Category: Farm Net Zero

About the Farm Net Zero population wheat trial

Posted on November 2, 2022 by - Farm Net Zero, Insights

Written by Hannah Jones, Research Manager at FCT, as part of the demo farm trials happening in our Farm Net Zero (FNZ) project.

Overview

Recommended cereal varieties are bred to look identical; the genes between individual plants have only minor levels of variation. The regulations around breeding and the sale of seed ensure consistency as well as ensuring different varieties are unique and suitable for the use (or group) stated.

Wheat, barley, and oats mainly self-pollinate which results in offspring being highly similar to the parent plant. Rye is a bit different; it is cross pollinated. Thus, a field of rye is in fact a population of rye where very plant is considerably different from its neighbour in terms of genes and sometimes in appearance.

Landraces

Seed that has been saved by communities of farmers within one particular region are called landraces. These landraces were locally adapted to specific conditions including soil type, local pests and diseases as well as management such as type of seed bed preparation. In landraces, since each plant is genetically different, the plants best suited to a given climate produced more seed. If the seed is saved and resown, the best adapted plants take up a greater proportion of the subsequent generation.

Evolutionary breeding

Over many generations, successive seed saving and resowing results in adaptation of a crop population, and thus this is called evolutionary breeding or population wheat (or barley). Evolutionary breeding can take place by default with landraces, or a population can be created.

Composite cross populations

The creation of a crop population involves cross pollinating a range of varieties that have interesting characteristics. This cross pollination needs to be done by a plant breeder. One such composite cross population was created from 20 varieties which had either good yielding or quality characteristics: the “YQ population” and was carried out by a team at The Organic Research Centre and John Innes Centre in early 2000 led by Martin Wolfe. The rules for selling grain have been designed according to the standard rules of uniformity of crop. Recent changes in regulations have now allowed the sale of population wheat if there is certified traceability.

Built-in resilience

The physical and genetic diversity within a population can increase the crop resilience to extremes in stress. Crop populations generally perform above the average of the original varieties. For example, if a particular race of a plant disease dominates in one year there will be some plants that have resistance; there will be some yield despite high disease pressure. Alternatively, deeper rooting will ensure under drought conditions there will be some plants that yield grain, whereas the shallow-rooters may be sterile.

Tim Williams (pictured below) at Erth Barton (one of our FNZ demo farmers) is trialling population wheat with his pasture cropping. The wheat has the potential to adapt to local conditions as well as being sown into an existing sward. To follow updates on our Farm Net Zero trials and hear more news, sign up to the FNZ newsletter here.

Tim Williams of Erth Barton Farm

Farm Net Zero Farmer Conference 2022

Posted on September 13, 2022 by - Farm Net Zero

Kindly hosted at Mike and Sam Roberts Farm Net Zero Demonstration Farm

The first Farm Net Zero Farmer Conference was held at Blable Farm, Wadebridge by kind permission of Demo Farmers, Mike and Sam Roberts. The conference covered the Farm Net Zero (FNZ) project’s progress to date and discussed plans for the remainder of the project. Over 70 people attended the conference, with 31 individuals from 19 of the project’s Monitor Farms.

We started the conference with a farm walk led by Mike and Sam Roberts. A range of cover crop mixtures are being trialed this winter for outwintering cattle, these were established by drilling into disced hay aftermaths. The aim for these cover crops is to cheaply outwinter cattle and benefit soil health. The extreme weather conditions this summer delayed sowing, but now these crops are growing apace. Buffer feeding with hay may be necessary alongside the grazing of these crops; it will depend upon how warm the autumn is.

A rotational grazing system has been developed with the support of Precision Grazing Ltd, with herbal leys introduced for drought resilience and to improve pasture quality for the cattle’s diet. The heaviest steers have been sold to a finishing unit having received nothing but forage. The Roberts’ are aiming to grow cattle on forage alone and are looking at introducing more native genetics (Angus/Hereford/Devon) to achieve this aim.

Finally, the walk finished in the cattle sheds to discuss the compost bedding. Compost from the Green Waste Company is used in place of straw to reduce costs, the resulting dirty compost bedding has been analysed for nutrient content and far exceeds that of farmyard manure. Blable has recently been soil mapped by FNZ Monitor Farmers Anthony Ellis and Tom Tolputt of South West Farm Consultants. The detailed soil scan and sample has revealed areas of high and low organic matter and nutrients. The maps will be used to target applications of manure to get the most benefit from it and will help to reduce the need for artificial fertiliser.

