Oxford Real Farming Conference: seeking common ground
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.
LEARN MOREFebruary 25, 2020
Cast your mind back to a warm summer day, a time when shortly after it has rained, you are in the garden or your field and the aroma of soil is wafting on the air. That deep warming aroma is called ‘petrichor’, and what you are actually smelling is a compound called geosmin, which is […]
January 30, 2020
Have you ever wondered about all the things that your land delivers and whether there may be any way of measuring it? Not so long ago Michael Gove, as Environment Secretary, talked a lot about the historic opportunity provided by Brexit for ensuring that any funding for farming (which may replace the funding under CAP), rewards the delivery of public goods from land and not just food production. But if this is going to be possible, we need to find ways of identifying and measuring them.
January 28, 2020
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.
January 23, 2020
In this month’s Agricology vlog, Richard Smith talks to us about scanning 1,200 Lleyn sheep at Daylesford Organic Farm with Bob Tofield. He looks at how the quality and quantity of rationing is managed according to the results of the scan. He also talks about the benefits of shearing and housing his sheep in the […]
January 23, 2020
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.
January 15, 2020
Technologies that turn ordinary farm waste into carbon-saving agricultural resources are a step closer to reality with a successful on-farm pilot scheme in North Wales. Environmentalists, researchers and sustainability pioneers from across Europe convened in North Wales this autumn for an eagerly anticipated summit after three years of intensive research into the on-farm production of […]
December 20, 2019
Richard Smith, Farms Manager for Daylesford Organic, explains how they rear their Friesian calves at Daylesford. This includes having a calf stay with its mum for 6 days – which allows it to take as much colostrum as it likes from its mum and gives it a fantastic start. Calves also have fresh clean barley […]
December 19, 2019
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. She talks about some of the benefits of this breed of pig and of an organic (outdoor based) pig system; this includes being able to wean them much later […]
December 12, 2019
James Alexander explains how he is looking to reduce tillage in an organic system on Litchfield Farm. He explains the roller crimper method to kill off cover crops, and direct drilling into the mulch, and the impacts on weeds and soil health. *Filmed on Oct 23rd
December 10, 2019
Agriculture has huge potential to be part of the solution to enhancing biodiversity, addressing climate change and supporting and enhancing natural resources, whilst also building vibrant and resilient farming businesses. At Agricology we envision a vibrant future for UK farming – where all farmers and growers are using agroecological practices to create healthy, productive and […]
November 26, 2019
The future of the agricultural environment is dogged by uncertainty – the Government is in flux, Brexit may or may not happen at some point, and the urgency of tackling the climate and ecological crisis is ever growing. But on the bright side, uncertainty indicates a lack, and so, an opportunity to meet these challenges. […]
November 21, 2019
Autumn is the perfect time for lime to capitalise on early spring growth on low pH soils. If ground conditions permit, taking action now to correct low soil pH will bring benefits in the spring. A simple and effective way to help increase grassland productivity is to apply lime to correct the pH status of […]