Goods farm - the vision

One of the main missions for the farm is to simply be a farm: a place where human beings become part of a place, and work with the wider natural world, to mutually thrive.

However, Goods Farm is also conceived as a place to model the idea that humanity can - and needs to be - an actively positive part of nature. Not just getting away with being on the earth, but an integral and beneficial part of a wondrous and beautiful natural system.

The team

Gerard has wanted to be a farmer since he was a child, having always been in his element when on family holidays on farms. He was also fascinated by surgery, and trained as a surgeon before retraining as a GP. After becoming more aware of climate change, biodiversity loss and social crises, he started on a new path, and studied for an MSc in Sustainability and Ecology at the Centre for Alternative Technology, Machynlleth. There, he was inspired by the idea that we need to transform our relationship with nature, of which we are a part.

Gerard teamed up with a GP friend called Nick, and together they have been searching for several years for a place to start a project. Finally, in 2025, and also with Gerard's brother Adam, they were able to take on 57 acres on the lower slopes of the Black Hill in Craswall, Herefordshire.

Craswall crew

and now - spring 2026

We are finally full tilt getting the farm up and running. it is the 17th April, and I heard my first cuckoo of the year today. A starter herd of traditional Hereford cattle are expected to arrive in May, to start 'holistic planned grazing' to stimulate grass, roots, soil, and biodiversity.

Nature Based Well-being

We have founded a social enterprise for nature-based well-being activities, named The Green Lane after a long-dismantled farmstead on the land. The concept is very similar to forest school, but is for all ages and abilities. There is a burgeoning body of evidence that time in a natural and sociable setting, engaging in activities like food growing, meditation, sensory play, or crafts, is highly beneficial for physical and mental health. Who knew! Gerard has undertaken an accreditation to be able to host and facilitate such activities, which ties in his background as a health worker with the new farming adventure.

Farm produce

It is early days but the plan is to produce a variety of seasonable foods suited to production in the local landscape. Aside from the beef suckler herd, we are planning to rear pigs, chickens for eggs, and establish a permaculture forest garden producing fruit, vegetables, berries and nuts. We are also planning to bring dairy shorthorn cattle onto the land, for a raw milk cow-with-calf microdairy. Watch this space!

Nature restoration

We wish to nurture a farmed landscape that is as brimful of life as possible. We will be reviving traditional hay meadows, re-planting hedges in their old positions, and creating areas of coppice wood and wetland. We have already planted 600 trees in the first winter - an orchard with apples, plums, greengage, quince, damson, cherry and medlar; and shelter belts with oak, hazel, hawthorn, rowan, wild cherry, crabapple, downy birch, black poplar, holly and yew.

Gerard is undertaking the year-long Holistic Management training provided by the UK Alan Savory Hub, 3LM. The most well-known part of the training is about 'holistic planned grazing': mob-grazing herbivores, particularly cattle, in a way that mimics natural behaviours and has highly beneficial impacts on the land. Expected benefits include soil depth and function, carbon drawdown, biodiversity recovery, and increased resilience both to drought and to excess rainfall.

Farm stays

Farm stays are another part of the plan; we will be providing a small number of glamping options, particularly to support nature based well-being activities.

Further ideas

Open days, workshops, music, feasts, volunteering, you name it. We'd love to welcome people from near and far to enjoy what this beautiful place has to offer.

Conclusion

One of the main aims is for this simply to be a farm - a farm which is thick with life and represents a joyful interaction between human beings and wider nature. We are looking forward to producing seasonal and delicious produce for the local community and for all who visit here. This is to be a welcoming place, and we hope it can host these initial plans and so much more. Please sign up for the email list for updates, open days, and ways you can get involved.