Couple turning inherited farm into nature site
The farm in Cockermouth is undergoing a 30-year project to boost wildlife there.
A couple who inherited an 80-acre (32-hectare) farm in Cumbria plan to transform it into a wildlife restoration project to preserve its future. Jessie Roper, 32, and her husband Joe, 33, moved back to the Greenbank Farm after their father's sudden death in 2023. Both had little farming experience before taking over the operations.
The couple faced numerous challenges during their first winter, including flooded cellars, frozen pipes, and a broken tractor. Despite the hardships, they decided not to sell the farm and instead sought help from the Environment Bank, a biodiversity organization. The project will involve grazing animals and traditional summer hay cuts to restore habitats.
Environment Bank provides the farm with lease payments and support to manage the land through livestock grazing and hay cutting, offering the couple a secure and diversified source of income for the next 30 years.
Written by urgent.news from BBC Science's reporting — not their text. Machine-written; read the original for the full account.
