A Just Transition in Agriculture: Regenerative Agriculture, Wexcombe Farm, Wiltshire, UK.
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- Опубліковано 8 гру 2020
- An interview with George Hosier of Wexcombe Farm in Wiltshire about the changes he has made to his farming practices to improve soil fertility, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increase biodiversity while reducing his costs.
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An excellent video, very informative. I look forward to learning more on this subject. Really good to see farming aiming to work with nature. Thanks
You have taken a brave step to give hope in a hopeless world. Thank you!
well done for all the hard work to improve the soil conditions and great to know about plans to plant trees and hedges! would be awesome to have an update after two years on further progress.
It is great you can compare with the past. Thank you for making the necessary transition!
So exciting to see all these positive changes. I hope this becomes the norm minus herbicides.
Knowing how it ruins people's guts & causes autoimmune diseases & cancer. I am looking forward to day when glypshosate will be history too, I believe that our farmers will get there & we need to support them. Thank you.
Glyphosate is one of the most user friendly chemicals out there ! Its the " user " thats the problem ! Ive use Glyphosates since they were introduced in 1974. Nothing but good luck and very useful ! Im age 65 now. And no.....Im very healthy......use no drugs and run 10 miles per day ( 45 min. ) So......those who suggest Glyphosates are not healthy to use ....is just totally false !!!
@@jerrylansbury9558 Yeah, but the overall thing is that the gentleman in the video now has all sorts of - very good - reasons to not need (!) those chemicals anymore or less and less (which treated mostly symptoms anyway). In contrast, it's crazy how modern agriculture became more and more dependent (!) on glyphosate and fertilizer etc etc...
It is so boring to sing this song of glyphosate good/ bad...
@@TheCommono Glyphosates are only tool used by farmers. Ever since a herbicide was developed farmers have become dependent on those. Not just Glyphosates. Unless farmers go back to hand or tractor cultivation this will continue. Symptoms.... If a field is covered with trees.......brush......etc and they can be treated and made rid of using Glyphosates they become a very important tool to rid them ! Other then a chain saw...and they will grow back ! There is a reason food is so cheap now days.
@@jerrylansbury9558 Hm, wouldn't say it's a good thing to become dependent on a product - especially not in the case of farmers who struggle with their income constantly.
The traditional farming system creates (!!) its own problems - weeds. That's what I meant with symptoms. And not only weeds, but resistant weeds, therefore glyphosate was such a success on the market, too! There are 'regenerative' no-till farmers like Gabe Brown who do not use glyphosate on a regular basis - because in his case it is not as systematically necessary anymore (if at all) as in conventional farming. It's just another tool in the toolbox, nothing that deserves to be defended or demonzied.
@@TheCommono I dont think most farmers become dependent on anyone herbicide...... chemical. It is however a tool ! Farmers whom have financial issues is their doing. They fail to realize economics and saving money. Im both....traditional and somewhat on the organic side. But that being said there is no such thing as " organic". Farmers find ways around the so called organic requirements. One such way is feeding GMO cornstalks. They buy them as bedding and feed them. No one would ever know. This is one simple way around organics. Id never go there ! Its corrupt !
Excellent explanation of the numerous benefits of a better way to farm!
in the US on regenerative agriculture run farms they use daikon radish with clover as a nitrogen absorber which then is released when they rot away and they have deep tap roots that pierce deep into the soil
Welcome home to Mom Nature's way. Let go of the glyphosate you don't need it look how far you have come. Bravo. Sir, Bravo! I am a retired organic farmer. Every time I made a move toward fully organic farming there was always a benefit I had not expected or counted on. I hope you find this true for you. Makes it even more fun.
See UA-cam videos by Greg Judy of Missouri, USA. He has not used any weed control for many years. He lets his cows and sheep take care of it.
Gabe Brown has also been using Holistic/regenerative crop production for over 20 years -ua-cam.com/video/9yPjoh9YJMk/v-deo.html
Tbf, Greg doesn't do crops.
Gabe does though, without any herbicides afaik (though he might have gone through a transition phase where he was using herbicide as well, before he figured out how to do without)
@@priestesslucy3299 Gabe has had to spray some invasive species at the demand of the county, but it has been a tiny amount of acreage with minimal application.
@@priestesslucy3299 Greg also uses sheep/goats because they prefer the weeds and young trees over most of the grasses. He also did some high dense grazing when he started to concentrate the pee n poo to a smaller area. The Free Choice Mineral Feeder will never not be in with his heards either.
At 15:30 he hits the nail on the head. People don't think about the Second Order and Third Order effects of decisions they make, but those decisions can ripple out in huge ways that devastate the culture. In 1940 they were employing 30 people on the farm.... but they were employing 300 or 3000 in the surrounding culture. When they "simplified", they destroyed the surrounding town because all of those other people were now unemployed. And it causes something of a snowball effect, more people leaving to find work meant that the farm had no choice but to mechanize more. The more people left, the more machines were necessary, but the more mechanization that was brought in meant more people had to leave to find work elsewhere. In short, you create a Vicious Circle that spirals downwards and soon is out of control.
