'Simply sustaining is not enough — we must rebuild, improve and enhance if we are going to save the planet': Meet the forward-thinking farmers of the Cotswolds

'There are moments in farming when change feels like a bold decision and others when it feels more like survival. What felt like a leap into regenerative farming has turned out to be more of a signpost,’ says Charles Mann. He is one of several regenerative farmers in the Cotswolds, who combine a passion for restoring the pastoral landscape of centuries ago with an understanding of the challenges growing crops on the brash the area is famous for, a determination to build soil resilience and the intuition of how to balance food production with Nature recovery.

Oxleaze Farm on the Oxfordshire/Gloucestershire border, which he inherited from his father in 1978, was rooted in the conventional practices of the day. ‘Sprays, fertilisers and the pursuit of ever-higher yields were not only the norm, they were the measure of success. It worked, until it didn’t. Perhaps it was a growing awareness of the countryside beyond the balance sheet or a sense that something was missing,’ he reflects. ‘Diversification had already begun, converting old buildings into office lets. Renewable-energy projects followed, enabling those living and working on the farm to enjoy green energy. We planted woodland and hedges to encourage wildlife and paid closer attention to the land itself, rather than merely what we could extract from it.’

In 2004, a poor harvest coupled with dismal prices forced a reckoning. It became clear that the old model — high input, high output — was not as resilient as it seemed, so Charles took what felt like a radical decision and converted to organic farming. ‘We embraced the stewardship and environmental schemes available, not only for the financial support, but because they aligned with our growing belief that farming should work with Nature, not against it.’

Driven by a passion for regenerative farming that came from a realisation that the food system is unsustainable, Jonty Brunyee studied environmental management before undertaking a Nuffield Farming Scholarship and travelling the world looking for solutions — ‘that’s when regenerative farming hit me right between the eyes’. Jonty never thought he would run his own farm, being a fourth son of four, so taking on the tenancy of the National Trust’s Gloucestershire Conygree Farm in 2004 was significant: ‘My aim has been to show that a small regenerative farm can be great for wildlife, carbon neutral, profitable and can feed people,’ he asserts. ‘We have done this by stacking regenerative enterprises that work together and benefit the wider system. It was let as a “part-time farm” (providing enough income for only half a person). Now, four of us work here and run events for our community and fellow farmers. The farm is alive.’

It might be a niche ambition for some, but ‘getting people excited about soil and how to make it healthy is a lifetime goal of mine,’ confesses Annie Landless, manager of Ampney Brook Farm, a regenerative organic farm in Gloucestershire selling beef, pork, venison and vegetables. ‘That and creating a profitable farming business that regenerates soil, is full of life, allows livestock to express their natural behaviours, grows nutrient-dense crops and produces healthy food at scale.’

Her childhood was spent on the family farm rearing orphan lambs, riding ponies and selling organic beef at farmers’ markets with her parents. After becoming unwell with what she thought were food intolerances, she became curious about the source of what she was eating. Moving to London to work for a click-and-collect farmers’ market connecting farms with local customers, she met ‘inspirational people leading the way with what is now called regenerative farming, sharing ideas on improving soil health, biodiversity and selling fresh produce directly to the public. I was hooked’.

Phil Gordon-Jones experienced a similar awakening. Born in Miami, Florida, he fell in love with the countryside when his parents bought a house on a farm in Wiltshire and ended up helping in the grain store, riding in the combine and relief milking. When studying at Cirencester’s Royal Agricultural College, ‘we used to laugh at the few-and-far-between organic farmers with their low yields and thistles growing in their cow pastures,’ he remembers.

However, 12 years as head stockman at Daylesford Organic ‘was an eye-opener, learning about organic farming and growing pastures without the use of artificial fertilisers. It gave me a new view of farming with nature for the future, basing decisions on how it will affect the land’. He now manages Fir Farm, Gloucestershire, a Pasture-Fed Livestock Association (PFLA), organic and regenerative mixed farming business and he is a member of the Cotswold Regenerative Agriculture Accelerator Programme, an initiative for like-minded farmers and advisers wanting to expand their understanding of regenerative and agroecological practices.

‘At Fir Farm, we put Nature and soil at the forefront of every decision we make,’ Phil says. ‘We have ecologists who study bird, plant and bug life and advise how we can make things better. For example, last year, we brought our ornithologist in before cutting the silage; he found skylark nests and we cut around them. I’m sure the neighbours thought I was mad, but the skylarks sat on their nests until the fledglings were ready to fly.’

It is a philosophy that Sam Phillips already subscribes to at Macaroni Farm, a 2,000-acre mixed cereal and beef farm in Gloucestershire that his father converted to organic in 1999. ‘My great-grandfather would shoot 125 brace of grey partridge on a day without putting down reared game because of good farming practice and game management,’ he says. ‘With intensive agriculture and the loss of habitat, artificial inputs and monoculture, grey-partridge numbers plummeted, so we’ve been doing our bit to restore them. Corn bunting, skylark, linnet, yellowhammer and lapwing populations have increased considerably, too, due to our efforts. We even have a resident hen harrier, never seen before on the farm.’ Such successes contributed to him winning the Gold Purdey Award in 2025 in recognition of wildlife and game conservation.

