The Organic Research Centre, (ORC) launched the new Dean Organic Fund at the Oxford Real Farming Conference earlier this year. The fund offers interest-free loans, typically ranging from £5,000 to £25,000, to small-scale organic/ecological growers and food businesses. The Organic Research Centre is inviting applications for interest-free, unsecured loans from organic farmers and food producers who wish to expand their enterprises by investing in equipment or stock or would benefit from other working capital. The fund is also open to those producers that are not certified organic but whose operations are closely aligned with organic principles.
This is the life!
We've been sent a few lovely stories recently, and wanted to share them with you all. One involves a first trip to England, another a walk in Sweden. But we'll start with Richard, whose decision to read the classified section in an old WWOOF UK newsletter turned out...
