Farming Focus

ARC Zero started as a European Innovation Partnership (EIP) Operational Group made up of a co-operative of 7 farms in Northern Ireland.

It sought to measure and manage carbon flows at the individual farm level to empower farmers to make positive change towards carbon zero farming.

Make sure you listen to episode 9 to get the most from this bonus episode. 

Farming Focus is the podcast for farmers in the South West of England, but is relevant for farmers outside of the region or indeed anyone in the wider industry or who has an interest in food and farming. 

For more information on Cornish Mutual visit cornishmutual.co.uk

For our podcast disclaimer click here. 

Timestamps

00:15 Peter introduces the bonus. 

00:41 Intro to ARC Zero from John.

03:25 Landscapes as a rich tapestry of carbon.

04:20 GWP100 v GWP*

05:58 Measuring and managing on farm - for John. 

08:43 What is the data being used for?

11:42 Farms as circular systems.

13:05 One hint or tip for farmers to start relating to their carbon footprint. Seek good advice and know your numbers. 

14:52 Peter rounds up. 

In this episode we’re diving into the big topic of land use. Joining host Peter Green is Professor John Gilliland OBE, a farmer from Northern Ireland. John is also Professor of Practice in Agriculture and Sustainability at Queens University, Belfast. He’s an advisor for AHDB, Chair of Sustainable Farm Networks at Harper Adams University, a former President of Ulster Farmers Union and has experience in many other roles besides. 

Peter asks John about his experience and views with regards to the land sharing v land sparing debate, especially what he has been doing and seeing on his farm in Northern Ireland. They also discuss baselining and use of data when it comes to land use to see what we could learn in the south west of England. 

Are there topics you’d like us to cover or guests you’d love to hear from? Get in touch by emailing us at [email protected] or by connecting with us on our socials @cornishmutual. Your feedback helps us shape the podcast to meet your needs.

Farming Focus is the podcast for farmers in the South West of England, but is relevant for farmers outside of the region or indeed anyone in the wider industry or who has an interest in food and farming. 

For more information on Cornish Mutual visit cornishmutual.co.uk

For our podcast disclaimer click here. 

If you'd like to send us an email you can contact us at [email protected] 

Timestamps

00:15 Peter introduces the episode.

01:29 John comes in.

01:48 John gives more detail on his background in farming and sustainability. 

02:49 John's broader experience and how they have impacted his perspective on sustainable agriculture. 

04:56 John's estate in Northern Ireland.

06:55 Looking at things through a different lens. 

09:00 Farmers run complex businesses that are all disconnected. 

10:45 The Land Use Framework

11:11 Baselining project in Northern Ireland

13:00 Carrots and sticks.

15:40 Does this feel too good to be true?

17:00 The need to measure. 

20:00 Empowering farmers to make their own decisions. 

20:22 How does this relate to the south west of England?

21:19 ARC Zero

24:05 The various land uses on John's farm.

26:55 Peter rounds up.

27:12 Showstoppers

29:38 Peter rounds up the episode as a whole. 

Make sure you listen to episode 8 to get the most from this bonus episode. 

Farming Focus is the podcast for farmers in the South West of England, but is relevant for farmers outside of the region or indeed anyone in the wider industry or who has an interest in food and farming. 

For more information on Cornish Mutual visit cornishmutual.co.uk

For our podcast disclaimer click here. 

Timestamps

00:15 Peter introduces the bonus. 

00:35 Tim summarises his farm enterprise. 

01:20 Tim's Nuffield trip and travels to Polyface Farm and how it inspired him. 

02:25 What is success for Tim?

03:10 Avoiding competition and interaction between the businesses on the farm. 

04:10 Growing the business and opportunities for succession. 

04:30 Lifecycle of businesses. 

06:14 Being involved with different businesses - how does Tim deal with this?

07:00 What gets Tim out of bed in the morning? 

08:44 Growth over time. 

9:25 Peter rounds up. 

In this episode we’re talking about increasing your overall business turnover, and in turn business resilience, through enterprise stacking. But we’re also talking about an innovative and exciting business pitching opportunity called ‘Pitch Up’ which was started by one of our guests on his farm in Hampshire. 

Pitch Up! is an annual call-out for anyone with a start-up or growing business in the countryside looking for a farm to call home. It’s all about farmers sharing land, raw materials, retail space or production space as well as ideas, knowledge and contacts but also seeing the benefits. 

Joining host Peter Green is Tim May who is the founder of PitchUp and Managing Director of Kingsclere Estates in Hampshire. Peter is also joined by Dave Oates, a Nuffield scholar and mixed farmer from south Cornwall who is part of the Pitch Up programme. 

