Frances Standen

Frances Standen

2023

Frances is a tenant farmer on a 300 acre mixed farm in the Howardian Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty growing winter wheat and producing high quality grass fed lamb from 150 NZ Romney ewes.  She and her partner instigated regenerative farming principles when they took on the farm tenancy six years ago, working hard to rebuild soil health, they are heartened by the changes they are seeing already.  The farm have a significant HLS scheme focussing on farmland birds and rare arable flora, in addition they have created Turtle dove plots and have been involved in field lab with Innovative Farmers looking at beneficial insects. There is lakes on the farm (one of which is stocked with coarse fish, the others provide valuable wildlife habitat), a holiday cottage and host seven bee hives. Together they run study days on botany, birds, geology, hedgelaying and charcoal burning.

Frances has worked in conservation and protected landscape management for nearly 30 years providing freelance services and a specialism in land management for horses where horses, biodiversity and soil health can all win.