Rising costs, volatile milk prices and growing regulatory pressure are reshaping dairy farming. Across three farms in East Sussex, different systems reveal the same underlying challenge — how to remain viable in an increasingly uncertain landscape. Many UK dairy farmers find themselves caught in a familiar squeeze — milk prices that move
In the seventh instalment of my twelve-part Indie Farmer series, supported by the Lund Trust and the High Weald National Landscape, I visited Falconhurst Estate near Markbeech, Kent, to spend time with George Talbot and understand how a mixed organic dairy and estate business is being shaped in practice.
Why farmer knowledge exchange matters in the High Weald and beyond On a cold morning in early spring, a group of farmers stand quietly beside a hedge in the High Weald, watching a group of young cattle move slowly across the pasture. Boots press into the damp ground as the
Rising costs, volatile milk prices and growing regulatory pressure are reshaping dairy farming. Across three farms in East Sussex, different systems reveal the same underlying challenge — how to remain viable in an increasingly uncertain landscape. Many UK dairy farmers find themselves caught in a familiar squeeze — milk prices that move
Brightleigh Farm is a mixed livestock holding near Outwood in Surrey, run by Penny and Nigel Franklin alongside Penny’s daughters Ellie and Joely. The farm produces 100 percent pasture fed beef, free range pork, poultry and eggs, all sold direct to customers through their on farm shop and a
Brickpits Organic Farm, a 110-acre off-grid organic enterprise located in the High Weald near Uckfield in East Sussex, is no ordinary farm. Built from scratch in 1999 by Ian and Lynnie Hutchison on some bare arable fields, it is now home to a patchwork of pastures, hand-planted
Limden Brook, a 450-acre farm of permanent pasture, floodplain meadows and wooded banks in the Limden Valley, has been home to the Newington family for more than 120 years. Today, fifth-generation farmer Sam Newington and his wife Becky run a herd of 55 suckler cows, producing 100% pasture-
Plaw Hatch Farm, a 200-acre biodynamic co-operative on the edge of the Ashdown Forest in East Sussex, is no ordinary farm. Owned by more than 700 shareholders and run by a community of growers and livestock keepers, it is home to a thriving dairy, market garden, farm shop
Back in 2021, I shared a post called How to Start a Meat Box Business, which struck a chord with a lot of small-scale farmers. Fast forward a few years and I wanted to offer a follow-up, drawing on our own experience of running a successful monthly farm
Stories of farming, food and land –– from the ground up.
In the latest instalment of my twelve-part Indie Farmer series, supported by the Lund Trust and the High Weald National Landscape, I visited Cockhaise Farm near Haywards Heath, in East Sussex to spend a day with organic dairy farmer Dan Burdett, to learn how he is managing a 240-
In the fifth instalment of my twelve part Indie Farmer series, supported by the Lund Trust and the High Weald National Landscape, I visited Lomas Farm in Sandhurst, Kent to spend a day with farmer David Cornforth, to understand how his passion for healthy soils and low input farming guides
We visited Berries on Tap, a small family-run soft fruit farm near Selsey in West Sussex that is pioneering a new model by selling premium berries directly to consumers via vending machines. I visited Berries on Tap in late summer 2025, six years after the Evans family stepped away
Groundswell — farming’s very own Glastonbury — returns each summer to the Cherry family’s Hertfordshire farm, drawing a growing crowd of farmers, thinkers, growers and storytellers grappling with some of the biggest questions facing food and agriculture. Across two packed days — with more than 10,000 people attending — I moved
Brightleigh Farm is a mixed livestock holding near Outwood in Surrey, run by Penny and Nigel Franklin alongside Penny’s daughters Ellie and Joely. The farm produces 100 percent pasture fed beef, free range pork, poultry and eggs, all sold direct to customers through their on farm shop and a
Brickpits Organic Farm, a 110-acre off-grid organic enterprise located in the High Weald near Uckfield in East Sussex, is no ordinary farm. Built from scratch in 1999 by Ian and Lynnie Hutchison on some bare arable fields, it is now home to a patchwork of pastures, hand-planted
Limden Brook, a 450-acre farm of permanent pasture, floodplain meadows and wooded banks in the Limden Valley, has been home to the Newington family for more than 120 years. Today, fifth-generation farmer Sam Newington and his wife Becky run a herd of 55 suckler cows, producing 100% pasture-
Plaw Hatch Farm, a 200-acre biodynamic co-operative on the edge of the Ashdown Forest in East Sussex, is no ordinary farm. Owned by more than 700 shareholders and run by a community of growers and livestock keepers, it is home to a thriving dairy, market garden, farm shop
Back in 2021, I shared a post called How to Start a Meat Box Business, which struck a chord with a lot of small-scale farmers. Fast forward a few years and I wanted to offer a follow-up, drawing on our own experience of running a successful monthly farm
Pasture and Profit in Protected Landscapes is funded by Farming in Protected Landscapes Fund (FiPL) offering free, innovative mentoring and an events programme across several National Landscapes for farmers interested in increasing farm profits and biodiversity through the management of grazing animals. We recently caught up with Deborah Barker, Pasture
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
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
