Ed Dickson

Ed started a food, farming and hospitality business with his wife and her family in Herefordshire’s Black Mountains in 2015.

Qualifications and experience

• PG Cert Environmental Management
• FiPL mentoring (Marches area) guiding new entrants through expansion
• Managing Partner, Wild by Nature LLP
• Extensive AMP grazing experience including managing for biodiversity for landowners
• 10 years experience of running own business including management accounting, financial/cashflow forecasting
• 10 years experience of running a diverse farm-based hospitality business

Ed's aim as Wild by Nature's farmer is to deliver the highest quality beef and lamb to the food and hospitality operation while ensuring they meet their regenerative farming goals. These include ongoing projects to increase the number and quality of habitats on the farm as well as wood-pasture and species-rich meadow maintenance/creation. Wild By Nature is organic and PfL certified and has an on-farm no-dig market garden that supplies our pub and venue kitchens with a wide range of fruit and vegetables.

Their farming is always carried out with ecological outcomes in mind. Ed takes a holistic view of the land they farm, considering not only the productivity of the land but also stewardship of natural resources, ensuring they farm as sustainably as possible. Doing so has had tangible results on soil health and biodiversity, with recent habitat surveys showing that species diversity is increasing year-on-year and they have several rare bird and insect species present.

Since starting the business in 2015, the farming operation has expanded to 3 sites, including along the way a range of short-term grass keep arrangements. This has given Ed a solid grounding in the practicalities of day-to-day farming and managing these in balance with the needs of landowners and other stakeholders.

Along with the farming, Ed continues to be involved in the food and hospitality side of the business, and has a decade-plus of experience managing the farm with these in mind; be that ensuring the smooth flow of animals into our butchery unit, or making sure that their farming fits around the schedule of weddings and other events at our on-farm venue. As such, Ed is well placed to advise on the practicalities of diversification. 

As a business, Wild By Nature has been shortlisted for the BBC Food and Farming Awards (2019) and their pub, the Bull's Head in Craswall, has featured in the Michelin Guide and placed in the Estrella Top 50 Gastropubs 2 years running (33rd in 2025).

You can find out more about the business at wildbynaturellp.com