The remainder of the conference involved presentations and discussions on project progress. After an introduction to Farm Net Zero by Dr Steve Roderick, Alex Bebbington from the Rural Business School ran through the fifteen events the FNZ project has delivered so far, on a range of topics from nitrogen fertiliser use to dung beetles.

Dr Hannah Jones from Farm Carbon Toolkit then gave a presentation on the results from the first set of carbon footprints. These form the baseline from which the project aims to reduce emissions and improve sequestration and there is a possibility to create benchmarking groups within the project to help farmers learn from one another. Hannah’s presentation also covered some of the FNZ trials, with input from the Demo and Monitor Farmers who are involved in the trials. Demo Farmer Andrew Brewer spoke about the herbal ley for dairy cattle trial. Andrew’s grazing platform consists of ryegrass/clover leys and herbal leys, Allflex collars on the cows measure activity and rumination. This work is in progress and evaluation of the economic viability of dairies needs to take a systems approach incorporating livestock health, milk quality and yield, and the resilience of the grazing platform to variation in weather. Next, Monitor Farmer Malcolm Barrett talked through the overwinter cover crop trial he is involved in. This was to test the diversity of cover crop mixes, with initial results suggesting that more diversity improved soil stability and increased worm numbers. Finally, Monitor Farmer Amelia Lake spoke about her involvement in the first of the FNZ Field Labs on compost production for market gardens. Amelia’s use of compost on her no-dig market garden has helped to increase soil carbon sequestration, but questions remain on the best source material and methods of production.

Jerry Alford from Innovative Farmers provided more detail on the Field Lab element of Farm Net Zero. These field labs are led by questions from farmers and are run on farms to be representative of commercial conditions. The first FNZ Field Lab is on compost for market gardens, the second will be on innovations in maize establishment and the third is yet to be decided.

Zoë Smith from Westcountry Rivers Trust spoke about the citizen science work that the Rivers Trust are responsible for. This involves members of the public working to improve the soil health and climate resilience of their gardens/allotments.

The final presentation by Becky Willson of Farm Carbon Toolkit looked at some of the techniques farmers from other Farm Carbon Toolkit projects are working on to reduce their carbon footprints. These include reducing purchased feed requirements, improving grazing management and reducing fertiliser use. There was also a conversation on the various Carbon Codes (Hedgerow, Woodland and Soil) and how they can benefit farmers, the consensus being that there are still details to iron out before it can be seen as a reliable investment.

This event was made possible with thanks to the National Lottery Community Fund who fund the Farm Net Zero project. We would also like to thank the Demo and Monitor Farmers who have hosted events, the expert speakers who have presented at them and everyone who has attended a Farm Net Zero event.

Holistic Worm Management

Posted on May 11, 2022 by - Farm Net Zero

A Farm Net Zero event held at Matt and Pip Smiths Monitor Farm

Climate change is not just about greenhouse gases, it also includes the loss of biodiversity. Agriculture plays a key role in creating healthy ecosystems that support biodiversity and food production. Insect life is one of the main food sources in any ecosystem. Anthelmintics (wormers) used to treat gastrointestinal parasites are excreted in livestock dung and so can kill insects, particularly dung beetles, targeting the use of wormers reduces the risk of killing insects and helps to maintain a healthy ecosystem.

Farm Net Zero Monitor Farmers, Matt and Pip Smith of Trefranck run 1000 NZ Romney sheep and 500 Red deer across 400 acres of mostly owned land. Matt and Pip are selecting for resilience to parasitic worms in their stud flock. By combining Faecal Egg Counts (FECs) with lamb growth rates, they can decide which sheep are struggling to cope with a worm burden and which ones are growing at an acceptable rate despite having worms. Sheep with a high FEC and good growth rate are resilient to worms and therefore require fewer treatments. This reduces anthelmintic use and creates a healthier, more efficient flock.

Matt and Pip’s vet, Tim Bebbington of Castle Veterinary Group, gave an overview of the Sustainable Control of Parasites in Sheep (SCOPS) principles. These focus on targeting anthelmintic use to stock who need treatment, rather than blanket dosing all of them. Wormer should be applied at the correct dose for the weight of the animal and following a FEC to determine the type of parasite. This not only saves money on worm treatments but preserves the effectiveness of anthelmintics, so they can continue to treat parasite problems as they arise. 

To tie the event together, entomologist Sally-Ann Spence of the Oxford Natural History Museum gave a fascinating talk on dung beetles and led a dung beetle hunt. The UK has many dung beetle species, with 50% of them under threat of extinction. Dung beetles play a crucial role in the farm ecosystem by starting the dung decomposition process. The rapid decomposition they trigger can remove habitat for gutworms, helping to reduce parasite burdens. Dung beetles can burrow up to a metre into the ground (where soil depth allows), aerating the soil and improving drainage. By incorporating organic matter into the soil, dung beetles can improve its fertility and trap carbon. Dung beetles will only colonise fresh dung, not farmyard manure or slurry, so it is important to have some stock out all year round if possible. 

