Event
Carbon Calling 2024
Carbon Calling CIC is holding its third conference in Cumbria on Friday 2nd to Sunday 4th of August.
Friday 2nd August.10.00 – 15.30. “Are you curious about regenerative farming, but don’t know where to start?”
Saturday the 3rd of August. The main conference will run from 9.30 am until 5.00 pm, with another chance to be part of Allen’s workshop at 5.30 pm. The headline speaker is Allen Williams from Understanding Ag.
Technical workshops are being held on Saturday afternoon.
Friday 2nd August
Workshop: 10.00 – 15.30
“Are you curious about regenerative farming, but don’t know where to start?”
This workshop will be facilitated by the founders of Carbon Calling, Liz Genever and Nic Renison. This day aims to cut through the confusion and misdirection surrounding regenerative practices, providing a clear path forward for those interested in sustainable agriculture and resilient systems. Attendees will gain a deeper understanding of regenerative principles and explore their practical applications within supply chains.
We’ll hear from Tim Nicholson, who recently introduced a herd of suckler cows to his farm and is implementing mob grazing techniques. His focus on biodiversity is evident through his extensive planting of trees and hedges, and herbal leys.
Nic and Paul Renison, who practice regenerative farming in the North Pennines, will share insights into their operations, which include pastured eggs and an Angus suckler cow herd, and discuss the financial impacts on their business.
Read programme for the day here
Camping is available. From 7.30pm Rob Yorke will be leading – ‘Food, booze, and talk’ – a barstool open-mic session on diverse contested rural topics.
Saturday 3rd August
Main Conference: 9.30 – 5.00
The Saturday programme kicks off with Rob Yorke facilitating a panel session to set the scene, to warm people up and to ensure we hear from the range of people attending the conference.
Allen Willams, a sixth generation farmer and co-founder of Understanding Ag, is the headline speaker and will do a presentation in the morning, followed by practical workshops in the afternoon and evening. He is sponsored by Regenerate Outcomes.He will talk through his experiences of working with other farmers as they transition to regenerative approaches.
Lunch is included in the ticket price, or you can bring your own. Janet from Langwathby Café will be providing the food and it will be excellent. There will be a few sessions running over the lunch break including a Hedge Safari.
In the afternoon there will be a series of interactive workshops, which aim to address common challenges faced by farmers and provide practical solutions through collaborative learning. These include Tim Nicholson (Cactus Tree Guards) and Pete Leeson (Woodland Trust) on how to make more of your hedges and trees, Nikki Yoxall (Pasture for Life) talking about how to make decisions about stocking rates for grazing systems, Julia Cooper and Lindsay Whistance (Organic Research Centre) plus farmers on how to balance trees with livestock. There are other sessions on biological farming approaches, carbon credits, renewables and soils.
After the workshops, there is a panel session with the aim of bringing the day together. Allen and other speakers from the day will be brought back to the stage to share their insights. After the main conference finishes at 5pm, Allen will run another workshop session for anyone who couldn’t book onto the first one.
Sunday 4th August
Problem-solving session: 10.00 – 1.00
This session is designed to address some of the practical limitations of pushing your businesses further. It will run as a co-creation workshop, which is a new idea for Carbon Calling this year. Please bring your skills, experience and thoughts to help others. Plus your problems, logjams or frustrations for the group to help you solve or overcome.
Download full Carbon Calling programme here
