Field Good Farm/Cae Siriol - Gower Peninsula

Field Good Farm A Community Farm based on the Gower Peninsula, South Wales

Community Farming at Field Good Farm/Cae Siriol Field Good Farm / Cae Siriol is a little piece of paradise on Gower, where a group of like‐minded folk nurture sheep, fruit, willows, bees and souls.

In 2013, an unusual idea began: it involved a 15‐acre plot of three fields on the Gower Peninsular. The landowner was generous enough to ask his friends if they’d like to join together in the spirit of community to use the land to its very best. Eight families, wanting to take more responsibility for the food they ate, decided to start raising sheep. Each family contributed to buy the sheep, fencing and equipment and started looking after the flock providing a high standard of welfare and care.

Over the years, the sheep share club has provided the opportunity for many people from different walks of life to learn about raising sheep for meat and wool. What ties us together is a spirit of sharing and of nurturing ‐ the notion of growing one’s own food through hard work, with the knowledge that this will feed us, not only in body but in spirit too.

Many more things have come to pass since the purchase took place. Cae Tan’s Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) veg box scheme started on one of the three fields, and is now the largest CSA in Wales, feeding over 120 local families, and more CSAs are being nurtured as a result. Using the Commoners Rights that come with the land, Cow Tan Club was initiated in 2020 and raised six cows, and is now in its second year. The hedges have been laid in the traditional Gower style, thus reinvigorating long‐neglected and overgrown ancient hedgerows.

The margins have been planted with 1500 native trees, boosting the local biodiversity. There is a community fruit scheme, growing raspberries, blackcurrants, jostaberries and blueberries, and a community orchard of 30 rare native Welsh varieties of apple. There are beds to provide willow for use in traditional crafts and basket‐ making, and three ponds have been created as part of a scheme to reconnect the habitats of the Great Crested Newt on Gower. The land also supports 11 beehives, and a huge diversity of local wildlife, which is always noticeable on any visit to the site.

It is a hugely restorative place and seems to have the power to heal and nurture those who are lucky enough to spend any time in its precious green arms.

A new chapter in the story is now unfolding because the land is soon to be offered for sale, bringing a rare and exciting opportunity to involve more stakeholders and to secure its future as a community‐held venture. We really want to keep this incredible place going, and somehow share it with a wider community.

The 15 acres are being sold for a total of £162k. Cae Tan have already successfully secured £50k for their field so we need to raise a minimum of £112K. Otherwise, the land will be put up for sale on the open market as soon as July (with Cae Tan as a sitting tenant).

We are asking for anyone interested to contact us or to go directly to our GoFundMe page: GoFundMe: http://bit.ly/FGF_GoFundMe Website: www.fieldgoodfarm.org Email: info@fieldgoodfarm.org Instagram: fieldgoodfarm Twitter: @fieldgoodfarm1

The Sheep The decision to breed from Beulah/Jacob cross came from a recommendation by friends, who are third generation Welsh sheep farmers. We decided that two sheep per family would give us 16, and would be a manageable number to start with.

We drove up to their small hill farm, and brought them back in a borrowed trailer Early on, one member thought that getting a Shetland ram and a couple of Shetland ewes would be a good addition, as they were said to be hardy. But, along the way, a rogue Glamorgan ram jumped over the fence to say hello to our ewes. So, thanks to his visit, we now have a trace of Glamorgan in our flock. When we see the characteristic brown stripe across the neck of a new lamb, we always remember his visit.

Eventually, we wanted to get a bigger ram and a South Down ram was identified. After one look at him, he was renamed Teddy, as he looked like a big teddy bear, and his nature proved so. He is succeeded by his son Gruff, who is a mix of South Down, Glamorgan and Beulah. We currently have 14 breeding ewes with a few older ladies moving into retirement and lawn mowing duties.

We have been able to share the meat with members and friends. One of our best compliments has been from a retired butcher’s wife who said that it was the best lamb she had ever tasted. Our lambs are only fed on their mother’s milk, Gower grass and, occasionally, sheep nuts. Without a sheepdog, sheep nuts can be very useful.

The Orchard The orchard was planted in 2014 with 30 rare Welsh trees sourced from Ian Sturrock and Sons of Bangor, because we wanted to help keep these old Welsh varieties in cultivation.

