Meet Tess on our Little Dalby Estate
One of our next generation farm tenants
Farmer Tess Lincoln is following in the footsteps of her grandfather Tony Reynolds, taking over the tenancy of the farm he has worked for 40 years and adopting the same regenerative agriculture practices he pioneered in the early 2000s.
Tess and husband Tom have been running Burton Lazars Farm on the Little Dalby Estate in Leicestershire for several years with Grandpa Tony as the tenant. But this year, (2025) they will assume full control of the farm when a new tenancy agreement is negotiated with The Ernest Cook Trust.
Tess remains committed to the environmentally friendly farming methods her grandfather has been promoting for over twenty years, including minimal cultivation of the soil to dramatically reduce soil loss.
She praised The Ernest Cook Trust for their consistent approach to families who want to pass on tenancies to the younger generation,
They have always supported succession. It’s never been a concern that Grandpa would finish his tenancy, and I would lose my farm and my home
And she hopes her own children, Harry, now six and Sophie, four, will also be able to take over the farm in due course if they would like. “They love to help on the farm, and we would absolutely support them if they would like to work in agriculture in the future.”
Tess and Tom grow wheat, barley, oats and beans and rear Herdwick sheep and beef cattle on 1,300 acres. The grazing sheep help reduce pesticide use on the arable land and provide natural fertiliser. Tess said it makes sense both economically and environmentally to adopt regenerative farming practices, but it was not without its challenges.
A lot of people perhaps think it’s an easy way to farm. You are going to save lots of money by not burning diesel cultivating the soil, but the weather windows we have to work in are much smaller with zero tillage – it’s all about working with nature.
The couple have also diversified the business to include online sales of lamb and mutton. They also rent a luxury shepherd’s hut to visitors and, in a new venture, have gained accreditation to welcome schoolchildren onto the farm, converting a Victorian barn into a study centre. Tess said:
We have become CEVAS accredited (The Countryside Education Visits Accreditation Scheme) to take children around the farm. We’re turning a Victorian barn into a classroom facility so that teachers can bring school parties here to learn about the countryside and teach other aspects of the curriculum.
She pointed out on-farm learning did not have to be confined to agriculture and the countryside. “Even weighing out cattle feed can help teach maths,” she added. “We did a farm tour before Christmas when we invited people from the local community for the first of a farm to fork series – and we are running these throughout the year. The first one went really well.”
The couple sell tickets for the events, but Tess explained it was primarily a way to market the farm and local produce, rather than make money. “We try to cover our costs, but it is a marketing exercise and a way of helping reconnect people with food, farming and the countryside,” she said.
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