Couple turning inherited farm into nature site
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- Jessie Roper inherited the 80-acre Greenbank Farm near Cockermouth, Cumbria, after her father Jim Parkin died suddenly in 2023, and moved back from Manchester with her husband Joe despite having no farming experience.
- Environment Bank is partnering with the couple on a 30-year nature recovery project that uses grazing animals and traditional hay cuts to restore habitats on the former dairy and beef farm.
- Anne Gray, Environment Bank's senior land manager, said the UK has experienced "significant biodiversity loss over many decades" and that such projects give farmers a "secure, diversified source of income."
- The deal gives the Ropers 30 years of guaranteed lease payments and management fees — Jessie said this was a major factor, noting that a recent rain-soaked year produced "rubbish haylage" and minimal profit from the land.
- Jessie acknowledged local farmers were sceptical, calling herself and Joe "the guinea pig of the area" for pursuing the nature recovery model over traditional farming.
- Joe Roper said his late father-in-law Jim "really loved nature" and would have approved of the project, calling it "a bit of a nod to him."
Why it matters: The arrangement gives the Ropers long-term financial stability through lease payments and management fees instead of traditional farming's volatility — Jessie cited a rain-ruined haylage year as proof of why diversification matters. Local scepticism persists, with the couple branding themselves the "guinea pig" of the area for betting on biodiversity income over conventional agriculture.
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