Pasture and Profit in Protected Landscapes programme for South East England
Join the Best Club in Farming
Our Pasture and Profit programme concluded on 31st March 2025, but our mission remains stronger than ever. We're dedicated to helping farmers harness the benefits of grazing animals on pasture for their farm businesses and nature.
We are currently waiting on the next steps for Pasture and Profit. As we wait, stay connected, keep learning, and push for lasting change in the UK's food and farming system by becoming a Pasture for Life member.
PfL members get exclusive access to regular in-person and online events, a lively members-only forum packed with expert advice and tips from fellow farmers and PfL staff, an archive of webinar recordings featuring world-class experts, and a range of online tools, resources, and farming brand discounts.
Contact us directly for more information, email: membership@pastureforlife.org tel: 07774715585
What is the Pasture and Profit in Protected Landscapes programme?
Pasture and Profit in Protected Landscapes is a free, farmer-led programme of farm walks, events and webinars. The programme is run in partnership with Protected Landscapes and is open to everyone farming in the following National Landscapes in the South East: Surrey Hills, High Weald and Kent Downs. See the homepage for other regions of the UK that the Pasture and Profit In Protected Landscapes programme covers.
At Pasture for Life we believe that farmers learn best from other farmers. Around the country farmers are opening up their farms to share how their low input approach to grazing sheep and cattle has helped protect their farm business from the crippling increases in fertiliser, feed and fuel costs, mitigate the effects of flooding and drought and increase biodiversity.
From mob grazing to conservation grazing, they demonstrate a range of approaches for managing their land and the challenges and the opportunities of farming in this way. The benefits include:
- Improved pasture
- Increased biodiversity
- Improved soil health and landscape management
- Reduced (or removed) workload associated with indoor housing
- Reduced worm burden on stock
- Financial gain
Farmer visit to Danesfold Farms certified Pasture for Life to look at pasture management in the early autumn led by Olly Martin
Free Pasture for Life Membership
When you register for the programme, if you are not already a PfL member, you will automatically receive free PfL membership which normally costs £120 a year. This will enable you to benefit from being part of our engaged and supportive community, as well as the work we do across areas such as the supply chain, marketing and academic research, and access to our forum, which is full of advice and support from other farmers who will often be facing the same challenges as you. You do not have to provide any financial details when signing up, and you can choose whether to continue with PfL membership at the end of the programme.
Farmers visiting Lomas Farm, Kent to learn how David Cornforth manages his pasture and was able to grow grass for his beef cattle despite the severe drought over the summer of 2022.
Events
Our events programme this year includes farm walks, webinars, focus groups, training, and farmer-led walks. We will be covering all sorts of topics surrounding nature-friendly farming, including soil health, grazing, biodiversity, integrating livestock To see our upcoming events, click here
Mentoring
By registering for the Pasture and Profit in Protected Landscapes Programme, you have the opportunity to apply to be mentored by a friendly farmer who understands the challenges, to support you in your transition.
We have trained Pasture for Life farmers as mentors, who have a range of approaches to grazing with sheep and cattle. For instance, some house their cattle over the winter while some leave their cattle out year-round. What they have in common is that they are either working towards 100% pasture-fed with no grain or feed inputs or have already achieved this through adopting some form of rotational grazing.
Without exception, they find that the way they now farm is more profitable than the system they inherited, that it has increased biodiversity and improved the health of their stock and pasture, and has made their farm business more resilient in times of extreme weather and spiralling costs. The experience has been transformative for them, and they are keen to share their learning with other farmers whether they are just curious to see other approaches or are wanting to change how they farm.
By becoming a mentee, you also have the opportunity to apply to our bespoke learning and development fund to help support you in your farm business.
Farm walk at Knepp Regen Farming certified Pasture for Life headed by farmer Russ Carrington
FAQs
Can I join the programme if I am not based in High Weald, Kent Downs or Surrey Hills?
It is part of the stipulation of the funding that those joining the programme of educational events, free PFL membership, and being mentored as part of the farmer mentoring programme must be based in one of these three areas. If you are based just outside one of these areas, please get in touch.
To be a mentor or a speaker at an event, you do not need to be based in one of these areas.
Can I join the programme if I am already a PfL member?
Yes, you are permitted to join the wider programme or be mentored if you are already a PfL member, however you are not able to receive the free PfL membership.
Do I have to become PfL certified if I join the programme?
No, there is no expectation to become PfL certified.
Do I have to renew my PfL membership at the end of the programme?
You will be given the opportunity to renew your membership at the end of the project (March 2024), however there is no obligation for you to do so. We do not take your bank details in order to sign you up for the free membership.
