Agricology Blog

Phil Sumption picks out some of the ORFC 2024 highlights that shine a light on farmers and growers transitioning to more sustainable and resilient farming systems.

Over the last few years our antibiotic usage had naturally declined via the introduction of deep bed sand cubicles, more cow space for feed and water, improved grazing access with concrete sleeper tracks, clean water troughs and an increasing attention to preventative hygiene.

In these short video clips, Jez Taylor, head of the Market Garden at Daylesford Organic Farm, talks to us from inside the polytunnels about propagating tomatoes, peppers, chillies, mixed leaf salads, carrots, radishes and climbing beans as they ramp up their efforts to provide fresh vegetables and salad to as many people as possible in the pandemic crisis...

Charley and Andrea Walker take a holistic approach to farm management by carefully considering the social, ecological and financial impacts of every decision. They aim to find a balance between running a successful business, creating a healthy environment and ensuring a good quality of life for themselves and their family.

Denise Walton farms organically at Peelham Farm in the Scottish Borders. Alongside her family, she has transformed it from a derelict arable farm to a thriving, connected habitat, designed to provide space for wildlife, such as birds and pollinating insects.

Helen Browning, Chief Executive of the Soil Association and farmer at Eastbrook Farm in North Wiltshire introduces the farming enterprise which includes their 200 saddleback sows.

In 2019, AHDB Farmbench invited farmers to benchmark one or more of their organic cereal and oilseed enterprises with the AHDB Farmbench tool and join a group of other organic farmers for a chance to compare outcomes and discuss results.

Eliza Jenkins and Abby Rose summarise their 4 favourite papers from the archive of research on the science behind on-farm earthworms from the European Journal of Soil Science

Invitation to and details of the 2016 Spring Soil Test

In this months Agricology vlog, Jez Taylor (Head Grower at Daylesford Organic) discusses how he manages slugs in an organic system, including understanding their life cycle, their habitat preferences, and how to plant and grow to avoid slug attacks.

Phil Jarvis introduces agroecology including understanding ecological processes and applying these concepts to the design and management of agricultural production systems.

Community-supported farming gives people the opportunity to define their own food and agriculture. The agroecology approach encourages using local resources effectively, recycling of nutrients and energy on the farm.