Agricology Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

This episode features our visit to Three Hagges where we were shown around by Woodmeadow officer Dan Carne & one of the founders Ros Forbes Adam. They talk about what a woodmeadow is, potential relevance to farmers, layout of the site, how it was created & is now managed, tips for farmers interested in putting some land over to a combination of woodland & meadow, & thoughts about wider scale adoption of woodmeadows & agroforestry. It is produced as part of 'A National Network of Agroforestry Farms' project.

View accompanying notes & site photographs here.

Organic livestock farmers Bill & Cath Grayson run the Morecambe Bay Conservation Grazing Company. They practice conservation grazing on semi-natural habitats of woodland & limestone grassland scrub which can be described in agroforestry terms as wood pasture. Our editor talks to them about what they do, how they came to do it, benefits & challenges they’ve encountered & thoughts on wider scale adoption of agroforestry. The episode is produced as part of 'A National Network of Agroforestry Farms' project. 

View the farmer profile for Bill & Cath Grayson here.

In this latest podcast we are ‘In the field’ with Julian Gold, farm manager of 800 ha of combinable crops at Hendred Estate in Oxfordshire. He introduces the farm & talks about experiences & aspirations of transitioning to farming in a way that is less harmful to the environment & biodiversity. He describes his soil health & carbon capture strategy, biological methods of pest control trials he is running, & his drive to reduce nitrogen use. You can view the full farmer profile on the Agricology website.

In this episode we explore the science and practice of biofumigation - the use of a temporary brassica (mustard) cover crop to help manage soil pathogens and weeds. Katie Bliss introduces footage from a webinar which features researcher Dr Matthew Back (Harper Adams University) and Alec Roberts (Tozer Seeds) in a lively discussion with a group of growers innovating with enhancing diversity in protected cropping as part of the DiverIMPACTS project.

Mike Mallett is farm manager of Maple Farm Kelsale, a 138-hectare organic farm in Suffolk which is mostly arable with some permanent pasture, woodland, horticulture & laying hens. He talks about regenerative agriculture, beneficial weeds, intercropping, the extensive agroforestry on the farm & providing for the hens’ health & welfare, with some fascinating insights; from breed selection to innovations in feed supply & his involvement in OK-Net Ecofeed. View the full farmer profile on the Agricology website.

In this episode we hear from organic mixed min till farmer John Pawsey & arable conservation ag no-till farmer Clive Bailye in featured footage from an online event ‘Know your soils and know your sales’ that took place in July 2020 as part of OF&G’s NOCC, with support from the AHDB. Renowned broadcaster Charlotte Smith leads the conversation which focuses on their approaches & practices they deploy that equip their farming businesses with resilience in light of the many environmental & economic challenges.

Richard farms beef cattle & cereals biodynamically at Yatesbury House Farm in Wiltshire UK. In this episode we talk to him about his involvement in the Farm System Health project; which brought together international farmers who have established personal philosophies & strategies of best practice that make them successful in running healthy farms & producing healthy food. Richard reflects on exploring health principles with the farmers & how these principles are embedded in his farming practices & approach.

Iain Tolhurst runs one of the longest running stock-free organic vegetable farms in England. In this episode we talk to him about his involvement in the Farm System Health project - which brought together international farmers who have established personal philosophies & strategies of best practice that make them successful in running healthy farms & producing healthy food. We ask him what farm system health means to him & how he relates his practices to the 10 principles of health defined in the project. 

Wendy Seel runs “organic, grown with nature, small scale & local” Vital Veg at North Tillydaff farm near Aberdeen. She describes the design of their growing system, ways in which they build soil fertility, attract pollinators & pest predators, increase biodiversity, & get as much diversity & variation in time, space & variety as they can. She particularly focuses on the way in which trees have been integrated & the many beneficial functions they serve. View the full farmer profile on the Agricology website.