Groundswell Show 2022

steveR

Member
Mixed Farmer
Or overnight train (if the rail strike is over by then) :ROFLMAO:
Tres civilised, but sooo expensive.

Daughter One was working in Scotland (near Inverness) last year and really wanted to go up by train from London. Her HR dept said No. It was 4 times the cost of flying...

Herself went up to stay, and again, fancied training it. Jaw dropping expensive so it was Loganair again... :(
 

martian

DD Moderator
BASE UK Member
Location
N Herts
Many thanks for kind comments and thanks for coming. Also thanks for constructive criticism, I agree our vetting process was a bit lax in regard to some exhibitors and that there were a few other irritating things we got wrong. I also feel that we gave too much attention to policy stuff, but we're open to suggestions. The core of the event is you lot, so what you think matters. Let rip!
 

Samcowman

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Cornwall
Many thanks for kind comments and thanks for coming. Also thanks for constructive criticism, I agree our vetting process was a bit lax in regard to some exhibitors and that there were a few other irritating things we got wrong. I also feel that we gave too much attention to policy stuff, but we're open to suggestions. The core of the event is you lot, so what you think matters. Let rip!
I think some of the policy stuff is important especially when you have a farmer (Ian) on stage with the politicians who is happy giving their opinion, no point having a bunch of nodding heads on stage.
having a pasture walk with Greg Judy was good. I loved your answer to the question front when guy that was wondering how much grass was there with the reply coming ‘enough’ 🤣🤣🤣.
we need more john Cherry in conversation.
 

steveR

Member
Mixed Farmer
Many thanks for kind comments and thanks for coming. Also thanks for constructive criticism, I agree our vetting process was a bit lax in regard to some exhibitors and that there were a few other irritating things we got wrong. I also feel that we gave too much attention to policy stuff, but we're open to suggestions. The core of the event is you lot, so what you think matters. Let rip!
To add to my waffle further back...

IKWYM about the policy/political aspects, but it is so integral with the way farming is changing and pretty well unavoidable... Good well Chaired debate is worth seeing and hearing, as was evidenced by the large audiences in the Big Top (but open the sides up next time please) and good questions from the floor.

I tend to avoid the snake oil stands, and from the lack of punters at many, so did most attendees? But will admit to being sucked in to a long and fascinating chat on the Hemp stand! :)

Great to have so many loos and standpipes all over the place. Best event anywhere that I know, from this aspect.

My only whinge. The Earthworms and eating area is the hub around the whole event come 7pm, but we need to be able to chat and rattle and not be deafened... please. Quiet zone, but no idea how it could work?? I chuckled at the suggestion I overheard on Thurday morning, that the Disco should be on the Demo area..! ;)

Yours etc

Grumpy old git.......
 
Many thanks for kind comments and thanks for coming. Also thanks for constructive criticism, I agree our vetting process was a bit lax in regard to some exhibitors and that there were a few other irritating things we got wrong. I also feel that we gave too much attention to policy stuff, but we're open to suggestions. The core of the event is you lot, so what you think matters. Let rip!

I don't think you had too much policy stuff, it bores the hell out of me but some people such as the press and people who look to politics to guide them get a lot out of it so I actually think the policy stuff is very important from a promotional point of view. So keep that side of things up I say, those who are interested can attend and for those who aren't there is plenty of other stuff. Besides you have no idea what policy may lead to where in the future so you need to keep a position as a place in which policy could be launched or feed back to.

I didn't have a problem with the exhibitors really. At the end of the day its horses for courses. There wasn't a lack of content in the speaking tents if you are prepared to look for it. I don't see how the exhibitors took that much away but probably feel the event is big enough.

I suppose the only area that feels a shame is that after the massive pee up on wednesday night some of thursday morning can feel a little bit unloved. I went to a great talk at 9am with Seth Itzkan on thursday but he should have had a bigger audience because he was a great speaker and I went to another one later on with a small audience due to a bit of lethargy. I don't think you can or should change that at all.

I saw on twitter someone said the drill area was full of blackgrass and oats as a negative - I didn't really see it mattered. Some also felt that there was a lack of technical no till knowledge but then as others have said Dwayne had a small audience once or twice and Jussi Knappi had a technical no till talk and that also had a small audience - so you can't win sometimes!

I'm glad you got Monbiot. I think he's a bit one trick on agriculture to be honest.
 

onesiedale

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Derbyshire
Many thanks for kind comments and thanks for coming. Also thanks for constructive criticism, I agree our vetting process was a bit lax in regard to some exhibitors and that there were a few other irritating things we got wrong. I also feel that we gave too much attention to policy stuff, but we're open to suggestions. The core of the event is you lot, so what you think matters. Let rip!
Don't beat yourself up about the policy stuff. after-all, it is all topical and very relevant currently.

However, the comments I heard discussed after the Conservative Environment Network (CEN) discussion about Blended finance was that the MPs on the panel (including Eustace himself) were weak on knowledge of the subject
This actually had the potential to open up a fantastic discussion,but fell short because there was nobody for Ian Davies to debate with.
It was a shame because with Dimbleby chairing and Eustace on the panel it could have been headline news. Maybe the CEN should be challenged more if they propose future debates.
 

Samcowman

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Cornwall
I don't think you had too much policy stuff, it bores the hell out of me but some people such as the press and people who look to politics to guide them get a lot out of it so I actually think the policy stuff is very important from a promotional point of view. So keep that side of things up I say, those who are interested can attend and for those who aren't there is plenty of other stuff. Besides you have no idea what policy may lead to where in the future so you need to keep a position as a place in which policy could be launched or feed back to.

