New Ownership at Ragmans Farm

Stepping back from Ragmans Farm.                         

After 33 years at Ragmans I have decided to step back from the farm and make way for a new owner.  Farming this land and sharing it with others has been an enormous privilege. The farm has hosted extraordinary teachers and growers, students employees and volunteers. Their insight, sheer hard work and constant kicking of the tyres has built the profile of Ragmans into a farm known for teaching, experimenting and providing a platform for people to get access to land.  I have had the energy to try to facilitate and direct this over the years, but now I owe it to the land to pass it on to fresh eyes, hands and hearts.

If possible I would like the farm to continue as a teaching venue, taking advantage of bunkhouse accommodation, and training facilities. Over the last six months I have been in conversation with both the Ecological Land Coop (ELC) and Land Workers Alliance (LWA).  A model has emerged whereby the farm title can be held by the ELC, and some of the land leased to the LWA to use as a training facility. This model also allows existing tenants to continue on the farm, and will enable new leaseholders to live and work on the farm. There are many details still to clarify, but it feels like the vision has become solid enough to be bought out into the open. 

Freya Davies who has managed the farm since 2008 is stepping down at the end of June. I owe an enormous debt of gratitude to Freya who has held the farm together over the last 15 years enabling me to develop other work off the farm. Mark Moodie will step in as interim Farm Manager from June to December 2023, working with Angie Horsley who will continue as Farm Administrator. Hopefully the transition to ownership by the Ecological Land Coop will take place at the end of the year. 

If there are further questions please contact  info@ragmans.co.uk

Matt Dunwell.  June 2023

https://ecologicalland.coop

https://landworkersalliance.org.uk

 

COVID-19

Ragmans response to CV-19

Covid - 19 Update September 2021

We are pleased to welcome back guests, students and visitors to the farm.

The holiday and course accomodation is self-contained, for sole use by each booking. Check-in details are emailed in advance

We request visitors without a booking or an appointment to contact us before making unplanned visits. There are limited facilites for non-holiday/course guests on the farm.

There are hand sanitising facilites on arrival at the farm.

Please do NOT come to the farm if you have any symptoms or have tested positive for covid-19,  or if anyone in your household has symptoms (unless they’re exempt from self-isolation) or has tested postive, or have been told to self-isolate by NHS Test and Trace.

Thank you!

 

Covid-19 Update - 25th February 2021

The farm is currently closed to the public until further notice

We hope you are all doing well and managing to stay safe during this current lockdown.

The farm remains closed for residential courses, holidays and visits.

If you are enquiring about The Wilowbank or the Market Garden please contact them separately using the following links     Willowbank        Ragmans Market Garden

Events and Courses

Again, many courses and events need to be rescheduled.

We are working with all the lovely tutors and retreat facilitators to do this. As lock-down restrictions continue, this is having a drastic effect on us all; and it is very disappointing to see so many wonderful events postponed or cancelled.

If you were due to attend a course or event at the farm please contact your event/course organiser in the first instance.

We will be contacting anyone who has booked a course or an event organised by the farm.

Holidays and Yurt Bookings

It’s the same for holidays booked in the Cider Orchard Yurt or the Bunkhouse, and we will be in touch with you to reschedule dates when you can come back for your stay. If we are unable to reschedule at a time that suits you we will offer you a refund.

The government review published 22nd February 2021 indicates that the Bunkhouse can open for bookings when Step 2 of the Guidance is endorsed - currently no earlier than 12th of April. Bookings for the Step 2 time-frame must be in line with the Guidance (currently single family units only). The calendar is now open for bookings from 12th April onwards.

There is no guarantee at this stage when the farm can open its residential accommodation. If you have a booking we will stay in touch with you. If you have booked the Cider Orchard Yurt through Canopy and Stars please contact them in the first instance.

Book Orders

We are able to fulfil internet orders and are mailing out orders once a week on average so there is a slight delay on our usual turnaround. In addition many postal and courier services are experiencing high volumes of mail and managing this with limited staff. Orders are currently taking a bit longer to arrive than usual.

At the moment our permaculture books are very popular! CLICK HERE to visit our webshop.

If you have not received your book order within 10 days (UK orders) and 20 days (Europe orders) of receiving your despatch notification please contact us.

Comfrey Orders

We are still taking comfrey orders and are holding despatch until later in the year. if you have placed a comfrey order we will email you separately about this.

