Often thought of as simply ‘shutting the gate’ on a piece of land, farming consultant Jim Bliss explains why rewilding requires an active approach in the UK, while regenerative agronomist Hugo Ellis describes it as driving for balance and diversity in habitats and farm enterprises. And livestock, they say, are essential.

On his Nuffield travels, Jim Bliss saw some spectacular examples of what he calls ‘passive’ rewilding, where stock had been removed from the land and nature returned – Patagonia National Park being one. But the UK doesn’t have the space to take this approach.

“So, it's much better to have active rewilding, which does involve farming, just in a more nuanced way, where it's all about diversity,” says Jim.

Having grown up on a dairy farm and worked in several other farming businesses, it wasn’t until Andrew Sincock moved into the commercial world, he began to appreciate the manure he’d been surrounded by in his former life. He shares what he’s learnt on Farming Focus™.

“My interest in organic manures started really when I joined Agriton. Of all the products they supplied, one really caught my eye and stood out as being very different, very interesting, very simple,” explained Andrew.

Professor John Gilliland strongly believes in the need to ‘measure to manage’ and says if you have “good knowledge you make good decisions”. In this episode of Farming Focus™, he shared his views on using data to inform decision-making, using examples from his extensive and varied background.

In a recent episode of Farming Focus™, host Peter Green was joined by Herefordshire farmer Ben Andrews and Devon-based Riverford Organic Farmers founder Guy Singh-Watson. They explored how our changing climate is altering the future of food production in the UK.

Agroforestry might be a relatively new word but it’s a very old way of farming according to Working Woodlands Cornwall Director Tom Kemp and Harry Studholme of Perridge Estate in Devon. With a combined experience of agroforestry spanning nearly 50 years, they share their insights on Farming Focus™.

Is regen simply a short-term buzzword or will it stay the course and prove to be the way of farming to secure the UK industry’s future? To answer this question, Earth Farmers founder Tim Williams and Ceres Rural consultant Louise Penn joined Peter Green on Farming Focus™.

Whether you call it mob, paddock or cell grazing, the principles are the same. It’s all about the frequent movement of animals followed by a rest period for that grassland. Explore more here. 

Now experiencing some of the wettest winters on record, and with summer droughts becoming more frequent, having a more resilient farm is an increasingly important requirement. 

“The resilience of soil is the basis upon which a very successful business can be built,” says Tom Tolputt, founder of Terrafarmer. 

Healthy soil, with micro-organisms including fungi, micro-animals and insects such as dung beetles and earthworms, is crucial for nutrient cycling and water infiltration. Discover more today. 

Helen Browning, Wiltshire farmer and Chief Executive of the Soil Association, believes this is the decade when farmers need to understand how to reach net zero, but finding the ‘road map’ to that end goal is complex.

Cambridgeshire farmer and agroforestry expert Stephen Briggs thinks the industry needs to embrace innovative approaches, including enterprise stacking, if it’s to achieve net zero emissions.

Data collection is an untapped resource for beef and sheep farmers looking to reach net zero says Exmoor farmer James Wright.

Terrafarmer founder and technical director, Tom Tolputt, tells us how South West farmers can capitalise on the already fertile soils found across our region.

Becky Willson from Farm Carbon Toolkit loves nothing more than digging around in a good field of soil. She explains why taking soil samples is so important to lowering a farm’s carbon footprint.

Alex Bebbington from Farm Net Zero describes how a large-scale collaboration between 40 farm businesses is building understanding of what can be done on farms to increase carbon sequestration.

No-one was more surprised than Cornish Mutual Member Mike Roberts when a review of his beef suckler operation led the family farm in the opposite direction to the one he had intended.

Image credit - Precision Grazing Ltd & Sian Mercer

The Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) aims to support farmers as they increase their farm's environmental sustainability, which includes a focus on soil health. Click to find out more about the first phase of the SFI.

Payments from public and private sources may be an appealing option for farmers seeking alternative income sources. FWAG South West Chief Executive Gary Rumbold tells us more about the opportunities, and what to be mindful of.

With skyrocketing fuel prices alongside a focus on increasing sustainability, the need to explore alternative fuel sources for farm machinery has never been greater. We take a look at what machinery manufacturers are currently working on.

Image credit: New Holland

Regenerative farming principles are essential for future farming, says First Milk’s Sustainability Director Mark Brooking. Here, he tells us why he believes every farm should adopt them.

Bill and Suzanne Harper from North Tamerton have had great success introducing the Bokashi composting concept on their farm. We speak to Bill to find out more about it.

Image credit: Emily Fleur Photography

A Cornish vegetable grower has put a methane-powered tractor to the test, as part of farm-wide efforts to cut their carbon footprint. We spoke to Farm Operations Manager Daniel Collins for the full story.

Image credit: Kieran Brimson Photography

With British farming entering a new era, we spoke to the late LEAF CEO Caroline Drummond in 2021 for her thoughts on why this is farming’s ‘time’.

ELMS are made up of many schemes and grant options that affect different parts of a farm system. Pearce Seeds’ agronomist Stuart Batchelor talks us through them.

Oak Park Dairy sees environmental land management as a fundamental part of running the business. Matthew Mitchem explains how he and his sister are taking a forward-thinking approach.

Cutting a farm's carbon footprint isn't easy, but Cornish farmer Colin Dymond has used soya-free feed, stewardship schemes and more to boost his farm's sustainability.