This event was made possible with thanks to the National Lottery Community Fund who fund the Farm Net Zero project.

Erth Barton Summer Tour

Posted on June 29, 2022 by - Farm Net Zero

A Farm Net Zero event held at Erth Barton Demonstration Farm

A large group of farmers met at Erth Barton to see the progress that Farm Net Zero Demonstration Farmer Tim Williams has made since the launch event in October 2021. The main topics of the farm walk were the adaptive multi-paddock grazing system and the pasture cropping arable. This event was made possible with thanks to the National Lottery Community Fund who fund the Farm Net Zero project.

The first stop on the tour was to see the adaptive multi-paddock grazing in action. Tim is grazing 150 dairy beef cattle, moving them three times a day in paddocks of half a hectare, these cattle are currently growing at 1-1.5kg a day from pasture alone. The pasture is a highly diverse herbal ley, allowed to grow long. The frequency of movement and paddock size are responsive to the rate of grass growth, hence the name “adaptive multi-paddock grazing”. Tim’s main aim is to rejuvenate the soil by adding organic matter from trampled plants and cattle dung.

Next, we looked at the pasture cropping trial. Pasture cropping is a system of direct drilling cereals into an existing grass or herbal ley after grazing the ley very tight to reduce competition. The aim is to minimise soil disturbance and to reduce inputs as the perennial understorey will fix nitrogen for the cereal crop. The initial trial at Erth Barton involved drilling a 20-variety population wheat into the diverse herbal ley mix. The idea here is that the variety that can make it to a point of yielding grain is the one most suited to the farm’s environment and is therefore the variety to proceed with. Tim explained that this first trial hadn’t been very successful because the herbal ley grew all through winter and is vigorously competing with the wheat. Another trial is planned where the wheat will be drilled into a mix of lower-growing clovers. 

Key takeaways:

  • Pasture cropping can protect soil carbon and reduce emissions from crop inputs
  • Adaptive multi-paddock grazing adds organic matter to the soil, making it more resilient

Why is this topic important for farmers? 

Tim’s system is centred around building soil health and reducing inputs. By increasing soil organic matter, carbon can be captured from the atmosphere and stored in the soil. Soils rich in organic matter are more resilient to climatic extremes and retain nutrients well, benefitting the growing crop. The direct drilling of cereal into an existing ley protects stored carbon from disturbance and the growing ley can provide nitrogen to the cereal crop. This eliminates the need for fertiliser, with a corresponding reduction in carbon emissions.

Useful resources:

Learn more about Tim Williams and Erth Barton: https://farmcarbontoolkit.org.uk/demo-farm/erth-barton/ 

Let’s Talk About Grass

Posted on April 29, 2022 by - Farm Net Zero, News

A Farm Net Zero event held at Ben Thomas’s monitor farm in Warleggan.

With fertiliser and feed rising in cost, many farmers are looking at how to grow grass and livestock with fewer inputs. A group of farmers gathered at one of the Farm Net Zero (FNZ) Monitor Farms to learn about rotational/mob-grazing from farmer Ben Thomas, and grazing consultant James Daniel of Precision Grazing Ltd. Ben Thomas farms 100 acres of species-rich permanent pasture in Warleggan, with 20 Belted Galloway finishing cattle moved daily in ⅓-acre plots. Winter stocking rate limits livestock numbers but Ben aims to reach 60-80 cattle. The landowner’s main aims are biodiversity, carbon sequestration and sustainable food production, and the rotational grazing system Ben employs allows for this, as well as fitting around Ben’s off-farm work as a farm manager. 

James Daniel provided an introduction to rotational grazing, including how to get started. James proposed that the main limiting factor to grassland productivity is infrastructure (fencing and water) and suggested that if farmers are planning to cut their fertiliser use, they would see the benefit of using some of their fertiliser budget on investing in infrastructure. James explained that the main principle of rotational grazing is not to graze recent re-growth; the roots on overgrazed plants will die off, reducing the speed of recovery and making pasture more susceptible to drought. Grazing should be at a speed that maintains vegetative growth, leaving leaf on the plants to maximise photosynthesis and subsequent re-growth. 

