Family farming, compost tea, agroforestry & community-owned farms…

Resource explained

This Farmerama podcast (’37: intergenerational tensions, compost tea revisited, agroforestry and Dutch innovation’) includes an interview with Joel Salatin, pioneering farmer known for his diversified ecological farming system, who gives some tips on ways of resolving generational conflict on a family farm. It also features Arable Farmer of the Year 2017 finalist Sophie Alexander giving an update on the benefits and costs of the compost tea technique she has been trialling at Hemsworth Farm in Dorset. Stephen Ware from Throne Farm in Herefordshire, talks about an agroforestry system he has devised to help prevent disease in his apple orchards. Finally, we hear about the impressive innovation of Geert van der Veer, co-founder of Herenboeren, a community owned farm in the Netherlands.

Findings & recommendations

• Stephen Ware has redesigned part of his farm in favour of a more diversified agroforestry system. The larger gaps between the lines of trees allow the apples to dry out quicker after rainy periods (helping to prevent disease), and the diversified system encourages insect pollinators to thrive and soil organic matter to increase.

• Geert van der Veer (who is interviewed by Koen van Seijen for the Investing in Regenerative Agriculture podcast), explains that the Herenboeren community owned farm model relies on the shared investment of a 200-person strong co-operative, who raise all the annual costs of their farm, and get to eat the fresh produce in return. It has been such a success that they are in the process of starting up 20 other farms using the same model.
• Find out more about Joel Salatin and Polyface Farms here.
• Find out more about Throne Farm here.

Photo credits: Header image – Harvest – courtesy of Herenboeren. Apple tree image courtesy of Throne Farm

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