Financial security was a major factor in Jessie and Joe’s decision to transform Greenbank Farm.
Environment Bank provides the couple with lease payments and also pays them to help manage the land through livestock grazing and hay cutting.
“One of the main benefits for us is having 30 years of guaranteed income,” Jessie said.
“With farming, you just never know what’s going to happen.
“If we relied solely on haylage production, a very wet year like the one we experienced a few years ago could have a serious impact. We produced poor-quality haylage, so we did not make much profit.
“For us, it is a valuable farm diversification project.”
Similar environmental farming projects have faced opposition in the past, and Jessie says some local farmers were initially sceptical about the plans.
“We’re like the guinea pig of the area,” she said.
However, Joe believes his late father-in-law, Jim, would have supported the plan to create a more nature-friendly future for the land.
“Jim really loved nature,” Joe said.
“So it is also a bit of a nod to him. It’s nice to do something with the land that he would have approved of.”
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