Mark Tufnell has driven similar change at Calmsden, near Cirencester, which his great- grandfather bought and he has farmed since his father died in 1995. ‘Field margins of wildflowers, beetle banks, cover strips, conservation headlands, nesting margins and hedges cut on a two- or three-year rotation provide habitat for farmland birds,’ Mark points out. ‘We’ve seen growing numbers of skylarks, yellowhammers, corn buntings and grey partridges since the programme began. Each year, we do an ecological survey and the 10-year results show an increase in birds, pollinators and rare arable plants, proving Nature recovery can run alongside food production.’

What is evident from each of the farmers is the desire not only to reinstate, but also to elevate. ‘We talk about sustainable farming being the way forward, yet the definition of sustainable is “to maintain at a certain rate or level”,’ says Phil. ‘I don’t want to maintain what we’re doing, I want to improve our soils, increase wildlife populations and rejuvenate the microbiome under our feet.’ Jonty concurs: ‘Simply sustaining is not enough — we must rebuild, improve and enhance if we are going to save the planet and nourish our communities. It begins with soil and biodiversity, then nutrients and water and, ultimately, our landscapes and people. We must farm with Nature, not against it.’

There are five key principles to regenerative farming: minimising soil disturbance, keeping soil covered, maintaining living roots, maximising plant diversity and integrating livestock to stimulate natural nutrient cycles. Annie elaborates: ‘We don’t worry too much about weeds, as they are indicators of what is happening in the soil. We want to see a diverse range of plants with a diverse range of roots feeding a diverse range of soil micro-organisms. In winter, we graze cows outside [negating the need for straw, antibiotics and machinery]; the seeds in the hay residue and manure from the cattle feed a host of insects, birds and soil organisms. In the summer, cows graze through fields of grass, herbs and legumes full of bees, dragonflies and butterflies. We grow heritage and genetically diverse population wheats that grow tall, develop strong root systems and have broad leaves to shade out competition. Our soil and fields are alive and resilient.’

Setting out to plough your own furrow in the regenerative-farming landscape can be a daunting prospect and, as Jonty has discovered, ‘requires a different way of seeing and measuring outcomes. Because we are always learning as it’s so complex, imposter syndrome is real and it can feel isolating and a bit “woo woo” at times’. Charles is relieved that farming friends — who initially greeted his decision with raised eyebrows — have become more accepting: ‘What once looked like an eccentric departure is now part of a broader movement, so conversations that might once have been avoided are now revisited with genuine interest,’ he muses.

However, the sceptics remain. ‘It’s tough being a young woman in a male-dominated environment and doing things differently to “how it’s always been done”,’ Annie says. ‘Setting up multiple new enterprises on the farm means plenty of hurdles and holding your nerve when the neighbours are looking over the hedge.’

There are wider pressures, too. With the recent Land Use Framework, farmers are being pushed to grow more food on less land and won’t be funded through public finance to set aside non-productive land for biodiversity restoration. ‘The majority of the land I farm is of low productivity, so not best suited for high-output agriculture,’ admits a concerned Sam. ‘We’re good at raising high-quality livestock and meat through our mineral-rich pastures and that’s the direction I want to head in over the next 30 years. However, as of January 1, 2027, we might have to plough everything up and try to grow food on land we know we can’t make money out of.’ The thin, stony Cotswold brash that is susceptible to the effects of climate change has been hit hard by recent droughts, as Mark laments: ‘Yields from the past two harvests have been notably poor, so the aim is to secure premiums for the arable crops. Recently, we’ve introduced cover crops to enhance soil fertility and prevent any erosion and nutrient run-off. We’re also using sheep to graze the crops off, before planting spring barley and soil organic matter continues to improve. Ultimately, the two main aims are to provide food for human consumption and improve biodiversity. Both need to occur alongside running a profitable enterprise.’

Optimistically, however, for Sam ‘farmers are the solution’: ‘We can produce food, restore nature, address flood mitigation, capture carbon… but we need the right mechanism to allow us to do so,’ he asserts. ‘We need a cross-party, 20-year food, farming and Nature-recovery strategy; then we can plan accordingly, create a system that suits the land and do something that gives stability for decades. At the moment, farmers don’t know where they’re going to be next year. We simply have to continue to operate best practice and engage with and educate the public as much as possible. I’d put nutrition on every syllabus. If you educate people young, that will have a knock-on effect in terms of supporting farmers, who are producing food that’s got great nutritional value. Everyone needs a farmer three times a day: breakfast, lunch, dinner.’

The wider public is already reaping the rewards of the innovative seeds these farmers have sown, from Annie selling veg and meat boxes through the Ampney Brook website so local customers can order and collect from the farm or nearby collection points to Jonty developing networking projects, such as Emergent Generation and RegenDeep, and Mark hosting the Gloucestershire Root Fruit and Grain Society for its annual farm walk and tillage event.

As for those ensconced in it: ‘Our children have grown up with the farm, not only as a backdrop, but as a constant presence — a playground, a place of work and, gradually, a shared responsibility,’ Charles states. ‘They’ve lived through its organic transition and now bring their own ideas, whether that’s new approaches to land management, fresh inspiration for diversification or a different way of communicating what we do.

‘Farming today is less about maximising output at all costs and more about balancing productivity and stewardship, business and beauty, tradition and change. My father might have raised an eyebrow at some of the directions we’ve taken, but I like to think he would have recognised the underlying aim. It’s comforting to realise that what once felt like long-term decisions are merely part of a longer story.’

This isn’t simply an ongoing narrative, however. By taking bold steps, yet treading carefully to forge their own paths, these farmers have created a guidebook out of which others can take a leaf — a regeneratively grown one, at that.