Part of our 2024 SFOTY farm walks series
The runner-up in this year’s Soil Farmer of the Year competition is Ed Horton. Ed’s business encompasses a diverse mixed system across a range of soil types and geographies, where reducing overheads has been central to profitability.
Sustainability on the farm has been shaped by agroecological principles, blending conventional and innovative approaches to create resilience in harmony with nature. Ed has created a system focused on profit rather than yield, integrating the livestock systems into the arable and working with local buyers to create direct supply chains with specialist crops. With a move to more spring cropping to meet market demand, the grazing of arable crops has become a key component of this system. Livestock provides huge benefits for soil management, through increased cover cropping and also through reducing the requirement for inputs such as herbicides, insecticides and fungicides as winter material is grazed leaving crops healthier in the spring.
The farm walk will begin at 9:30 and will provide an opportunity to further hear and see how Ed’s management strategy has benefitted his business, leading him to be awarded Second Place in this year’s SFOTY competition
This event will take place outside, please wear suitable clothing and footwear. Light refreshments will be provided.
To book:
To book your free place on this walk please head to the Eventbrite page here and reserve a spot!
Ben Richards (3rd place, left), Ed Horton (runner up, centre), Tracy Russell & David Newman (winners, right) at the announcement of the SFOTY competition winners at Groundswell Agriculture 2024.
Other SFOTY farm walks:
Keep an eye out for news of Tracy & David’s, and Ben’s farm walks on our events page here.
