Farm Gate

This is the third of our programmes investigating Pathways - a 5-year EU Horizon 2020-funded research project that's been running since 2021.

We discuss the scenarios work that provided the foundations for Pathways.

These were designed as plausible future storylines for how European livestock systems might evolve under different economic, environmental, technological, and social conditions. In particular, they helped researchers to test trade-offs between different sustainability goals and outcomes.

ffinlo Costain is joined by Pierre-Marie Aubert, director of agriculture and food policies at the French think tank, IDDRI - by Dr Tom Staton, a senior research fellow at the University of Reading - and by Dr Jessica Bosseaux, a postdoctoral research associate, also at the University of Reading.

Topical food and farming chat - with ffinlo Costain (editor, 8point9.com), Joe Stanley (author, writer and Head of Sustainable Farming at the GWCT Allerton Project), and new co-host, Nikki Yoxall (farmer and Technical Director, Pasture for life).

We discuss fertiliser, regenerative farming, national security, agricultural resilience, the rural economy and food system research.

This is the second of our programmes investigating the Pathways project - a 5-year EU Horizon 2020-funded research project that's been running since 2021.

Today we’re looking at Pathways modelling, which addressed a range of important areas including the greenhouse gas emissions and nutritional value associated with livestock and individual food products, as well as farm animal welfare and biodiversity impacts in livestock systems.

ffinlo Costain (8point9.com) is joined by Dr David Yáñez (Spanish National Research Council), Pierrick Girad (French Institute of Pork), Dr Jenny Ygnvesson (Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences) and Dr Tom Staton (University of Reading).

More land use news at 8point9.com.

In this episode of Martin's Farm, ffinlo Costain and Martin Lines (farmer and chief exec of the Nature Friendly Farming Network) discuss water - and how nature and beavers work to keep it in the landscape.

They're joined by guests, Ali Morse, the Water Policy Manager at The Wildlife Trusts, and Chris Jones from Woodland Valley Farm and the Cornwall Beaver Project.

ffinlo Costain and Martin Lines (farmer and chief exec of the Nature Friendly Farming Network) discuss water - and how nature and beavers work to keep it in the landscape.

They're joined by guests, Ali Morse, the Water Policy Manager at The Wildlife Trusts, and Chris Jones from Woodland Valley Farm and the Cornwall Beaver Project.

We're discussing the parasite burden in cattle: the life-cycle of lungworm and gutworm - how to manage your land and your herd to reduce the parasite risk - the role of vaccination - and how to work with your vet to avoid costly medical interventions.

ffinlo Costain is joined by two Somerset farmers: Catherine Pickford from Alford Fields Farm and Lydia Partridge who manages the young stock at Drummers Farm - and by Lucy Hepworth, a vet from Friars Moor Livestock Health who have also kindly sponsored the programme.

#livestock #parasites #veterinary #vet #farmanimals #animalhealth #landmanagement #cattle #dairy #farming

A 5-year EU Horizon 2020-funded research project - Pathways - has been running since 2021. It aims to reduce environmental impacts while addressing societal demands for safe, nutritious and affordable meat and dairy products.

Over the next two or three months we'll investigate the project and its outcomes across six episodes, and meet some of the academics leading the research.

In this programme we'll find out more about the origins of the Pathways project - its objectives and chief priorities.

ffinlo Costain is joined by Dr Laurence Smith, Associate Professor in Agricultural Systems at the University of Reading - by Dr Jessica Stokes, Associate Professor in Farm Animal Welfare Science and Policy at the Royal Agricultural University - by Dr Catherine Pfeifer, lead researcher in the FiBL Switzerland Agri-Food Systems Group - and by Dr Nikki Yoxall, the Technical Director at Pasture for Life.

'Regenerative agriculture...? It'll never work on my farm!' The truth is - it will work - and most successful regen farmers have gone through the tunnel of doubt only to emerge happier, more resilient and more profitable than before.

In this programme we'll find out how two farmers have made regen work for them - and we'll discuss the challenge of regenerative cereals... is no-till enough?

ffinlo Costain is joined by Tom Edmondson from Cranley Barn Farm near Milton Keynes - and James Johnson from Mallard Grange, near Rippon in North Yorkshire.

This programme has been kindly supported by Regenerate Outcomes.

The early results from one of the largest soil carbon measurement programmes in UK dairy show measurable increases in soil carbon stocks on farms adopting regenerative practices.

British farmer-owned dairy co-operative, First Milk, working with soil carbon measurement specialist, Agricarbon, has undertaken interim re-sampling on three member farms nearly four years after establishing a large-scale soil carbon baseline.

The early findings show soil carbon stocks increased on all three farms, with average gains of 8.9tC/ha (8.2T CO2e/ha/year). And importantly, a positive relationship was observed between the level of regenerative farming activity and the degree of carbon increase observed.

ffinlo Costain is joined by Lee Truelove, the Head of Regenerative Agriculture at First Milk, and Mark Brooking, their former Chief Impact Officer, who's continuing to work with the company on carbon removals.

ffinlo Costain meets David R Montgomery, the author of Dirt: The Erosion of Civilisations.

In a warm conversation, they discuss worms, the plough, soil bank accounts, regenerative farming, human nutrition and much more. ffinlo also finds out why human health improved in the UK during the Second World War.

Montgomery is also co-author (with Anne Biklé) of What Your Food Ate and The Hidden Half of Nature. His new book, ReGen: A New Future for Farming, Food and Health, is out later in 2026.