Are there topics you’d like us to cover or guests you’d love to hear from? Get in touch by emailing us at [email protected] or by connecting with us on our socials @cornishmutual. Your feedback helps us shape the podcast to meet your needs.

Farming Focus is the podcast for farmers in the South West of England, but is relevant for farmers outside of the region or indeed anyone in the wider industry or who has an interest in food and farming. 

For more information on Cornish Mutual visit cornishmutual.co.uk

For our podcast disclaimer click here. 

If you'd like to send us an email you can contact us at [email protected] 

Timestamps

00:15 Peter introduces the episode.

01:26 Tim introduces his business.

01:45 Dave introduces his business.

02:17 Tim introduces the concept of Pitch Up

05:42 Farming in 3D.

07:25 How did Dave get involved with Pitch Up?

08:50 Where does Pitch Up go for Dave?

09:38 What are the wider plans for Pitch Up?

11:05 The Michaelmas Fair

12:20 How do people get in touch and get involved?

13:06 Dave's Nuffield on stacking land uses. What is enterprise stacking?

14:44 Shift in thinking from a reductionist mindset to one of abundance.

17:10 How do other farmers see this?

19:00 Mindset - how do we change the perception of farming to multi output land use?

22:14 Tim's takes on the question of being a tenant and how this can work with tenants?

23:10 What advice would Tim give to interested farmers?

24:20 Dave's thoughts on this. 

25:40 What is the low hanging fruit here?

27:17 Showstoppers.

28:35 Peter rounds up. 

Make sure you listen to episode 7 to get the most from this bonus episode. 

Farming Focus is the podcast for farmers in the South West of England, but is relevant for farmers outside of the region or indeed anyone in the wider industry or who has an interest in food and farming. 

For more information on Cornish Mutual visit cornishmutual.co.uk

For our podcast disclaimer click here. 

Timestamps

00:15 Peter introduces the bonus. 

00:35 Andrew summarises his Nuffield.

01:06 Why did Andrew decide to look into this subject?

02:22 Travels

04:00 Highlights from the travels.

06:21 Lessons learned

07:55 The most surprising things - challenges. 

09:09 The power of word of mouth.

09:45 How have Andrew's findings changed the way he thinks?

11:00 Peter rounds up. 

Today we’re diving into a topic that’s at the heart of productive farming: making the most of muck. From slurry to compost, we’ll explore how to get more from less and maximise the value of organic manures.

Are there topics you’d like us to cover or guests you’d love to hear from? Get in touch by emailing us at [email protected] or by connecting with us on our socials @cornishmutual. Your feedback helps us shape the podcast to meet your needs.

Joining Peter today is Andrew Sincock, Managing Director of Agriton UK and Agro-Vital UK, and a 2023 Nuffield Scholar researching organic manures.

Farming Focus is the podcast for farmers in the South West of England, but is relevant for farmers outside of the region or indeed anyone in the wider industry or who has an interest in food and farming. 

For more information on Cornish Mutual visit cornishmutual.co.uk

For our podcast disclaimer click here. 

If you'd like to send us an email you can contact us at [email protected]

Timestamps

00:15 Peter introduces the episode.

01:30 Andrew introduces himself. 

3:48 Bokashi

6:30 Rothamsted research study.

8:34 What does soil organic matter do?

11:15 How do farmers value the nutrients on their farm?

13:37 How to analyse a muck heap?

15:24 Get away from calling muck a waste product. 

15:58 What are the common mistakes when it comes to applying muck?

18:00 Costs. 

19:05 Announcements about capital items.

19:30 Grants that people should be looking at?

21:50 incremental changes. 

24:38 Applying ammonium nitrate. 

30:20 C:N ration of muck 

33:50 Showstoppers. 

35:44 Peter rounds up. 

Make sure you listen to episode 6 to get the most from this bonus episode. 

Farming Focus is the podcast for farmers in the South West of England, but is relevant for farmers outside of the region or indeed anyone in the wider industry or who has an interest in food and farming. 

For more information on Cornish Mutual visit cornishmutual.co.uk

For our podcast disclaimer click here. 

Timestamps

00:15 Peter introduces the bonus. 

00:35 What is the first step with starting a farm cluster?

01:48 Is there an upper limit to an effective cluster group?

03:30 Mix of members to the cluster. 

04:50 Facilitators of farm cluster groups. 

05:40 Stakeholder management. 

06:25 Directions of travel of the cluster. 

07:44 Mel keeps the wheels turning all the time. 

