Harry Davies, 25, of Hopes Ash Farm, Ross, takes the Duchy of Cornwall's 900-acre Monkhall Farm at Callow on its first regenerative tenancy, for 25 years.

A 25-year-old farmer from near Ross-on-Wye is taking on Monkhall Farm, the Duchy of Cornwall’s arable holding at Callow, about four miles south of Hereford. Harry Davies has a 25-year lease on the farm. It is the first time the Duchy has let a farm on its new regenerative tenancy.

Prince William, the Duke of Cornwall, visited the farm last week to meet him. The Duchy published its account of the visit on 1 October. The Duke toured the farm and joined Harry in the tractor while he was drilling.

Who is taking it on

The Duchy describes Harry as a third-generation farmer. He has farmed all his life at Hopes Ash Farm, Ross-on-Wye, with his parents and grandparents. The family business there runs dairy, poultry, beef, arable and renewable energy.

He became a partner in that business in 2023, after graduating from Harper Adams University with a degree in agriculture.

“The dry summer has been a reminder of the pressures farmers are under,” he said in the Duchy’s release. “The long-term tenancy, together with support from the Duchy of Cornwall’s Farming and Nature team, means I can invest in regenerative practices that should benefit both the business and the environment.”

What Monkhall Farm is

The Duchy first advertised the tenancy in April. That listing set out what the farm includes:

  • a ring-fenced arable holding at Callow, near Hereford
  • irrigation across much of the land
  • a 3,600-tonne potato cold store
  • a four-bedroom farmhouse, being created by converting the Duchy’s Hereford office
  • about two-thirds Grade 2 land, which has historically grown potatoes and combinable crops

The April listing put the farm at around 950 acres. The Duchy’s October release calls it a 900-acre farm. It also said the tenancy would start in September 2026.

The Duke of Cornwall walks across a drilled field at Monkhall Farm beside an orange seed drill, with the Herefordshire hills behind
The Duke of Cornwall beside the seed drill at Monkhall Farm. Photo: supplied by the Duchy of Cornwall

What a regenerative tenancy means

The Duchy called a 25-year tenancy “rare” when it advertised the farm. It says the length is the point: a tenant can spend money on soil, water and buildings and still be there to see the return.

Under the new tenancy, the Duchy says it will:

  • help the tenant record the condition of the farm at the start, then track it over time
  • pay for the tenant to take part in the scheme it has built with Regenified, its partner on the tenancy
  • give practical advice, direct funding and peer-to-peer learning through its Farming and Nature programme

The Duchy wants all of its equipped farms to follow regenerative principles by 2035.

“Farming is dealing with some very real pressures, from rising costs to increasingly unpredictable weather,” said Matthew Morris, Executive Director for Rural at the Duchy. “A 25-year tenancy means Harry can invest with confidence.”

The Duke of Cornwall talks with Harry Davies beside a red-tiled stone barn in the yard at Monkhall Farm
The Duke and Harry Davies in the farmyard at Monkhall. Photo: supplied by the Duchy of Cornwall

The day around the visit

The Duchy said the Herefordshire stop was part of a wider day on flood risk and extreme weather. Earlier, the Duke met residents in Monmouthshire whose homes had been affected by recent flooding. He also met groups using nature-based methods to reduce flood risk.

What it means for you

For most Hereford residents, very little changes day to day. Monkhall stays a working farm under a new tenant.

It matters more if you farm nearby. The Duchy says it wants to share what it learns at Monkhall with other farmers. The April listing timed the tenancy to coincide with the Government’s Sustainable Farming Incentive reopening. Defra closed the second SFI26 application window at 3.48pm on 22 September, the day it opened. Farmers who missed it will next be able to apply in 2027.

Sources