Pitch Up and Grow

??GENERATION REGENERATION ?? “There’s a perceived barrier that you have to buy farmland or pay massive upfront rent – it’s not true. 90 per cent [of Pitch Up! applicants] are new entrants.” In case you missed it, Pitch Up! founder Tim May from Kingsclere Estates spoke to Sarah Langford for a feature about new entrants to farming and the growing regenerative farming movement in the UK, in the Financial Times published on 21 December ?? Some excellent advice in there from all sorts of great people including @ben_thomas7_ @plawhatchfarm @sarah_newhousefarm @farmergala @sweetpeamarketgarden, and of course our Pitch Up! Partner Alex Cherry of Groundswell Agriculture. As Alex points out, regenerative practices are encouraging “a new era of farming talent” among “younger people who might otherwise have been turned off by conventional farming”. Read the article (behind a paywall) here: https://lnkd.in/eN5i5Dqx? ??: Planton Farm #pitchupandgrow #regenag #ft #regenerativeagriculture #foodsystems #organic #backbritishfarming #farming247 #regen #regenerativefarming #emergentgeneration #generationfarming #rooted

??And that’s a wrap on Pitch Up! 2024 ?? Thank you to all the business owners, entrepreneurs and creative minds who've told us about their wonderful ideas for making use of the land, resources and expertise on our Partner farm network Balcaskie Estate Rosuick Kingsclere Estates Planton Farm Rectory Farm GB Weston Park Farms Please bear with us whilst we read through and process all of your applications… There was a huge range of brilliant ideas in the mix this year – which is exactly what we want!! New ideas and new thinking drives diversity: great for business, great for nature, great for our rural communities. In the meantime, stay updated on news by signing up to our Substack: https://lnkd.in/ePeKu5uC #pitchupandgrow #pitchup #regenag #regenerativeagriculture #entrepreneurs #ukstartup #farmbusiness

Q: I've got a great idea for.a sustainable business on one of your farms, but I need help to get it off the ground – and there's only a few days left! What can I do? A: Apply anyway! As much as we want to hear from businesses of all shapes and sizes, we also want to bring new ideas and new thinking onto the land. This is what drives diversity: great for nature, great for our local communities. So if you've got a brilliant idea and are not sure where to go from there, then just fill in the application form. Who knows, it might start a conversation, or set the ball rolling for an exciting new partnership. Our team will do our best to support businesses on their journey – whatever stage they're at. And the proof's in the pudding: previous Pitch Up! winners Monch and The Roaming Smoker received business mentoring and insight, as well as raw materials and resources. And our Partner Farm Weston Estate (Weston Park Farms) is setting up Groundschool – a pioneering educational centre for learning about all aspects of agroecology and nutrition, and are looking for enterprises to feed into this system too. Head to www.pitchupandgrow.com to find out more. Let's grow together for a better future ?? #pitchupandgrow #agroecology #mentorship #businessmentor #ukstartups #foodbusiness #organicfood #organicfarm #regenag #regenerativeagriculture #backbritishfarming #fairerfarming #groundschool

Back to where it all began ?? Read more about Tim May's vision – and how one farm Kingsclere Estates sparked a new national movement to build circular rural communities here: https://lnkd.in/emKVMqVd #pitchupandgrow #smallbusiness #ukbusiness #regenag #regenerativeagriculture #fairerfarming #ukstartups #sustainablebusiness

“We look to a future that nourishes people physically, mentally and emotionally, moving towards holistic and circular systems and away from industrialised, extractive ones.” With first-hand experience of not having access to land themselves, the team Planton Farm in the south Shropshire hills is committed to helping more people grow land-based businesses and feel the benefits of being connected to nature every day. They’re a busy bunch, managing a herd of pasture-raised Aberdeen Angus cattle and recently planted a food forest combining chicken foraging and food trees/shrubs. And they’re currently busy putting in 25 acres of wood pasture and replacing a lost traditional orchard. They're also focused on education – Planton's Clare Hill is co-founder of the pioneering regenerative agriculture training programme Roots of Nature. Read our Farm in Focus on Planton here: https://lnkd.in/eN2tsfr9 Got a business that could fit into Planton’s vision of refocusing farming back to its roots? Hit apply on our website – there's still time to share your idea and start the conversation. #pitchupandgrow #farmsinfocus #farming247 #smallbusiness #ukbusiness #regenag #regenerativeagriculture #fairerfarming #ukstartups #sustainablebusiness #organicfarm #elevatorpitch

Brilliant idea from our Partner farm in Shropshire Planton Farm ??

