New tenants for 270-acre Leicestershire farm business
A 270-acre farm in Nanpantan, Leicestershire has new tenants.
Home Farm, just outside of Loughborough, forms part of the historic Paget Estate. The farm has been let by the estate owner, Joanna Herbert-Stepney, to Marie and Chris Bond.
The pair grew up locally and Marie, the lead tenant, has spent most of her life working on farms. Home Farm is an organic mixed farm which rears Longhorn cattle, Polled Forest and Lleyn Sheep. Chris also runs a local agricultural service, including fencing, hedge laying and paddock maintenance.
Amy Biddell from Mather Jamie, who manages the Paget Estate, said: “Chris and Marie have great ideas for the future of Home Farm so it’s great to welcome such forward thinking young organic tenants to the Paget Estate. We wish them well in their new farming venture.”
Marie Bond said: “Home Farm is such a special place and I feel extremely lucky to have been given such a great opportunity. We feel very so grateful to have a landlord that cares so much and encourages and champions organic farming.”
Estate owner Joanna Herbert-Stepney, added: “Home Farm is in beautiful countryside, but it’s not an easy terrain to run. Maire’s doing a great job – it’s organic and full of animals and life. I’m proud to have her as a tenant.”
Marie and Chris’s plans for the farm include selling natural crafts such as a new soap line, which will be organic, CPD certified, and sold on the Home Farm website, in local businesses and at the pop-up farm shop during open days. An outbuilding is in the process of being renovated into a multi-functioning space for hire for with a wide range of activities, from crafting to corporate meetings and events.
There are also plans to recommence beekeeping courses as well as taster sessions for the public. Marie is also looking into the possibility of rearing goats for meat and milk and is considering planting an orchard for meat birds. Loughborough Naturalists are also in the process of conducting a three-year study of the native flora and forna. It is hoped the study will help to document and raise awareness of the local wildlife, to help understand the diverse landscape and how this is changing over time.