Key takeaways:

  • Invest in infrastructure and start by splitting larger fields.
  • “Wasted” grass can protect soil, regrow faster and potentially extend the grazing season
  • Focusing on production from grass can reduce emissions from fuel, fertiliser and bought-in feed and improve soil carbon sequestration

Adopting rotational grazing can grow high-quality feed with fewer bought-in inputs. Fertiliser (and fuel to spread it) is a major contributor to a farm’s carbon footprint. If enough grass can be produced with less of these inputs then the farm will be closer to achieving Net Zero, as well as saving money. James referenced an Agri-Tech Cornwall funded study at Rothamsted Research North Wyke that found that rotational grazing increased the rate of soil organic matter (SOM) accumulation. If this is translated into soil carbon, then rotational grazing can help to capture carbon to offset the farm’s emissions. The same study also suggested that rotationally grazed plots had a lower weed burden, higher rates of available phosphorus and potassium and produced a higher liveweight gain per hectare than set-stocking. This suggests that rotational grazing can improve profitability by increasing production per unit of land and by keeping the soil and pasture in good condition.

Useful resources:

More information on Precision Grazing Ltd can be found here: https://precisiongrazing.com/ 

Preliminary results from the Agri-Tech Cornwall funded Cell Grazing research at Rothamsted Research North Wyke are available in a webinar here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hvu5Oj6ieYU 

What next?

Ben’s fields will be soil sampled and his farming operation carbon footprinted until the Farm Net Zero project ends in 2025. This monitoring will provide valuable information on the impact of rotational grazing both on soil carbon and the overall carbon footprint of the farm.

This event was made possible with thanks to the National Lottery Community Fund who fund the Farm Net Zero project.

Conservation Grazing – the balance between profitability and ecology

Posted on July 20, 2022 by - Farm Net Zero, News

A Farm Net Zero event held in July 2022 at Campbell Hill.

Conservation grazing is a valuable tool for improving biodiversity in a variety of habitats. Farm Net Zero Monitor Farmer, Campbell Hill, has about 70 acres of clifftop grazing land on the edge of Looe as part of his tenancy. Here, he grazes Highland, Galloway and Whitebred Shorthorn suckler cattle. Calves produced from this enterprise are achieving a daily liveweight gain of 0.65-0.7kg/day and are then finished on the better grazing and silage of the main holding. A group of farmers and environmental advisors joined Campbell to discuss the options for effective management of the site. This event was made possible with thanks to the National Lottery Community Fund who fund the Farm Net Zero project.

Gerald Babcock, a farmer from West Penwith whose Whitebred Shorthorn cattle conservation graze 1500 acres for Cornwall Wildlife Trust and the National Trust, gave an insight into how his business works by making use of environmental payments. There are several conservation grazing options within Countryside Stewardship that Gerald makes use of, the main two are the Lowland Heath Management (£335/hectare) and Pedigree Native Breeds at Risk (£142/hectare) payments. 

Mike Ingram from the Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group explained that the way cattle graze produces a mosaic of habitats that supports flowering plants and provides refuge for insect life which in turn feeds birds and the wider food-web. Grazing also prevents the total encroachment of bracken, gorse and other scrub species; although these have a significant biodiversity value, a variety of habitats is best for a greater range of wildlife.

Key takeaways:

  • Native suckler cattle on conservation grazing can produce a valuable calf cost-effectively
  • Grazing is a useful tool for producing a variety of habitats, boosting biodiversity.

With changes to agricultural subsidy including a shift towards more environmental payments, there is the potential for conservation grazing to become a useful part of farm businesses. By providing farmers with a viable business option, conservation grazing protects important habitats which benefit wildlife but can also act as a carbon sink in plant biomass and soil carbon storage.

Risky Crops – Field Vegetables in Rotation – Best Practices for Soil Health

Posted on March 29, 2022 by - Farm Net Zero, News

A FNZ event held in March at Andrew Brewers FNZ demo farm Ennis Barton.

Farmers, growers and advisors met at Demo Farm Ennis Barton near Fraddon to learn how Andrew has integrated vegetable production with his grass-based dairy. Depending on grass production, after six years, fields are rented out to Riviera Produce for cabbages. These are established using a strip-till machine to minimise soil disturbance. Following harvest, any leftover cabbages are grazed by Andrew’s youngstock, before going into spring barley or a grass ley. Andrew is particularly keen on grazing the vegetable residue, as it makes the material “more palatable to the underground livestock” and provides valuable grazing. We also heard from James Wimpress of the Environment Agency, on how to reduce the risk of soil loss from vegetable fields – an important consideration as soil erosion releases carbon as well as removing a valuable asset. Jan Dinsdale from Cornwall Wildlife Trust spoke about the Environmental Land Management Scheme (ELMS) Test and Trial. This event was made possible with thanks to the National Lottery Community Fund who fund the Farm Net Zero project.

