Babbinswood Organic Farm
Babbinswood Farm is a small mixed organic farm near Oswestry. In 1990 Barbara and Richard purchased the freehold and in 2000 the farm was converted to organic. Sadly Richard moved to Uganda in 2010 and, despite all the efforts of the family since, the farm now has a loan of £1.5 million to pay off. Daughter, Casha, and her husband Adam moved back to the farm and, with the help of her sister and lots of volunteers, the farm has thrived along with its cows, sheep and pigs, producing organic meat, organic raw milk and yogurt and selling organic fruit and vegetables in the farm shop.
Barbara is a qualified vet and has an holistic veterinary practice at the farm and other businesses have found a home there including Blossom and Bee Kitchen’s wonderful cakes.
Charlotte Hollins is helping Babbinswood Farm – in 2006 she and her brother faced a similar situation saving their father’s organic farm. Fordhall Farm is now a Community Land Initiative with 8000 landlords – all of whom bought shares in the farm – and saved it from becoming a housing estate. Like Fordhall Farm, Babbinswood practises regenerative agriculture cultivating healthy soil, producing healthy animals and vegetables, feeding healthy people – and supporting a healthy planet.
Since Charlotte’s father, Arthur, started organic farming in the 1950’s, food production has changed along with buying habits. People no longer buy vegetables unpackaged from local shops and farms – farms have become isolated and many young people buying food in supermarkets have no idea where their food comes from or how it is produced.
In an effort to reconnect people to the landscape and to farming, Babbinswood Farm offers group visits with tours of the farm; they host courses in holistic management, and permaculture, and their volunteers all learn how to grow food organically.
All the cattle and sheep are pasture fed and calves are left with their mothers so cows are only milked once a day. Part of the land is woodland and wetland which could become a nature reserve and there are already walking paths across the farm.
The farm was valued last year at £2.6 million. The outstanding debt is currently £1.42 million, the bank agreed a 3 month bridging loan to give the family time to find ways to pay off the loan – but this ends on 18th January, 2024 so the family called a meeting on 3rd December to ask for help. A JustGiving page has raised nearly £30,000, the meeting attracted over 30 people – one of whom donated one of the bridging loan interest payments – and a steering group is being organised.
If you have any ideas, would like to help, or buy a share in the farm, you can find out more at www.babbinswoodfarm.co.uk
Pubished in the January edition of the Whitchurch Gossip.
@BabbinswoodFarm @FordhallFarm #Oswestry