Provider Profile
(An outline of the opportunity being provided)
About the landowner:
Non-Welsh speaker
25-40 years old
I am a new entrant farmer looking to establish a mixed organic system in the upper Aeron valley. I moved to the farm in Spring 2023 and am still in the early stages of setting up. It is lovely, productive, flat land on deep topsoil (heavy clay but free draining in summer). I am hoping to establish a micro-dairy and support diverse food production across the farm (currently experimenting with arable cropping and establishing an orchard). I wish to support biodiversity wherever possible and farm sustainably (e.g. establishing circular systems with minimal inputs where possible). In the long-term I hope that the farm might demonstrate that diverse, nutritious food production and nature can go hand-in-hand.
My goals for the next 5 years
1. Begin to establish a micro-dairy herd and start milking and dairy processing
2. Establish an arable rotation that suits the farm
3. Support production of diverse horticultural produce
4. Establish markets for sales of mixed produce (ideally these would be aligned)
About the farm:
Land area available
Approximately 1.5 acres for exclusive horticultural use (vegetables and/or other produce). There could be the option to incorporate field-scale vegetable growing into a rotation with arable cropping and livestock on a larger area later on.
Infrastructure available:
Shed space is available but would probably require some work to set up as desired (e.g. there is a shed with old calf housing that opens onto the field available). Plenty of options for expanding infrastructure like roof water collection, but this needs setting up. Good road access. Unfortunately, I can't currently provide permanent accommodation, but this could be arranged in the long-term (e.g. through converting spaces in some outbuildings).
There is currently no polytunnel but this is something I am keen to support (ideally with any grants available too).
The farm is currently in organic conversion and will be fully certified from the beginning of 2026 (all being well).
I am a WWOOF (WorldWide Opportunities on Organic Farms) host so volunteers could sometimes be available.
Machinery available:
The farm has a medium sized tractor with loader which could be made use of under agreement.
I am still setting up a lot of the farm so will need to purchase additional machinery in due course, perhaps under share agreements.
Accommodation for the Seeker: No
The local area:
Around 1km from the village of Llangeitho in Ceredigion. The village has a shop, cafe and pub and supportive local community. Beautiful, quiet setting in the Aeron Valley.
The following towns are potential market opportunities:
- Tregaron (4 miles) - small whole food shop which we currently sell a small quantity of potatoes to. No town market.
- Lampeter (8 miles) - a couple of whole food shops and a fortnightly Saturday market.
- Aberaeron (12 miles) - a couple of small whole food shops, monthly market has recently started
- Aberystwyth (18 miles) - whole food shop, local food hub, and fortnightly market
- There are also restaurants/cafes in all these locations.
Key characteristics I would look for in a business partner:
Someone with a similar ethos hoping to farm and support nature simultaneously, supportive of farming organically. Someone honest, happy to work collaboratively and open to developing the business(es) in various directions. Someone willing to share produce!
What type of agreement are you considering? Share farming or a partnership - looking for a shared control between provider and seeker