Visiting the Farm

The farm is closed to visitors.

We have a duty of care to our staff, the people who live here, business tenants operating their business from the farm, all the services provided to other organisations we work with, our customers and the wider community. People working at the farm are observing physical distancing.

Ragmans is a busy place - even in lock-down, and we want to keep it safe!

Thank you

For information: The farm remains closed to the general public, please do not visit the farm unless you have an appointment or a confirmed booking.

If you have any symptoms, or have been in close proximity to anyone who has symptoms or a positive test result, please do NOT come to the farm. If you have booked a stay in the Yurt please let us know as soon as possible.

We are combining working from home with essential working at the farm. Everyone at the farm is working within government guidance on social distancing. Working from home and staggered hours at the farm means that we are not always on site or in the office to deal with enquiries and it may take us a bit longer to get back to you.

There are hand sanitising facilities on arrival at the farm.

 

Covid-19 Update 14 September 2020

We have made some changes to the way we work and would like to update you on how the farm is responding to the government guidance on COVID-19.

Happily the Cider Orchard Yurt has been open for holiday guests since the 8th July 2020. We have made many changes to meet the guidance and to make Yurt stays as safe as possible for all of us. Full details are sent to yurt guests on booking. The yurt must be booked in advance.

The Bunkhouse is now open for holidays. We will consider booking enquiries from single families, or people in a support bubble and following the current government guidance on this.

We are planning to open The Mushroom Shed for a day course in September and have developed some guidance for course organisers on this.

Government guidance does not allow for the opening of shared accommodation. We are developing guidance for course organisers who have booked The Bunkhouse for an event to see if they can operate with limited accommodation and within government guidance regarding use of indoor spaces.

We have been working with tutors and event co-ordinators and have rescheduled many courses and events, others are waiting a bit longer to see how things go.

We are now able to offer farm tours. Farm tours must be booked in advance.

For information:

 

Covid-19 Update 30 June 2020

Following the recent government guidance on COVID-19 we would like to update you on how the farm is responding.

We are excited to be opening the Cider Orchard Yurt with effect from the 8th July 2020. We have made many changes to meet the guidance and to make Yurt stays as safe as possible for all of us. Full details will be sent to yurt guests on booking. The yurt must be booked in advance.

Sadly, the Bunkhouse and the Mushroom Shed remain closed for courses and events. We have been working with tutors and event co-ordinators and have rescheduled many courses and events, others are waiting a bit longer to see how things go.

We are still unable to offer farm tours at the moment.

For information:

 

Covid-19 Update March 2020

The farm is currently closed to the public until further notice

We hope you are all doing well and managing to stay safe during the lockdown, and as some of the restrictions are lifted. This is an update as to how the farm is responding to the situation.

Events and Courses

Sadly, many courses and events need to be rescheduled.

We are working with all the lovely tutors and retreat facilitators to do this. As the lock-down restrictions continue, this is having a drastic effect on us all; and it is very disappointing to see so many wonderful events postponed or cancelled. 

If you were due to attend a course or event at the farm please contact your course organiser in the first instance.

We will be contacting anyone who has booked a course or an event organised by the farm.

Holidays and Yurt Bookings

It’s the same for holidays booked in the Cider Orchard Yurt or the Bunkhouse, and we will be in touch with you to reschedule dates when you can come back for your stay. If we are unable to reschedule at a time that suits you we will offer you a refund.

We don’t yet know when it will be appropriate to open a venue such as The Bunkhouse or the Yurt and we will be guided by the government and any industry guidance. If you have a booking we will stay in touch with you. If you have booked through Canopy and Stars please contact them in the first instance.

Keeping things going

We are all working - both at the farm and from home. The grass keeps growing and so does the jobs list!  The apple trees had a wonderful show of blossom and now we wait to see how the fruit sets and what sort of harvest we can hope for later in the year.

The good news is we are still able to fulfill your web orders.

Book Orders

We are mailing out orders once a week on average so there is a slight delay on our usual turnaround. In addition many postal and courier services are experiencing high volumes of mail and managing this with limited staff. Orders are currently taking a bit longer to arrive than usual.

At the moment our permaculture books are very popular! CLICK HERE to visit our webshop.

If you have not received your book order within 10 days (UK orders) and 20 days (Europe orders) of receiving your despatch notification please contact us.

