Sandra Schmid and Tim Rowe

Sandra and Tim run multiple enterprises off of their 12 acres in West Cork. Sandra runs a care farming service and takes care of the livestock, while Tim grows elephant garlic and has a substantial following on YouTube as a result of his pioneering inventions.

Sandra keeps horses, hens and sheep (and others) and they are an integral part of her therapeutic service. The aim is to allow people to create a connection with the animals and benefit from caring for another being.

The animals are a key part of the fertility cycle as their manure is used to create a no-dig system of garlic production. Tim has engineered a rail system for transporting the manure across their wet ground to where its needed. It is currently the longest railway in West Cork! This no dig method sees them 'growing soil now rather than losing soil’.

They’ve planted 1000s of trees and dug out ponds on their site. They are ‘trying very hard to make different environments for different species’. They built a dry stone wall and asked the mason to leave gaps and have since witnessed become full of life.

They’ve made banks as dry habitats for insects, as there’s often standing water on the fields. These banks are now used by solitary bees. Their woodland comprises 6 acres and they grow willow and poplar which has benefited the soil structure binding it together with their root systems. They've also put some hedges in and have laid many of them. They've seen the moorhen return since buying the land, as well as mallard ducks, newts and bats.

Tim makes biochar and is a advocate for how it can hold water, air and act as reservoirs of tiny nutrients which help alleviate flooding and drought. There are epiphytes in their woodlands, which is indicative of an Atlantic rainforest. This environment is too temperate to grow much so they are experimenting with growing suitable crops such as tea leaves and elder berries. The couple acknowledge the need to keep adapting in the face of a changing climate.

Nominator: Madeline McKeever FFN Ambassador

Nomination: Sandra Schmid and Tim Rowe farm 12 acres of mixed land near Bantry in West Cork. Their aim is to make a living from the land whilst at the same time increasing biodiversity and creating and protecting wildlife habitats.

Of the 12 acres, only about 5 acres is of grazing quality, the rest is pockets of woodland, scrub, rock, ponds or fenland. Some of the grassland has been improved through no-dig mulching and is now used to grow elephant garlic commercially. Some of the woodland is now managed to provide the fuel to make horticultural charcoal (bio-char) which is sold through garden centres.

Sandra is in charge of the farm animals. She uses the pulling power of her horses to haul manure and timber, and maintain the fields with a harrow. She also keeps Friesland dairy sheep which she hand milks and which produce lamb for the freezer. The horses and sheep as well as donkeys, goats, hens and guinea pigs all play a role in producing fertiliser for growing crops and grass.

These carefully trained animals are also essential partners in Sandra's work with children and adults, who come to the ‘Hairy Henry’ farm for educational and therapeutic sessions. In groups or one-to-one sessions, Sandra helps them connect with the natural world, and to develop a sense of belonging and responsibility.

Sandra also shares her manual farming skills in groups and workshops where young and old can experience traditional farming methods like working with horses in harness, and learn about a low-impact way of managing the land. She takes children for nature walks and picnics on the land where she shares her knowledge and passion for nature.

Tim uses his workshop skills to develop the machines necessary for the charcoal production. These include a homemade wood-chunker, slicer, multiple drying wagons, a cone kiln, and a charcoal grinder – all powered by a 1947 vintage engine. He is also responsible for growing approximately 10,000 elephant garlic bulbs every year, which included developing a 500 meter long narrow-gauge railway to bring the manure from the muck heap to the garlic beds. This railway – the longest in West Cork - demonstrates a remarkably efficient and low-impact transport method which could be adopted on many other farms. Visitors are encouraged to experience this in action – even small children can push heavy loads along the tracks because railways have such low friction.

Moorhens, mallard, goldfinches and bullfinches are amongst the many creatures which find a home here now, and Sandra and Tim are proud to have found a way to make a modest living, without compromising their role as stewards of this land.