Farming with Nature

Farming in the South West is facing rapid change, with weather patterns becoming harder to predict. Peter Green speaks with Professor Pete Falloon from the Met Office and David Thomas of Riviera Produce about how farms can strengthen operational resilience and respond to the impacts of climate change. 

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.

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™.

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. 

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.

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™.

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.

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. 

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.

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.

Believing if you look after the land, the land looks after you, Oliver Lee of How Now Dairy wants his farm to be part of nature, not fighting it. Since setting up his business in 2019, this ethos remains at the heart of all he does, clearly illustrated by the company achieving a carbon negative footprint for the last three years.

Amelia and Jason Greenway are taking a regenerative approach on Springwater Farm, believing it’s what’s needed to secure the future of British farmland.

In mid-Devon, farmers and researchers are investigating the benefits of integrating trees with livestock farming through a 12-year project.