??PITCH UP! ON YOUR SCREENS?? Catch Rosie Jack of Pitch Up! Partner farm Balcaskie Estate explaining exactly what Pitch Up! is, what businesses they're looking for, and how it works to Ffinlo Costain of 8point9.com. Watch the full interview here: https://lnkd.in/dPAhFAEK #pitchupandgrow #ukbusiness #ukstartups #regenerativeagriculture #organic #organicfarm #organicfood #entrepeneurs #farmingnews #farming247 #fairerfarming #sustainablefarming #sustainablefood #sustainablesprout

"We want to help nurture a space where people can come together to trial new ideas, build community, support each other and inspire a wider movement towards regenerative living.” Chances are you've already heard of our Pitch Up! Partner farm Weston Estate (Lannock Farm and Weston Park Farms), as it's also home to the brilliant regenerative agriculture festival Groundswell Agriculture. But if you've got a business based in Hertfordshire or the London area and are looking for land or space, then you might want to read on for the full lowdown...?? Brothers Paul and John Cherry have farmed the land for 40 years. Paul’s son Alex has been on the farm since 2016 and launched Lannock Farm, which hosts a flourishing community of resident enterprises alongside the newly opened farm shop, with his wife Francesca. As pioneers of sustainable farming, they're now on the lookout for novel approaches and creative solutions for using their land – from businesses interested in using their natural fibres and dyes to a micro dairy. As well as Groundswell, they're already working alongside an expansive network of local businesses, from sourdough bakers to artisan gelato makers; a market gardener to an ethical coffee company to cocktail connoisseurs. They also grow for the rockstars of #regenag: Wildfarmed ?? Enterprises of all shapes and sizes are putting its resources to good use (see tags for the epic list!), and as a new Pitch Up! partner, Weston Estate is keen to expand this forward-thinking community even further. Plans are also afoot to launch Groundschool – a pioneering educational centre for learning about all aspects of agroecology and nutrition, around which the team is seeking enterprises that can demonstrate a collaborative system within a growing community. Can you see your business make a home at Weston Estate? Follow the link to read our Farms in Focus feature on them and see if your business is on their wishlist – or could bring something brilliant they haven't thought of yet! https://lnkd.in/dkJ5uFhc #pitchupandgrow #ukbusiness #londonbusiness #farmsinfocus #regenerativeagriculture #organic #agroecology #organicfarm #organicfood #familyfarm #entrepeneurs #foodiesofig #foodbusiness #groundswellagriculture #groundswell #fairerfarming #sustainablefarming #sustainablefood #sustainablesprout #gelato #ethicalcoffee #christmastrees #sourdough #artisanbakery #marketgarden #nodig #groundschool

Pitch Up! is open for new business ideas throughout November - I spoke to Rosie Jack from the Balcaskie Estate ?? What started as a Dragon’s Den-style callout for farm-based business ideas, is now expanding across the UK to welcome like-minded enterprises at every stage of their journey. ???? ?? Pitch Up! is a group of organic and regenerative farmers from Scotland to Cornwall, who’ve got together to invite both existing businesses and start-ups with big ambitions to pitch up to them with their ideas this November. ?? Through its annual callout, Pitch Up! connects holistically-managed estates and regenerative farmers with sustainable food producers and other like-minded businesses. ?? ???? The aim is to share land, raw materials, retail or production space, by-products, ideas, knowledge, contacts, equipment, costs, and whatever’s needed to help good ideas grow into successful businesses. ?? Watch the full interview: https://lnkd.in/eyAEydMv

“The models that we’re looking at mean that people don’t need to come and treat this like a full-time job. [Previous Pitch Up! winners] Monch come once or twice a month from London and do some foraging. It can be a side hustle, it doesn’t need to be a full-blown thing…the employment market is changing and we’re ready and open to that.” Founder of Pitch Up! Tim May of Kingsclere Estates and John Cherry of Weston Park Farms talk to the brilliant Benjy Eagle about the opportunities to build a side hustle through Pitch Up!, building communities and of course our favourite subject; waste by-product, in a bumper special of his two podcasts: Meet the Farmers and Rural Business Focus. Listen here: https://lnkd.in/eHG-y3Yu #pitchupandgrow #ukentrepeneurs #londonbusiness #meetthefarmers #ruralbusiness #foraging #sidehustle #hybridfarming #podcast #farmingpodcast