Since I moved back to my family farm two years ago, I鈥檝e been muddling through books and muddling through fields trying to get a grip on regenerative agriculture. What is it? How does it work? Does it work? Finally, I feel I鈥檓 beginning to cultivate an understanding of farming鈥檚 new hot topic and I thought I should share what I鈥檝e learned so far.
What is regenerative agriculture?
Regenerative agriculture is a system based on five key principles. Minimising soil disturbance, broadening crop rotations, integrating livestock, increasing biodiversity and using cover crops. Gurus of the movement will remind you that all five of these principles are of equal importance and that missing a step will dramatically reduce the success of the outcome.
If this sounds slightly dogmatic, it鈥檚 probably because it is 鈥� this is one of the main arguments that鈥檚 putting farmers off joining the movement.
Boosting the bottom line
What pulled me towards changing our farming system wasn鈥檛 the burning desire to improve the environment but the burning desire to improve the bottom line. It鈥檚 incidental that this system promises to do both.
My farm is predominantly an arable enterprise. We grow for commodity markets so, by definition, our aim is to find the optimal point between producing the highest yield while producing it for the lowest cost and at the lowest risk.
I feel in the short time that I鈥檝e been farming, those parameters have dramatically shifted. Input costs are through the roof and selling prices all over the place. It seems natural that I need to reduce my costs and risk because I can鈥檛 control the end sale price. Regenerative agriculture helps me quantify my goals.
My view is that carbon is cost. Carbon is labour, it鈥檚 fuel, it鈥檚 fertilisers and it鈥檚 sprays. If following these principles can reduce all of those without dramatically affecting my yields, it鈥檚 probably worth a try.
From theory to farm
"My view is that carbon is cost. Carbon is labour, it鈥檚 fuel, it鈥檚 fertilisers and it鈥檚 sprays. If following these principles can reduce all of those without dramatically affecting my yields, it鈥檚 probably worth a try."
Student & Young Farmer ambassador Tom McVeigh
So now that we鈥檝e ascertained that regenerative farming is the answer to all of our problems (maybe it can cure my dyslexia?); how can we successfully implement it? Ah. Not so easy. I鈥檓 two years in and I鈥檝e hardly started. I鈥檝e learned that changing a farm business requires a vast amount of organisation and careful planning 鈥� I have little experience with either.
I still believe in taking this route, though, because I believe in the logic. If you reduce your cultivations, you need cover crop roots to do them for you. To utilise cover crops you need a broad crop rotation, and a broad rotation will in turn reduce the weed burden you鈥檝e created by reducing cultivations. It does make sense. Add in organic manures and the process is accelerated 鈥� but still don鈥檛 expect to see many results within the first five years. These years are referred to as 鈥榯he transition鈥�. I feel like I might be transitioning forever.
Next generation
I also think that as a generation, what we lack in experience we make up for with enthusiasm. I was lucky enough to discuss this topic on the NFU Live panel at this year鈥檚 Cereals event with my fellow ambassadors Mike Wilkins and Emily Marshall, and Will Oliver, NFU Combinable Crops Board appointee, who farms over 2,000 acres in Leicestershire.
I left feeling inspired and motivated because some of my peers are already making great successes in taking these steps. We spoke for an about an hour and covered a huge amount of ground, while NFU Vice-president David Exwood steered the discussion onto all of the poignant challenges facing farming today.
It feels to me that in the face of the vast amounts of change within agriculture 鈥� from policy, to climate, to technological advancements and price volatility 鈥� that the risk really isn鈥檛 in changing, but the risk is in not changing.
Whether we believe that regenerative agriculture is the solution for farming鈥檚 future is up for debate. However, I think it鈥檚 becoming clearer and clearer that the conventional alternative offers little in terms of solutions, excitement or stimulation for the next generation of farmers.