Comfrey Orders

We are still taking comfrey orders and are holding despatch until later in the year, when we hope courier and postal services are less strained and back on track. if you have placed a comfrey order we will email you separately about this.

Visiting the Farm

The farm is closed to visitors.

We have a duty of care to our staff, the people who live here, business tenants operating their business from the farm, all the services provided to other organisations we work with, our customers and the wider community. People working at the farm are observing physical distancing.

Ragmans is a busy place - even in lock-down, and we want to keep it safe!

Thank you

 

Winter 2019 Newsletter

Read our latest newsletter to find out what has been happening on the farm, lots of lovely gift ideas for Christmas and courses coming up in 2020 CLICK HERE

New Growers at Ragmans Lane Market Garden

Craig and Becky have been growing organic fruit and veg professionally for the last 4 years, working and learning at various places including Fern Verrow, Oaklands Park and Kensons Farm.

They have been living in the Forest for a couple of years now and are looking forward to taking on Ragmans Lane Market Garden, where they hope to carry on producing quality organic salad, veg, fruit and flowers for the Forest Food Hub, local restaurants and cafes.

They are also planning to create and manage habitat for the wildlife they will share the market garden with and are especially keen to encourage the return of the Little Owl to Ragmans’ orchards. When not growing food they can be found cycling, stitching and making cider.

Contact them on Email: digupyourlawn@gmail.com or Mobile: 07930 001570

Market Garden Business Opportunity at Ragmans Lane Farm

Ragmans has an opportunity for someone to run their own Market Garden business on 1.7 acres of organic land in the centre of Ragmans Lane Farm, taking over from a very successful business built up over the last 5 years. The current tenant is leaving in the autumn to make way for a new grower and a new season.

Ragmans is a dynamic farm in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire; we have been working with organic principles and permaculture for more than 25 years and are supporting people to access land to establish their own businesses.

 You will need experience, skills and the ability to deliver a self-sustaining project.

 Closing date 23rd September 2018

 CLICK HERE for more information, how to appy and where to send your application.

 

New Land Opportunity at Ragmans

Ragmans is a dynamic farm in the Forest of Dean, we have been working with organic principles and permaculture for more than 25 years. We have an opportunity to offer access to woodland or small-scale growing projects or crafts projects that would complement our current farm enterprises – venue hire, apple orchards, veg garden, willow business and sheep farming. There's not a lot of land available but we are interested in ideas that are a good fit with the farm.

We are interested in hearing from people with a sustainable land-based business idea and who wish to be part of a dynamic, sustainable, educational farm. We are open to ideas. Tell us what you’d like to do and how you would use the land and resources here.

You will need to show experience, skills and research to deliver a self-sustaining project.

Closing Date 16th April 2018. For an application pack please CLICK HERE

 

Trainee Grower Vacancies - Ragmans Lane Market Garden

 

Ragmans Lane Market Garden is seeking two trainee growers for the 2018 season. This is a fantastic opportunity for two motivated people to gain practical experience and knowledge of the practicalities of small-scale commercial veg-growing, nurturing crops from seed to harvest over a full growing season.

About the Market Garden

Ragmans Lane Market Garden is a thriving organic vegetable-growing business, now about to enter its fifth season. Originally set up as a partnership, Jon has run it as his own business (with help from seasonal trainees) for the last year. The garden is based at Ragmans Farm, a renowned teaching centre in an idyllic location by the river Wye in Gloucestershire’s Forest of Dean. The garden has been steadily developing into a viable business based on a growing area of just half an acre of outdoor veg beds and three polytunnels. This has been achieved partly through an emphasis on growing high-value crops, particularly salads, and through the use of harvesting methods and crop successions designed to make the most of the available space. A minimal cultivation approach has also been adopted, using compost and other mulches to enhance soil and crop health while reducing the weed burden and need for tillage. Produce from the market garden is sold to local shops, restaurants and directly to local residents through the innovative Dean Forest Food Hub website.