Ian has been successfully reintroducing and growing rare heritage Welsh fruit trees for the last 40 years and, after decades of searching, researching and trials, he has developed a collection of native Welsh fruit trees that will succeed in our unique location. Because of their Welsh heritage, our fruit trees are disease‐resistant in our climate, ripen well despite our cool and cloudy summers, and bear fruit that doesn’t blow off the trees during autumn gales.

The discovery of the Bardsey Island Apple in 1988 led to a massive resurgence of interest in old, almost extinct, Welsh varieties and these tough, disease‐resistant fruit trees are now starting to thrive in our damp meadow at Ilston. By planting these special fruit trees, we are now part of a community revitalising interest in our horticultural heritage, and looking to preserve our native varieties for future generations. The orchard is lovingly tended by eight families who wassail the trees each year, and look forward to apple pies and fresh juice.

The orchard also has many fruit bushes, blackcurrants, red currants, gooseberries, jostaberries and blueberries.

There are also summer and autumn fruiting raspberries close by. The fruit is mulched with spent hay and straw from the sheep, and any surplus sheared wool.

The Willow In 2018, we restored a plot of willow by cutting the overgrown trees right back. We now harvest the rods each winter – an effort that requires many hands to cut, sort, and bundle.

The three types of Willow grown are Salix Alba Vitellina which is stout and robust with a beautiful golden colour and is good for making large‐scale work. We also have Salix Alba Serica, used in outdoor sculpture work, and Salix Purpurea, which is a sleek and finer willow used for basketry. We also grow some Goat Willow, which we leave uncut, as the catkins provide a precious source of nectar for bees in early spring.

The Bees Kush’s father used to keep five colonies in their three different houses in his home village in Nepal. When he was a child he did not know how important bees are for the environment, but he was fascinated by them and the delicious honey they make! After he settled in Swansea, he decided to follow in his father’s footsteps, and started to keep bees in his back garden, and also here in Field Good Farm. He loves to share his experiences of beekeeping, especially with children.

The Wildlife Nature is the backdrop to everything that we do at Field Good Farm. Winter sees flocks of redwings moving through the trees, the harsh “chack‐chack” of the mistle thrushes, and the occasional woodcock zig‐zagging away in flight from one of the ditches. Primroses bring splashes of colour to the hedge‐banks in spring, as do the first orange tip and brimstone butterflies. Frogs, toads and mallard ducks breed in the ponds whilst the chorus of the great tit, robin, blackbird and chaffinch are joined by the two‐tone song of the chiffchaff, the descending trill of the willow warbler and, sometimes, the call of a cuckoo from the nearby common.

Summer sees clouds of meadow brown butterflies dancing over the heads of the grasses and the yellow flowers of fleabane and silverweed. Swallows and house martins twitter overhead, later replaced by bats as the day comes to a close. Autumn brings the return of the starlings, with individual birds sometimes balancing on the backs of the sheep. A grey heron stands sentinel by the pond, whilst the harsh croak of the raven and the shrill mew of the buzzard are a constant accompaniment to each day of working in the fields.

People and Motivations “Field Good Farm is a place where you can feel a deep connection to nature, animals and plants, community and a sense of belonging. This is the intrinsic and priceless value of being lucky enough to be the guardians responsible for caring for this special piece of land. Living on the edge of Swansea city, Field Good Farm provides a place for our children to roam freely and have a bond with nature. They have had the opportunity to do this through designing and making their own living dens out of spare willow and hollowing out the inside of a bramble patch, helping to bottle feed lambs and knowing the friendly sheep by name, discovering wild lizards, toads, frogs and mice whilst working and playing in the orchard as buzzards soar overhead. We work together in a community where the work of many hands means it doesn’t feel so much like work but a real joy of contributing as we chat, sing and work alongside friends.

Harvesting is done to the backdrop of the gentle humming of bees and wasps and songs of the birds which share the fruit too. I have felt huge benefits to my own sense of wellbeing and feel intimately in contact with nature, getting mud under my nails. I feel very grateful spending time in a place where all seems right with the world and even after a day of hard physical work, always coming away happy and energised.”