The Gentleman talks about planting hedge rows in the near future, and that's a good thing, but it's evidence of exactly how the decisions of the Past had a negative impact on the Now. Hedgerows used to be commonplace, and there was a huge cottage industry of people who tended the hedgerows, planted new ones, and revitalized old ones. On top of that, there was a nationwide industry of people who used the hedgerows for their natural resources, the wood becoming a heat source to warm the houses and material to make baskets and hurdles and tool handles.
Unfortunately, people forgot about that as they were talked into making their fences out of barbed wire. They were told barbed wire was easier and faster, and quick to repair when needed. They were told how much cheaper it was to install a barbed-wire fence than to try growing a hedgerow from scratch. And there was a lot of truth to that.
What they didn't understand, though, was how that one little thing would have Second Order and Third Order effects that severely undermined the local culture and put hundreds of people out of work. And now, when you go through the land, there's hardly a hedge-layer to be found and most of the old hedgerows are in horrible condition because the hedge-layers have long since been driven out of the area. They had to search for work somewhere, and their kids were never taught the skills.
Lo and Behold, now we're talking about how the hedgerows provide tremendous benefits that weren't understood back in the 40's and 50's. Now we talk about how the hedgerows are shelter from the wind and build up the soil, stop erosion, control water flow, and bring in wildlife that's tremendously beneficial to the farms. Great, but wouldn't it have been better to have always had that?
This is what I call "Tending the Garden". Everyone can relate to the idea that you have to till the soil and pluck the weeds, but they don't often think about how you also have to build fences to keep out the unwanted. That garden will only feed so many, and while the bunnies and deer don't belong there because they'll just eat up everything and then those relying on the garden will have nothing to eat. The deer and rabbits might be cute... but you have to protect the garden if you want a bountiful harvest.
The gentleman talks about selling to the local community, but that can only happen if the local community buys from them. And that requires a shift in thinking that most people just aren't willing to do. It requires paying good money when the stuff from the big box store is cheaper. It requires local pride and a sense of local culture.
We used to have that but the ideas were undermined by those with nefarious intent, imo. And, to be fair, the average person on the street is all too happy to go along with it because they can save a Shilling here and there. They don't think about the Second Order and Third Order effects. Just as they didn't think about what it would mean when they stopped tending their hedgerows in years past, the people today don't think about most anything other than will they save money this week.
We need to work on that. Tradition and Culture are what define us whether we like it or not. When we surrender something that we know worked because someone promises us that newer must be better, we need to think long and hard about how that can ripple out.
Loving this .
I top immediately after grassing and I spot spray the docks .
It's a bit of work but docks are well reduced and you might think it has been over seeded with white clover .
Thank you for sharing what you are doing with your grazing operation. So grateful you are working/making an effort to be aligned with nature. Beautifully done! Keep up the great work! 🙏😊
What you're doing is so necessary and may you be blessed for this.
Really interesting, I know nothing about agriculture, but it goes to show we can grow in a more sustainable way. Love to learn more!
Thank you for the info I’ll have to implement some of your methods 👍
Good business sense - the profits and margins are what will sustain the farm, not the gross yields. The investment in the soil is paying off - less work, less costs, a partnership with mother earth.
You are one of a growing number who have rethought your land management approach. Good on you sir, this video is a testimony of successful animal and land husbandry. Greg Judy is a man you should follow here in the United States, he is doing things you are doing and would be a great resource for you.
Brilliant informative video thank you for sharing your valuable experience 👍👍👍👍👍
Well done on the video was a very good informative video thanks
This is terrific news. I wonder how quickly this approach can become general. No sign of anything here in the Chilterns as the soil merrily flows down our roads and blocks the drains whenever there is heavy rain. We’re soon going to be importing all that Australian beef and lamb that’s been chewing its unrestricted way to desertification too…
Add seaweed to your herbicide application, can act as a buffering agent, plus many more positive functions.
Good jee video
Wow, thank you. George, you are a farmer that is leading by example. Do you have to bring the cows in over winter? We have a market garden and are reliant on well rotted muck as well as council green waste to feed our soil.
This is really interesting thank you. This is nowhere near my area of study but it does seem a little like denial in regards to the beef/bull/livestock impact. Still better than other types of farming I guess, but just plant-based/very low meat consumption and production is the only way forward in the climate emergency. thanks again for this video I love this system. We have a lot of work to do to start to unravel the impact of industrialised overconsumption
Have you changed your livestock desireable traits as well? Are you selecting for larger gut, better performance on grass only, smaller frame cow/bull, etc?