About the Traineeship

This informal but comprehensive traineeship will run from early March until the end of October (some flexibility with dates). The trainees will work closely with the grower on a daily basis, and receive thorough practical training in the various aspects of running a small-scale market garden, including crop planning, cultivation, plant propagation, harvesting, weed management, fertility building, produce packing and marketing. The wide range of crops grown means that the work is varied – trainees can expect to be performing several different types of task over the course of each working day. There will be occasional sit-down tutorials discussing particular topics, but most training will take place on the job. Each trainee will be provided with a simply-furnished private room in a comfortable shared house on the farm, as well as all (mostly vegetarian) food and an £80/week stipend. In return, trainees are asked to work from 8-4:30 Monday-Friday, with a 30-minute tea break and an hour for lunch. There are some earlier starts (and earlier finishes) on harvest days, as well as occasional weekend watering cover.

2016 trainee Esme Shea:

“My traineeship at Ragmans was an absolutely wonderful experience! During the eight month season I learnt so much from Jon and thoroughly enjoyed both living and working at the Market Garden. My time at Ragmans has left me with a real passion for horticulture and equipped me with skills that I will use for the rest of my life. Since finishing the traineeship I have pursued a variety of horticultural work, including using horticulture therapeutically to support disadvantaged children. For anyone interested in learning about organic growing and market gardening, I cannot recommend this traineeship enough - a truly inspiring and informative experience."

The traineeship is conceived as a stepping stone for people to build a livelihood in veg-growing or a related field, so candidates will be expected to have a serious interest in developing the skills needed to pursue this line of work. Despite being rurally based, the market garden’s small scale and low level of mechanisation mean that the traineeship could equally suit someone interested in developing urban or community growing projects.

In addition to general enthusiasm, the following personal attributes are required:

Some practical experience of veg-growing on a commercial scale (eg. WWOOFing).
Commitment to and/or interest in organic/agroecological principles
A decent level of fitness and a willingness to perform physical work in all weathers.
Ability to follow complex instructions and work efficiently, with a high level of attention to detail.
Ability to work well as part of a team (including some supervising of WWOOFers in the summer months)
Full driving licence and willingness to make regular deliveries (no more than a few hours a week on average)
Enthusiasm for shared living and willingness to be involved in preparing shared meals at least some of the time

It should be noted that Jon is very much still learning the art of growing, so the traineeship is as much an opportunity to learn alongside him as it is to learn from him.

To apply for one of the roles, please send an email to ragmanslanemarketgarden@gmail.com explaining why you would like to undertake the traineeship here and why you think you would be right for the role, including details of any relevant experience that you have.

The deadline for applications is the 8th of January 2018, and interviews will take place during the week starting the 15th of January.

Please share this ad with anyone who you think might be interested.

For further info, please use the above e-mail address or call Jon on 07503217680


Lecture at Oxford ORFC by Ruben Borge,

The room was more than full. People sitting on the floor, standing everywhere, filling all gaps. There were more than 65 souls on the room and at least other 20 people could not get in the lecture room. Inside, waiting for us to start, we could see a lot of expectation in the faces of the participants. They all wanted to see what bio-fertilizers are, how are they made and what they can do for the soil, the plant and the farmer. Our goal was simple: to inspire, inform and entertain the participants with new fresh and useful information about a new way to look at organic agriculture.

Matt Dunwell chaired the lecture and introduced us and kept track on the time and questions. We divided the presentation in three parts:

JuanFran brilliantly explained the working principles of the bio-fertilizers and presented the current research he is carrying at Ragman’s Farm.
In a top-speed workshop, JuanFran explained the receipt of a basic bio-fertilizer while I was mixing ingredients into a small jar.
I explained the practical applications of the bio-fertilizer and the many experiences we are having with farmers around the globe.

The session was planned for 1 hour but questions kept coming. After the lecture, doors went open and some people went out but many other people got in as we were still answering questions.

Thanks to Juanfran, Matt and the rest of the Ragman’s Farm team and the volunteers and participants for the interesting questions.

Unforgettable.

By Ruben Borge, Rocking Soils.

Ragmans at the Oxford Real Farming Conference!

Juanfran and Matt were joined by Ruben Borge from the Netherlands to deliver a session on biofertilisers at the Oxford Real Farming Conference on the 4/ 5th of January 2017.

We arrived to a packed conference (over 800 people) and headed off to our session at 4.00pm in the St Algates room.  By 3.45 the room was standing room only, and the poor ORFC steward had to hold the door closed to stop another 50 people joining the 70 people inside.

After an hour of talking we offered the audience the chance to escape to the pub - 20 people left and another 15 came in!   So it is safe to say that biofertilisers have really caught the imagination at the conference. 