“My mother and her brothers were nomadic shepherds in Nepal, and I grew up as a mini shepherd until I was seven year’s old, helping to bring the flock to our village in the Spring and Autumn. I am now living in Swansea and, when I heard that shepherds were needed, I joined the group. Years later, I now have a son who is becoming an enthusiastic mini shepherd, and I teach

him about the environment and nature. When my daughter is old enough, I will teach her too. This makes me happy, as it is a way to reconnect to their ancestral home and their grandmother.

The idea about collectively managing the sheep as a community was very peculiar to me, and I have been sharing my experiences with the community members of my village back home in Nepal. They find this way of shepherding very inspiring, as one of the downsides of nomadic shepherding is that, because they help their parents and are always on the move, the children miss out on their education. This collective managing might be a way forward for them, and is in the early days of discussion.”

“My main reason for getting involved was to gain a better understanding of the practicalities of food production. Doing this alongside other like‐minded people has been great fun ‐ and although I've already learned a lot about animal husbandry, it still feels like I've only just got started!”

"Spending time at the farm has allowed me to escape the constant exposure to news, social media and screen time. I have been able to connect to the land, the sheep, the birds and enjoy the tranquility of Field Good Farm which has been invaluable for my mental wellbeing during the lockdowns. Covid‐19 has reminded me of the value of friendship, of being part of a lovely diverse team of people and has given me a local sense of community.

It has made me truly understand just how important it is to support spaces such as Field Good Farm for the welfare of current and future generations."

“I was inspired to join the sheep club by the prospect of encountering like‐minded people who are interested in the methods and values of producing high‐quality, locally‐sourced food through a sustainable process.”

“I joined this lovely community a few years ago and now can’t imagine life without it. It is the most peaceful and uplifting place, I know and to be given the opportunity to help raise a flock of characterful sheep, grow fruit and to just feel part of nature again has been invaluable to me.”

“We joined the sheep share in 2015, attracted by the notion that sharing and learning alongside other interesting people was an opportunity too good to miss.

We also very much wanted to understand the relationship between caring for, and rearing, the sheep and the resulting end product. I have loved witnessing the cyclical nature of the seasons and have learned to work through the ups and downs, the responsibility for welfare, the changing climate, the characters of the animals and heading out to tend the flock in all weathers, good and bad. I now only eat meat that has been reared, cared for, and butchered in this way.”

“I began learning to weave in 2018 and, by chance, remembered that there was a plot of willow at Field Good Farm. Luckily for me, the plot was in need of some care! That year, a group of us set to work cutting the willow trees right back to encourage new shoots to emerge the following spring – which they did in abundance! Since then, I have loved tending to the willow alongside other volunteers. Harvesting in the winter and early spring means experiencing some beautiful frosty mornings at the field as well as the first warm sunny days of the year. It’s also incredibly rewarding being able to weave an actual basket from

home‐grown willow! Willow basketry has traditionally been a therapeutic activity, and it certainly helped me through a rough patch in my life. I’d love to use the willow plot at Field Good Farm to help more people discover this amazing craft.”

“Whilst I’ve been looking after animals for as long as I can remember, most of my experience is with horses.

When the opportunity came to have my own share with the sheep club, I jumped at the chance to expand my Shepherdess knowledge. I’ve learnt so much during this past year, and it’s been a fun and fascinating journey.

Sheep are not very much like horses, but I do empathise with them, as they have their own quirky characters. I also think it’s extremely important to produce food in a sustainable way in the current climate, and feel truly lucky to part of this group. I also do my best to promote this idea amongst my friends and peers, and have loved involving the youngest members of our family too.”

“We have been involved since the beginning and are so glad we said yes to the unique opportunity. Getting stuck in, we have learned how much work, care, responsibility, patience and love goes into growing our food. This has made us value and appreciate our food so much more, and given us a real appreciation for all those who grow our food. Sharing the practical and financial responsibilities of farming as a community has made it easier, and we have enjoyed the many different people who have come along. Along with the sheep, we have been involved with the bees, the orchard/fruit share, a bit of the willow and trees, and are also Cae Tan members. Being able to come to Field Good Farm throughout the seasons, we have experienced the peace of this special land, the wildlife and community, and it has enhanced our lives and been a real joy.”