Farmer and director Gala Bailey Barker, and business manager and director Rebecca Heys of Plaw Hatch Farm will share how the farm layer enterprises to create a more resilient business, more diverse food, livelihoods for more people and more connections with the local community.

Plaw Hatch Farm is on the edge of the Ashdown Forest comprising 9+ enterprises including dairy, laying hens and sheep. The Farm is run as a limited company by 5 directors and employs upwards of 40  people.

In this morning session Gala and Rebecca will explore:

• Adding profitable new farm ventures to an existing operation with minimal added cost
• Scaling for financial return and maintain balance between enterprises
• Sharing labour, real estate, equipment and marketing across multiple enterprises
• Considerations when stacking an enterprise
• Management structure and decision making
• Sharing equipment and assets

We will take a walk around the farm with Gala and Rebecca to look at the different enterprises and discuss how they operate together and what they have learnt over the years from adding new enterprises to the farm.

Agenda

10.00am   Registration 

10.05am Welcome and introductions

10.15am Farm walk and talk on enterprise stacking

12.30pm  Refreshments/networking/further questions

1.00pm Finish

An AONB representative will be available from 1pm - 2pm to talk about Farming In Protected Landscapes Funding and answer general questions about submitting an application.

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You will be emailed with directions and parking instructions and where to meet when you register for the event three days before the event.

There will be a maximum of 12 people to allow plenty of time for questions.

Light refreshments will be provided after the walk.

There is barn shelter, parking and a loo at the site. We will walk down the hard farm tracks into the woodland at the bottom of the farm.

This event will go ahead whatever the weather so please bring suitable clothing and footwear.

About Plaw Hatch Farm

'Plaw Hatch Farm is a 200-acre community-owned farm on the edge of the Ashdown Forest near Sharpthorne. It has been a biodynamic farm for forty years and is owned by a charitable trust. In total we farm close to 500 acres within a 12-mile radius of the main farm. As tenant farmers our aim is to provide as wide a range of produce as possible, principally to the local community. Our prices reflect the true cost of food production allowing for re-investment towards the sustainability of the farm. We are a mixed farm with a dairy herd providing raw milk, cheeses, yoghurts and cream. We also keep sheep, pigs and laying hens. A garden of 12 acres provides a range of seasonally available fruit and vegetables. All our own produce plus organic produce from local suppliers is available through our farm shop. We operate an open farm policy and encourage you to take a look round to see how we keep our land and animals and what makes us so unique.'

https://www.plawhatchfarm.co.uk/hedgerows

If you are unable to book via Eventbrite please email Deborah at deborahhighwealdevents@gmail.com to book your place.

This event is funded through the Farming in Protected Landscapes programme.

About the Farming in Protected Landscapes programme:

The Farming in Protected Landscapes programme gives grants for projects in England’s special and unique Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONBs) and National Parks.

It supports projects that:

• recover nature
• tackle climate change
• provide opportunities for people to discover the landscape support sustainable farm businesses.

Find out more about the Farming in Protected Landscapes programme here