Key takeaways:

  • Fields for vegetable production should be selected carefully – flattish, with minimal erosion risk.  
  • ELMS is more targeted than previous subsidies but can cover some costs for important soil tests.
  • Integrating livestock and vegetables can reduce bought-in feed requirements.

Growing field vegetables can be an important income stream and break crop, as well as contributing to the nation’s self-sufficiency. However, they can also damage the soil if not grown sensitively. Methods of growing field vegetables in a rotation with grass and cover crops can help to mitigate any soil erosion and improve the rate of soil health recovery and soil carbon capture.

What next?

Andrew’s vegetable fields will now go into either spring barley, grass leys or cover crops and will be assessed to determine which option can restore soil health and capture carbon the fastest. An earlier FNZ cover crop trial on Andrew’s farm, plus Blable (Demo Farm) and Tregooden (Monitor Farm), showed encouraging results for diverse cover crops and their impact on soil health. The trial results can be seen here. 

New videos introducing our Farm Net Zero Demo Farmers

Posted on May 4, 2022 by - Farm Net Zero

Our Farm Net Zero project in Cornwall includes three demonstration farms that act as hubs for training and inspiration for other farmers. Over the last few months we’ve hosted a range of events on these farms and are pleased to share these videos introducing our demo farmers:

Erth Barton Farm

At 300 acres, Erth Barton Farm has been a conventional arable farm for the past four decades, producing root crops, bulbs and cereals. As part of the wider Antony Estate in Cornwall, the farm will transition over the next five years into a healthy, biodiverse, fully functioning natural input farm with a key focus on soil health and the building of soil organic matter. Read more about Erth Barton here.

Blable Farm, Cornwall

Mike Roberts, his wife Alison and their son Sam manage a mix of beef and arable at Blable Farm near Wadebridge. They have 500 acres of grass, arable, scrub and wood with a herd of 150 stabiliser x and pedigree stabiliser suckler cows. This year with more of the arable ground seeded to herbal leys they hope to finish all of their growing cattle on the farm. Read more about Blable Farm here.

Ennis Barton Farm

Andrew Brewer farms 1,000 acres at Ennis Barton, Fraddon. He is a pasture-based dairy farmer and owns 500 Jersey cross cows. He finishes his beef calves on the grass system and also lets out some land for the production of potatoes and cabbages. Read more about Ennis Barton here.

Farm Net Zero project to deliver over £1 million of support to farmers in Cornwall

Posted on August 22, 2020 by - Farm Net Zero, News

Duchy College, part of The Cornwall College Group (TCCG), has been awarded almost £1.3 million from The National Lottery Community Fund to run The Farm Net Zero project, which aims to help the farming community move towards net-zero carbon emissions.

The project which is running for the next 5 years, aims to help the farming community in East Cornwall to move towards net zero carbon emissions. There will be opportunities for farmers to access bespoke carbon footprinting, soil carbon testing and support networks which target practical actions that can be taken on farm to reduce emissions and improve sequestration.

Activities will include the setting up of net zero demonstration farms which will showcase practical actions that can be taken and the impact of management changes on emissions, farm profitability and natural assets. There will be opportunities for farmers to learn more about the sources of emissions on farms and the ways that they can be reduced as well as understanding how soil health is pivotal not just to resilient farming systems but to delivering climate change solutions for society.

Becky Willson project manager for Farm Carbon Toolkit explains:

“We are thrilled to have been given the opportunity to build on our existing work with farmers. This funding allows FCT to support communities of farmers within Cornwall to understand the key issues concerning climate change and agriculture, and develop farming systems that are fit for the future.

“Agriculture has a major role to plan in achieving our net zero targets, as well as being in the unique position of providing a climate solution. Involving farmers in the discussions and empowering them to rise to the challenge through enhancing knowledge and opportunities will enable real change.  Reducing emissions and improving sequestration on-farm requires skills development, measuring, monitoring and working together, all things we are able to do within this project.  This project will allow us to engage with a wide range of communities and share best practice and knowledge from other sectors.”

“This is a fantastic opportunity for Cornwall to be at the forefront of developing net zero farming systems and we can’t wait to get started.”

The project is a partnership between Duchy College Rural Business School, The Farm Carbon Toolkit, The Soil Association, Westcountry Rivers Trust, and Innovation for Agriculture.  The project will involve working with farmers and the wider communities across East Cornwall to pioneer new approaches to low carbon food production.

To find out more about the fund please visit www.TNLCommunityFund.org.uk