Brilliant
What is the one occasion in the year that you need glyphosate for?
LOVE THIS VIDEO 📹❤😍💕 !!!! WE NEED ANIMALS ON ARABLE !!!!
Love mob grassing
Wonderful changes. Could you roller crimp rather than using herbicides?
Somebody tag Jeremy Clarkson
have you considered a roller crimper in place of tilling or herbicides?
A permaculture farm 👍🏼
Almost. He still has to get off the herbicide but it's a work in progress
when you used the term " corn " did you mean MAIZE? or WHEAT? great video thank you
Corn in the UK is wheat or barley.
Seems like your cattle are pretty big with rather long legs. You might want to breed them down to a smaller size using smaller bulls to gradually change their genetics. Smaller cattle don't tear up your pastures in heavy rains, and while you're at it, you can breed for cattle that do well on grass. Apparently, some cattle these days are so used to grain they won't thrive on just grass. Strange, I know. Thank you for sharing what you're doing. It all looks excellent! I was in the UK a few years ago. It's a beautiful country, and you're making it even more beautiful!
Great but glyposate is very bad for people's health. Hope you can figure out how to get rid of that too.
@@brianevolved2849 God yes. :)
Not all areas have prolonged wet periods. Therefore any type of cattle can graze. Cattle are natural grazers .....they dont need grain. Ive fattened cattle both ways.......grass and grain. Depends which works for each farmer
@@jerrylansbury9558 The thing is, cattle aren't supposed to eat grain, so anytime you can let them graze for their entire lives, you'll have tastier and more nutritious meat as a result. I have compared. It's amazing how much more meaty grass-fed beef is. :)
@@wendyscott8425 I wont disagree...... Milked cows for 45 years....... they seldom ate grain unless the pastures were poor quality. If the quality of the pasture was good......they produced much more milk ! But relating to stock cows. Almost all farmers try to feed the stock cows junk for pasture. Manure contaminated and over mature. Anytime grass is over 6 inches tall its over mature ! But...... farmers see stock cows as " junk food " eaters. Then of course they will eat grain. Not many people would sit down to eat at the table with a turd beside their plate. But expect a cow to do just that. Rather sad ! And it depends on what each person prefers... I like grain fed beef. Not saying either is better. Just depends on each person.
Some of these dung beetles could be a healthier soil worm population.
Great but glyposate is very bad for people's health. Hope you can figure out how to get rid of that too.
You're correct, but you really shouldn't spam it lol.
One reminder from any given viewer is enough 😋
Sorry if you used goats that could eat the weeds wouldn't that be better than a herbicide or is that not possible
Great but glyposate is very bad for people's health. Hope you can figure out how to get rid of that too.
@@brianevolved2849 that's literally what the poster said lol. They were proposing an alternative
Could you not have some chickens following the cows?
He says in the video that is exactly what he plans to do...
@@wandaacat way to go. Having said that... I wonder now if chickens wouldn't be a threat to dung beetles?
@@billykirk9969 if you give enough time lapse between the cattle and the chickens, the dung beetles will mostly be done with their work and a comparatively small portion of them will get eaten.
Now, the question becomes: would grazing the chickens through pasture a week after the cattle hit the recovering pasture and knock it back? Or does their deposit help make up for that, since they aren't primary grass eaters and they only nibble here and there.
All very well and well done George. But regenerative agriculture is not the most pressing issue in British farming. Neither is it the solution to the future of farming. The underlying reason why farmers departed from traditional methods and ideas in the first place is only partly to do with mechanisation but mostly driven by the economics of selling the food they produce. Farming cannot survive in the UK without a fundamental restructure of food economics where farmers get a guaranteed share of the retail price and that price reflects the true cost of production. Just like any other commodity. The dominant supermarket chains and their customers need to be less driven by price and focus on provenance and food miles - how far has produce travelled. The often enormous carbon cost of transporatation must be reflected in retail price thereby favouring locally produced food. British farmers are desperately struggling to survive. A simple example. This year's new season lambs are the more or less the same price at market per kg as they were pre-Covid, pre-cost of living crisis, pre energy crisis, pre inflation. No other essential commodity has remained static in price and effectively devalued over the last five years. Farming in UK is uneconomic. This is the stark reality which the UK population appear unaware of, no politician mentions, and no one makes videos for UA-cam on the subject. It's estimated that the UK's total food waste could feed upwards of 30 million people a year.
so you are effectively replanting the hedges that were ripped out 40 years ago However well done better late than never
Great but glyposate is very bad for people's health. Hope you can figure out how to get rid of that too.
Great but glyposate is very bad for people's health. Hope you can figure out how to get rid of that too.
Great but glyposate is very bad for people's health. Hope you can figure out how to get rid of that too.