This builds on the teaching from Jairo Restrepo and the work that Juanfran Lopez has been doing over the last two years at Ragmans developing our understanding of anaerobic ferments to revitalize our soils.

We also hoped to tweak the whiskers of people at the conference and get them interested in the courses that we are running in 2017 (see flyer)

We were also selling the first translation into English of Jairo Restrepo’s seminal work The ABC of Organic Agriculture through the Blackwells stall at the conference. They told us it was the third best selling book on their stall - not bad for a book with no publicity and only two days out of the printers. It’s a fantastic reference book with loads of biofertiliser recipes, cultivation techniques and a passionate philosophy that argues for the small farmer and for food sovereignty for all. It is for sale through our website click here

The ABC of Organic Agriculture introduces the work of Columbian scientist and farmer Jairo Restrepo. Although well known in South America, his message is new on this side of the Atlantic, and this book adds a strong new voice to the English literature for those who fight for diverse cropping systems and affordable healthy diets.

In this compendium of practical ideas and political discourse Jairo Restrepo lays down a challenge for us - to re think our approach to the natural world. We have become complicit in a food system that is fundamentally antibiotic. We are at war with nature, deploying a wide range of poison against pests and plant disease, resulting in food of poor nutritional quality. As the land empties of small farmers, our hospitals fill with diabetics and oncology patients.

This book is a manual that explains that high quality food can be grown affordably on small farms using minimal inputs. Starting with the basic chemistry of the soil it leads the reader on a journey from the science of soil nutrition through mineral ferments mimicking the stomach of a cow, and onto the application of microbial brews to fortify the living systems all around us. We can build natural fertility back into our soils without having to resort to the drugs of the agricultural supply industry – we have the ingredients for health and productivity under our noses.

Our companion on this journey, Jairo Restrepo, speaks with authority having been a government scientist studying pesticides in Brazil in the 1970’s. Appalled by what he learnt in this role, he decided to dedicate his life to understanding how we can work with the natural world rather than against it. Few advocates of natural farming have his scientific depth of knowledge of the true effects of industrial agriculture. Fewer still have put together a practical manual for farmers and growers to learn a new system that will help build long term fertility into their soil.

This is the sort of book that gets a bit tatty. Used again and again, it picks up the sweet scent of the soil and grows well thumbed pages over the course of time. It is for those who don’t mind a bit of dirt under their nails.

This is more than a recipe book however. A recurring theme throughout the book is that we need to reclaim our enquiry into the natural world. We need regain our sense of wonder and at the same time to understand the scientific fundamentals behind our actions. Otherwise we substitute one set of blind recipes for another. Our industrial farms have filled with ‘operatives’ waiting for the next spray instruction (product/dose/timing) received by text from the agronomist. Farmers have become deskilled. In contrast, Jairo Restrepo requires us to take back control of the health of our land from the agricultural supply industry. It has not served farmers or consumers well. In his teaching he passionately challenges the mass production of poor quality food describing it as ‘dishonest food’. His vision of Organic Agriculture is not that of certification and supermarkets, but instead he calls for a new food sovereignty that delivers equity as well the right to an affordable and nutritious diet.

The process of beneficial inoculation is subtle. An infinitesimally small colony of microbes starts to multiply and in the process slowly but surely changes the nature of the medium itself. Once a preparation is applied to the land its true potential opens up before us. This is what Jairo Restrepo intends with the ABC of Organic Agriculture – to inoculate our minds and the nature of farming itself; to help us realise what we can achieve when we work with nature.

Matt Dunwell Ragmans Farm November 2016

Regenerative Agriculture 29th June - 4th July 2017

One Day Practical Bio Fertilisers & Fermenting 19th May and 10th November 2017

Rockin Soils

Jairo Restrepo  - Inspirational Courses and 2017 dates

In June & July 2016 we hosted Jairo for his second UK teaching visit  - a 6 day Intro to Regenerative Agriculture with Chromatography. Jairo also gave a talk in Bristol to a packed audience.

Again, it was amazing, Jairo gave so much to the course. His commitment was immense, and he wove tales of his experience alongside practical tools and advice for creating fertile soils and approaches to farming for the future in a time of climate change.

Regenerative Agriculture 29th June - 4th July 2017

What people said:

"motivating, inspirational, humble, wonderful"

" Great - need more!" Holm. Mell

"Just want to try everything now!"

For more pics see our facebook page.