Experienced Dairy Manager Establishing a Regenerative Cow-Calf Dairy, Derbyshire

Nat is seeking 120 acres of land in Derbyshire, to establish a cow–calf dairy enterprise focused on regenerative farming and ecosystem restoration. She aims to work with natural systems to produce healthy food in the form of dairy and meat. She aims to improve soil health, biodiversity, and the overall resilience of the land, and ultimately run an enterprise that provides opportunities for the local community to benefit from and engage with.

Nat has a background in conservation and 10 years of farming experience, working over a range of farm sizes and systems – from a mixed livestock farm in the United States, to a market garden in Scotland, managing a micro-dairy in the UK and spending a summer on a Swiss Alpine dairy.

Nat was previously part of a small team at a micro-dairy and eventually managed the business through a period of financial difficulty, ultimately leading to business closure. She now feels equipped with lived experience and knowledge around what it takes to run a successful cow-calf dairy, and has a greater clarity around the system that she wants to build in the future. She has most recently been working on a small mixed regenerative, organic farm in Stroud and a 200-head organic dairy farm near Chippenham, with a working environment that has been supporting her to continue building management and business skills. Her next opportunity is taking her to Derbyshire, where she will be working with dairy goats.

Nat has a strong passion for working with animals and hopes to create a business where Christian faith values sit at the centre. She would like to produce ethical, high-quality food while ensuring that some of the farm’s produce remains affordable and accessible to people in the local community who are struggling with the cost of living.

Her vision is to develop a regenerative cow–calf dairy system that prioritises ecosystem restoration. The farm would run a herd of up to 50 cows, managed through mob grazing to improve soil health and pasture quality. The land would need the nutritional capacity to support grass-fed dairy cows. Over time, Nat would like to explore systems for outwintering the animals using approaches such as bale grazing or deferred forage, supported by natural infrastructure like agroforestry. Some winter housing for the cows may still be necessary, and the ability to process milk on a small scale would be important to support direct sales.

Nat’s ideal location would be within about an hour of Derby, where her family are based. Proximity to a population centre such as Derby, Nottingham, or another sizeable town would help create opportunities for local markets and direct sales. She would also be interested in exploring on-farm sales in the future, and a farm that already has other products or enterprises would be a welcome opportunity to build a broader offering for customers.

Nat is also looking to find a business partner. This could take the form of a joint venture with a landowner who shares similar values, or another land seeker with complementary skills and a similar vision. Ideally, a partner would have farming experience, share a passion for regenerative food production, and hold values rooted in the Christian faith. They might not need to be involved in the day-to-day running of the farm, but could contribute through areas such as education, sales, or public engagement, helping connect people more closely with the land and the food it produces.

Nat would be interested to hear from landowners with the right land opportunity or other landseekers interested in collaborating.

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