How I got here

I’ve always been mad about farming and nature. From my first Sixth Form project looking at plant species diversity between cattle- and sheep-grazed fields, it has been a constant - if circuitous - direction of travel to taking on my first farm tenancy.

I studied BSc Agriculture at the University of Nottingham before my life-changing MSc in Agroecology, Water and Food Sovereignty at Coventry University’s Centre for Agroecology, Water and Resilience, where I focused on agroforestry for livestock and farmers’ reasons for and experience of adopting it.

Since then I have worked with Suffolk’s National Landscapes (or AONBs as they were then), learnt about hedgelaying and willow weaving from the brilliant Richard King, and worked on the Common Lands in Sudbury, before a chance meeting with John Pawsey in 2019 offered me the opportunity to put what I’d learned about agroforestry into practice! I have since designed the project for James Bucher at Hall Farm, Knettishall, and have more in progress, and pride myself in now having both the academic background and practical experience of designing and implementing projects on-farm.

2022 marked the start of my work with Mark and Brigid on their beautiful mixed beef and arable farm in Great Henny, immediately over the River Stour from Shalford Meadow, which - as luck would have it - was coming up for rent in 2023. I applied but did not hold much hope considering I was starting from scratch…and got it!

My landlord, the Layzell Bures Charity, was set up after the passing of Peter Layzell to provide new entrants with access to land - one of the biggest hurdles to getting on the farming ladder. Having grown up in Great Cornard I knew of Peter, and he’d been kind enough to allow my father, brother and I to go fishing from one of his fields many years ago. His final resting place is actually on Shalford Meadow, together with his wife Helen and their pet dog Suzie.

I used to walk across Shalford Meadow as a boy to go exploring on the Essex side of the river, so to now have the chance to farm it in my own right is a dream come true! I have already reintroduced the traditional hay cut and aftermath grazing that makes a meadow a meadow, and have plans to reinstate an old ditch and tree line too, which, while informed by history, will ensure future resilience for the meadow’s wildlife and my cattle.

Traditional and progressive at the same time!