Richard Gantlett
Yatesbury House Farm
Richard farms beef cattle and cereals biodynamically at Yatesbury House Farm, on the Wiltshire downs near Avebury. In this series of videos recorded in June 2017, he talks to Katie Bliss about his farming approach and practices being implemented at Yatesbury, all of which focus on the importance of nurturing, and the interrelationship of, the health of the soil, cows, crops and people…
Introduction to Yatesbury House Farm
Richard gives a brief overview of the farm; he describes his farming approach and rotational system, introducing his pedigree Aberdeen Angus suckler herd and his use of ‘dynamic’ grazing.
Aberdeen Angus
Richard talks about his suckler herd of pedigree Aberdeen Angus. He explains how they graze ‘dynamically’ and how this benefits the soil.
Biodynamic preparations
In this video Richard explains his biodynamic approach to farming, the preparations that he uses, and the benefits they bring.
Sustainability in practice
Diverse leys
Richard describes using diverse leys in his rotation to build soil fertility and improve soil structure. He lists some of the species he has included in his mix and the benefits that they bring (this includes reference to a useful Cotswold Seeds chart).
Even space drilling and weed control
Richard no longer ploughs the fields at Yatesbury Farm. In this video, he explains how he uses his innovative machinery to drill his seed evenly and describes his methods of weed control in an organic system. He also describes his technique for destroying diverse leys.
High biomass rotation trials
Richard has 4 trials plots on the farm and is looking at the impact of a high biomass rotation on weed burden, crop quality and soil quality. In this video, he describes the trials, methods and measurements that he is recording.
Find out more about Yatesbury House Farm here.
Richard took part in the ‘Farm System Health in Practice’ project – which you can find out about here.
In this podcast he reflects on exploring the 10 principles of health defined in the project with other farmers and talks about how these principles are embedded in his farming practices and approach:
Created by:
Rachel LewisFarm Facts
Farm size :
550 hectaresFarm type :
MixedTenure :
Owner occupiedRegion :
South West EnglandRainfall :
Average: 800 mmAltitude :
165 mSoil :
Silty-clay loamApproach :
BiodynamicKey Farming Practices :
- Diverse / herbal leys
- Diverse feed & forage
- Diverse rotation
- Healthy livestock housing & shelter
- Homegrown feed
- Low input breeds
- Low input crop varieties
- Mechanical weeding
- Minimum Tillage
- Mixed farming
- Organic fertilisers
- Pasture fed livestock
- Soil monitoring
- Undersowing
Associated Agricology Partner Organisation(s):
Related articles
