continue producing lamb, mutton and beef with little inputs. Tony lists planting 20,000 trees, streamside corridors, hay meadow reversions, heather regeneration, and new ponds as a few of his projects. More recently, he has been making and selling biochar. Tony believes the Nature Friendly Farming Network is necessary for farmers like himself to unite and gain a voice to influence future policy.

Gerald describes himself as an Organic Farmer and resilient campaigner for Food Sovereignty and feels privileged to be a member of the Land Workers Alliance and NFFN. Gerald farms on the west coast of Pembrokeshire, and is an active campaigner against genetically modified crops and pesticides. In 2003 he drove his tractor all the way from West Wales to Downing Street to protest about GM crops and to raise support from fellow farmers.

In 2010, Gerald launched Wales’ first community supported agriculture (CSA) scheme. He believes the CSA model allows a mutually beneficial relationship between farmers and the community. The people who joined his CSA came to the farm regularly and began to refer to it as ‘our farm’. He also works to run the Llafur Ni (Our Cereals) network - a group which works together to revive rare Welsh landrace oats and share diverse grains. They also have a focus on knowledge sharing, with older farmers accompanying new entrants to Welsh cereal farming, sharing their knowledge of traditional ecological growing practices.

Matt farms using permaculture, agroecology and holistic management which results in a very multi-layered, mixed approach to running the family's 80-acre farm, Henbant, in North West Wales. He believes that farming with nature can result in farms which produce real food and financial profit whilst also building biodiversity, soil and social capital.  He thinks it is essential that eating is not seen as a necessarily ecologically negative act and that humans value their role in positively designed, regenerative ecosystems that enhance our world for both humans and nature. 

Sorcha and Brian farm on a 580ha traditional family hill farm in the Elan Valley Mid Wales, part of the Cambrian Mountains. They farm native hill sheep and Shorthorn/Hereford cattle in a sustainable way which provides a wealth of wildlife that thrives in harmony with this traditional way of life. The area is popular for walkers, cyclists, families, wildlife watchers, star gazers; all which benefit from the way the farmers in the water catchment manage the landscape around the reservoirs providing an array of benefits to people, environment and wildlife as well as raising quality nature friendly food.

The farm is important for many important Welsh wildlife species that are dependent on the special habitats on farm, such as nationally important hay meadows, rhos pasture, wax-cap rich grasslands, Fridd, regenerative woodland and upland peatlands. The open hills are important for rare birds such as the golden plover, dunlin and curlew with areas where you can find large heath butterfly and water vole. The weather and topography mean that you need to farm in a way that works with all the elements; it is nature that shows us the best way to farm in such a remote landscape. Brian and Sorcha passionately believe that embracing wildlife and encouraging wildlife has made their farm more resilient and less reliant on bringing in chemicals, feed and stock.

Hilary and her husband farm at Tyddyn Isaf, which overlooks the Menai Straits near Bethesda. They also have mountain rights on Llanllechid Common for their Welsh Hill flock and graze Highland and Belted Galloway cattle and Manx Loughton sheep on nature reserves from Pwllheli to Bangor, Anglesey and the coast below the farm. In addition to the farm they also run a countryside contracting business with their children which incorporates grazing livestock into management of the nature reserves for the Wildlife Trust, local councils and holiday parks. Grazing animals create conditions for a range of species and habitats such as grassland waxcap fungi, breeding waders, leeches, wildflower meadows, wetlands, sand dunes and heathland. The sheep and cattle are finished slowly and are marketed through local butchers or as premium meat through local sales. Although not registered as organic the farm is run on organic principles with no fertiliser, herbicides or pesticides used.

With his herd of entirely pasture-fed dual-purpose Red Poll cattle, Huw Foulkes of Fferm Pentrefelin takes a regenerative approach to dairy farming. In this cow and calf system, the calves remain with their mothers until they are naturally weaned, the cows being milked once a day.  Huw’s first big move was to go completely organic and eliminate the use of fertilisers and chemical sprays, complemented by introducing nitrogen-fixing legumes, such as lucerne and clovers, into the farm’s pastures. Grazing management has also changed drastically, where Huw rotationally graze the cattle onto fresh grass every single day, sometimes twice a day and also mob graze. The introduction of trees onto the farm, and in particular a silvopasture trial, has also helped the farm become more nature-friendly. 

Huw is passionate about a regenerative approach to dairy farming, where animal welfare and environmental impact aren’t sacrificed for large milk yields and turnovers.  Engaging with the public and educating customers is important.

Gethin runs a 58Ha suckler beef, sheep and cereal farm near Abergele on the North Wales coast. After becoming disillusioned with high-input, chemical methods of farming, he decided to implement a more nature-friendly approach that also benefits the environment and financial sustainability of the business. Previously, the only crop grown was ryegrass leys, with a considerable amount of artificial fertiliser being used. Now, forage production is based on red and white clover and herbal leys. Also, 6ha of unsprayed spring oats are grown every year, with the overwintered stubble providing habitat and food for large numbers of seed-eating farmland birds. Over the past 15 years, hedgerows have been coppiced and restored, and 1.5km of new hedgerows has been planted as part of the Tir Gofal and Glastir agri-environment schemes. It's a win-win-win situation - the farm is now more productive, self-sufficient, profitable, and environmentally sustainable, and it gives me a lot more satisfaction and enjoyment seeing the farm come alive with nature.

Rhodri farms at Moelgolomen in the heart of the Cambrian mountains with his parents, wife and three children. They farm hardy Welsh mountain sheep and Welsh black cattle. Moelgolomen has been organic since 1999 and has always been involved in agri-environmental schemes. Over recent times Rhodri and family have planted upwards of 80 thousand trees throughout the farm whilst also allowing existing hedges to grow tall and bushy to provide shelter for nature and stock alike. Soil health is their new focus with rotational grazing and a reduction in ploughing allowing greater root depth and better soil structure whilst the extra hedgerows also assist in slowing soil runoff and in flood mitigation.

Lamb meat boxes have been sold in recent times through their website, whilst visitors have been welcomed to the farm to stay in the treehouse holiday lets. Farming and food production are their ultimate goals, and Rhodri doesn’t see why this has to be to the detriment of nature with recent changes put in place to ultimately maintain, or perhaps even increase, production levels whilst also ensuring space is made for wildlife to thrive.

Emma Douglas farms with her family on the Gower Peninsula, South Wales. They farm a native breed of beef cattle, which graze nature-rich land across Gower and south Carmarthenshire, selling their 100% pasture-fed, nutrient-dense beef directly to local customers, cafes and their local food hub. Emma is passionate about the role that livestock play in the ecosystem and observing how appropriately managed livestock brings rare species back to thrive on the land that they graze. Emma has a herd of Welsh mountain ponies which manage nature-rich land in conjunction with her cattle and goats. She believes that farming with nature makes sense for her, not only financially but for animal, ecosystem and human health whilst preserving our iconic Welsh landscapes and rural traditions.