Greenfields Farm

Cusop Dingle, Cusop, Herefordshire, HR3 5RF

• 1 place available
• Accommodation is available at this placement
• A sweet but basic Shepard’s Hut is provided next to the vegetable plots. The hut has a petite wood burning stove, bed platform, storage boxes and chest of drawers and looks out over uninterrupted countryside towards The Black Mountains. There is a water point at the top of the field, a compost loo in the small barn and a place to plug in your power pack for some lighting. There is potential to put up a belle tent alongside either for use as a camp kitchen or loo/ shower if desired. The host welcomes your own improvements and additions, e.g. solar power, compost heated hot water etc.

Greenfields Farm is a start-up permaculture/ agroecological smallholding with lots of projects in their infancy on site. They are hoping to bring nature, animals, people and food production back together on the beautiful 10 acres of land they take care of on the edge of the Black Mountains. They currently have a tiny cow-calf dairy herd cross grazing with horses and pet sheep, next to a no dig vegetable garden and baby trees and fruit bushes.

In 2025, Greenfields are aiming to bring more veg beds into production and improve their infrastructure by building a cold frame, green house and loo / shower from recycled and natural materials. They hope to grow enough produce to feed themselves and volunteers firstly, secondly to open a market out to the immediate neighbourhood in Cusop (with an onsite honesty shop) and thirdly bring produce further into the Golden Valley and Herefordshire via veg boxes and restaurant sales.

They will encourage more wildlife back to the site with ponds and planting and broaden the roles of the horses and cows. Laying hens or ducks may be introduced.  They hope to further open up the site as an educational and inspirational resource, inviting primary schools, volunteers and people from the local community.

Greenfields Farm intends to operate with financial sustainability; finding revenue where possible and raising funding to cover their costs. They lease the fields at Greenfields and have some access to a further 20+ acres that can be used for this purpose.

The project is led by Louise Southwell (who also is currently a partner/ grower at Primrose Market Garden) and is supported by a dedicated team of helpers, liveries, volunteers and the landowner.