09:10 Meetings are generally informal.

09:20 Access to grants and funding. 

11:05 Having a subscription fee. 

12:15 Do clusters encourage collaboration on a smaller scale?

15:05 Peter rounds up. 

For this episode we’re talking about farm clusters, what they are, how they work and the benefits for farmers. We’re also talking about the benefits of collaboration generally. Farm Clusters have become increasingly popular recently with dozens now in existence across the country. 

In short, a farm cluster is a collaborative network of farmers, landowners, and sometimes agricultural stakeholders in a specific geographic area, with members working together to achieve shared goals, often related to conservation, resource management, and sustainable farming practices.

Host Peter Green is joined by Mel Bradley who works with various groups in the regenerative space and has 15 years of experience in bringing people together and building networks, including helping to deliver south west farming event Rootstock; and Ben Mortimer, a Devon farmer and Chair of the Kenn Valley farm cluster group. 

Farming Focus is the podcast for farmers in the South West of England, but is relevant for farmers outside of the region or indeed anyone in the wider industry or who has an interest in food and farming. 

For more information on Cornish Mutual visit cornishmutual.co.uk

For our podcast disclaimer click here. 

If you'd like to send us an email you can contact us at [email protected]

Timestamps

00:15 Peter introduces the episode.

01:53 Mel introduces herself.

03:22 Ben talks about farm clusters and explains what they are. 

04:17 Kenn Valley - Ben talks more about it and the diversity of farming there.

06:05 Mel has worked with many groups in regenerative farming - what are the benefits of collaborating. 

08:22 Are there particular goals that clusters tend to focus on or is there room for flexibility?

10:00 How long has Kenn Valley been going? - around a year.

10:33 Common barriers to collaboration. 

12:15 How events like Rootstock can be a spark for collaboration?

13:49 What leadership lessons has Ben learned from managing a group of farmers?

15:29 The importance of relationships. 

16:35 The future for farm clusters

18:55 Actions for listeners - how can you get involved or start a cluster? What advice would our guests give?

21:21 Showstoppers

22:42 Peter rounds up. 

Make sure you listen to episode 5 to get the most from this bonus episode. 

Farming Focus is the podcast for farmers in the South West of England, but is relevant for farmers outside of the region or indeed anyone in the wider industry or who has an interest in food and farming. 

For more information on Cornish Mutual visit cornishmutual.co.uk

For our podcast disclaimer click here. 

Timestamps

00:15 Peter introduces the bonus. 

00:50 Laura talks about peer to peer learning and knowledge exchange. 

03:30 The School of Sustainable Farming

04:47 A broader network. 

05:40 Opportunities according to Rhian and Jack - they mention Farm Cornwall. 

07:35 Coming up with a tenancy application - how to start. 

09:30 Laura's experience. 

11:20 Peter rounds up. 

For this episode host Peter Green  is joined by three Cornwall based farmers who are going about things a bit differently compared to the traditional farming model.

First up us Laura Awdry who farms in partnership with her husband Sam on a Duchy of Cornwall farm tenancy running beef and arable. She is also a Nuffield scholar and works within the dairy team for AHDB. 

Peter is also joined by Rhian and Jack Marchant who are first generation farmers, farming on a Lord Falmouth estate farm about 10 miles outside of Truro. The couple keep ducks for eggs, zwartble, Devon and Cornish Longwool and Suffolk sheep and water buffalo. Rhian is also a registered vet nurse working mostly in small animal practice and balances this career alongside farming. 

Farming Focus is the podcast for farmers in the South West of England, but is relevant for farmers outside of the region or indeed anyone in the wider industry or who has an interest in food and farming. 

For more information on Cornish Mutual visit cornishmutual.co.uk

For our podcast disclaimer click here. 

If you'd like to send us an email you can contact us at [email protected]

Timestamps

00:14 Peter introduces the episode.

01:33 Laura introduces herself.

02:40 Rhian introduces herself and her farming journey.

03:16 How did Rhian and Jack start?

03:47 Jack comes in. 

04:45 How has Laura and her husband Sam built their farming business?

07:19 Jack talks about their route into farming and wanting to stand out. 

08:34 How are buffalo different to cattle in terms of husbandry?

09:46 How did Jack know that buffalo would be a good fit for him?

10:50 Balancing working on and off farm. 

14:09 Rhian explains how she and Jack balance working off farm with the farming. 

18:30 The future of balancing working on and off farm

21:10 The benefits of working on and off farm. 

22:10 Words of advice to listeners. 

24:03 Showstoppers.

25:57 Peter rounds up.