Northern Ireland Farmers travel to the Cotswolds on a Biodiversity Farm Innovation Visit
June 21, 2023
A diverse group of agri-environment farmers from across Northern Ireland, accompanied by CAFRE Technologist Henry Shaw and Adviser Regina McBennett made a 3-day trip in early June to the Cotswolds for a Farm Innovation Visit (FIV). FIVs provide farmers with the opportunity to visit farm businesses in other parts of the UK or Europe to learn about new innovations.
The trip focused on enhancing biodiversity within a viable, climate resilient farming system.
Day one began at FarmEd’s facilities which are located on a 107acre mixed enterprise demonstration farm near Shipton under Wychwood in the Cotswold’s Hills. The farm runs a diverse arable rotation alternating with sheep and cattle pasture. Additional enterprises such as a micro dairy, a vegetable market and fruit trees provide enterprise stacking and create rural jobs.
FarmEd’s primary aim is to show farmers there are other viable and sustainable ways to manage land and make an equal or improved return that is future proofed.
FarmEd works closely with the local NE Cotswolds Farmers cluster to demonstrate regenerative farming systems designed to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases and redress on farm biodiversity declines, whilst helping control water runoff, increasing infiltration and improving soil health. The cluster members farm 22,000 ha.
Multi species swards and long rotations (up to 8 years with complex species mixes) have produced very significant increases in on farm biodiversity and improvements in soil health, brought about through the hidden sub soil cycling of nutrients and the increased levels of soil fungal and bacterial micro fauna.
The soil structure has improved from a former compacted panned arable soil, to a soil with sweet-smelling crumb structure.
Deep rooting plants such as Sainfoin have created healthy swards with better root structure providing resilience – and contributing to the ability to maintain stock outside all year.
On day two the group progressed to Whittington farm run by Ian Boyd and his family who 25 years ago transitioned his farm to a regenerative pastoral/ arable system out of his passion for wildlife.
Farming Hereford beef at 900 feet above sea level, he sells his boxed beef at a premium – obtaining a return of over £3,000 per carcass. The abundance of wildlife also allows Ian to pursue his award-winning photography career and diversify into high end tourism with an education centre and the provision of high-quality food on site.
Ian won the Farmers Weekly Grassland farmer of the year in 2022!
This diversified theme was followed at a visit to Conygree Farm, which integrates a profitable organic market gardening and tent-based tourism businesses alongside farming Hereford cattle and Cotswold Sheep.
A repeating theme in the suckler enterprises was a high welfare low stress system which allowed cows to maintain condition score without becoming over fat and the calves had a continuous supply of milk until the quiet wean tags were fitted.
Cows were not housed with tall swards providing soil cover and shelter, and their anthelmintic qualities significantly reducing the requirement for worm dosing.
These ideas were then shown applied to dairy farming at Bradwell Grove farms, and this was explained by Nuffield scholar and fam manager Rob Richmond
Rob has been managing his pastures, with a focus on building soil carbon since 2005. His efforts are again paying off in the form of more resilient soils and improved pasture growth. Rob runs this organic dairy farm with 300 dairy cows on 200 ha of land.
The last visit we made was to FAI experimental farm at Oxford where Silas Hedley- Lawrence gave a highly informative explanation of the research into the principles and application of regenerative techniques conducted on behalf of major worldwide corporate clients including McDonalds, Marks and Spencers, Dunbia, ABP and Ikea.
FAI are an international research consultancy, and their work provides data and analysis into how grassfed systems and genetic selection combined with Adaptive Paddock Management to help achieve biodiversity improvements alongside maximising enterprise output from a low input system.
All the farms we visited were of a substantial acreage, however the regenerative principles and on farm diversification targeting high end markets demonstrated innovations that are transferable to Northern Ireland.
The trip offered insight into how farms have moved to a regenerative system profitably, improving farm viability and enhancing wildlife and protection of our water and soils.