[barbara.jones@vetholistic.co.uk]

barbara.jones@vetholistic.co.uk

02/07/2020 at 11:14 am #29244

I am not sure if this is something you can help with. I will very briefly explain the background and would be happy to expand to tell you the whole story if there is any hope of you helping.
Our 180 acre farm on the Shropshire plain, has been certified organic since 2002, and may be coming up for sale in the near future, or at least half of it. Although the farm has been in my husband’s family for generations they were tenants until we purchased the freehold in 1992. We stopped farming the land in 2002 and the first 10 year tenant converted it to organic. My daughter and I pulled out all the stops to ensure that the next tenant would continue to farm it organically, which he did for 7 years then my daughter came back to farm it with the help of me and her husband 3 years ago.
My husband and I separated in 2010 and he now lives abroad and we are now going through a divorce which puts the farm at risk of being sold off and all the hard work and environmental benefits of organic farming that have been gained could be lost. (When we sold 55 acres in 2010 the new owner was spraying chemical and artificial fertilizers on before he had even paid for it!). It seems likely that I will get half of the farm in my own right and my husband is willing for me to purchase his share at market value if I can raise the finance.
My approach to The Biodynamic Land Trust is to explore any possibilities where this land can be retained in organic ( and of course preferably biodynamic management ). The likelihood of our finding the money on our own to buy out my husband is low. However, ideas of thinking for the future have already pondered putting the land in trust, this was before my daughter became more seriously interested in farming.

Although I have lived and worked here for decades and my daughter grew up here, we are aware that our knowledge and experience in organic farming is limited and we have reached out and had help from many people to turn this farm into a place that produces healthy organic food that is affordable to as many people as possible whilst improving the farm ecology year on year. Our vision is to make this a place where people can come to join in, to experience and to learn, ultimately connecting them back to Nature so they in turn learn to understand, to nurture and respect the planet and the environment. I feel it this has been an urgent mission, never more so than now

Please would you let me know as soon as possible if this is something we can explore with you as I need to move quite quickly on this

[Anonymous]

Anonymous

07/04/2021 at 3:56 pm #48895

Hello Barbara,

I have recently joined the LWA. Thank you so much for sharing. Hope things have worked out positively for you.

I wonder when you maybe able to have a chat with me? I shall write to you directly to your email and hopefully you will reply.

Best wishes