I didn't have a problem with the exhibitors really. At the end of the day its horses for courses. There wasn't a lack of content in the speaking tents if you are prepared to look for it. I don't see how the exhibitors took that much away but probably feel the event is big enough.

I suppose the only area that feels a shame is that after the massive pee up on wednesday night some of thursday morning can feel a little bit unloved. I went to a great talk at 9am with Seth Itzkan on thursday but he should have had a bigger audience because he was a great speaker and I went to another one later on with a small audience due to a bit of lethargy. I don't think you can or should change that at all.

I saw on twitter someone said the drill area was full of blackgrass and oats as a negative - I didn't really see it mattered. Some also felt that there was a lack of technical no till knowledge but then as others have said Dwayne had a small audience once or twice and Jussi Knappi had a technical no till talk and that also had a small audience - so you can't win sometimes!

I'm glad you got Monbiot. I think he's a bit one trick on agriculture to be honest.
Seth Itzkan was good I’d agree there. It’s good to have someone like Monbiot there and have the opposite Point of view presented and at least make people think about it maybe slightly differently.
 

B'o'B

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Rutland
On the policy side, I came away thinking there was too much, and for me personally there was this year. I’m there for technical and practical knowledge.
But then I got to thinking of it in a less selfish way. Why shouldn’t it be an option for people to go to those talks? Why should people from NGOs, Quangos, Gov departments etc not get a platform at Groundswell? At least if they are there and feel welcome it gives farmers a good chance to meet them and talk to them directly. There is more than enough stuff going on at Groundswell to find quality information at any time of day.
The big problem I have with politicians speaking at these events is that they never actually say anything of substance no matter how long they talk for.
 

holwellcourtfarm

Member
Livestock Farmer
My fourth Groundswell and I thoroughly enjoyed it, thank you.

I did think that litter was more in evidence than before so maybe more bins round the site. :cry:

I liked the number of big banners around the site with the itinery for each venue on them. (y)

It was worth hearing Monbiot. The case he makes is spot on, it's his analysis and solutions that aren't. It's a shame he wasn't on a panel with speakers like Jayne Buxton, Diana Rogers or Seth Itzkan to force him to address these issues.

I managed to finally get some farming friends to attend after 3 years of trying and they found it utterly fascinating, opening their eyes. (y)

Our opening session discussing "Our regenerative journey" went way better than we thought it could with all of us being engaged further by people during the rest of the show to discuss our experience. There is clearly a need for more of that, maybe even in the big top, covering different areas of practice. Maybe a specific session to discuss failures and what was learnt? I suspect there'll be another pitch from the TFF GG next year ;)

It would have been fantastic to get 2 DEFRA policy wonks into a panel debate with 2 or 3 leading TFF contributors on the structure and content of SFI with a good audience Q&A session as well. Maybe next year will be the ideal time for that as we will have been running with it for a season then. That would bridge both policy and practice in 1 go and probably be very useful to the agricultural journalists there.

We had a good discussion between the group about the scale of the event. Should it continue to grow? Does that risk losing it's feel? My own view is that it's a clear risk.

Overall, an unmissable event and worth way more than the entry cost. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Please pass our appreciation on to all the team.
 

Humble Village Farmer

Member
BASE UK Member
Location
Essex
Seth Itzkan was good I’d agree there. It’s good to have someone like Monbiot there and have the opposite Point of view presented and at least make people think about it maybe slightly differently.
Not sure Monbiot was really holding an opposing view. A lot of his sentiments on food security and other looming disasters were echoed by other, more farmer friendly speakers elsewhere.
 
I've never had the chance to go yet but would be interested to hear peoples thoughts on growing root crops within a regen system in Perthshire.
I try to follow regen principles;
1) Keep soil covered as much as possible (does sowing wheat after spuds in november count?, any fields that we don't get into winter crop are either left as stubble, sown with a cover or if after spuds roughly cultivated across the slope and left)
2) Incorporate cover crops (my aim is that everything that is a spring crop gets something even if it is just rye broadcast and worked in)
3) Incorporate animals (I've started getting some covers grazed by a local sheep guy, but it's easier said than done, getting enough biomass to make it interesting for him with a september sowing date is the difficult bit)
4) grow a diverse range of crops (wheat, barley, rye, potatoes, carrots, does using legumes and radish etc in the cover crop count as diversity?)
5) Reduce soil disturbance( this is where the wheels fall of the wagon, with stoney soils separation is the only way and TBH because we have predominantly light soils we bed till very little, usual method is plough, deep cultivate, ridge, destone, plant). For cereals we plough and press then drill, this helps with weed control and burying ergot which is a big thing with rye.

To improve things I could;
Diversify crops by growing a legume for harvest (beans most likely but late harvest is a pain after we have spent the autumn at spuds)
Try sowing some vetch with rye this backend to provide some diversity and possibly some N, my idea is to not use an autumn herbicide and kill the vetch at the T1 timing maybe, would that work?
Direct drill some crops, this is a tricky one, the rotation doesn't lend itself to this really, I don't grow rape because of clubroot and oats don't seem to do well on the light land, we need straw for covering carrots but at least it means I'm keeping carbon and nutrients on the farm.

Any other thoughts.
 

Huno

Member
Arable Farmer
I've never had the chance to go yet but would be interested to hear peoples thoughts on growing root crops within a regen system in Perthshire.
I try to follow regen principles;
1) Keep soil covered as much as possible (does sowing wheat after spuds in november count?, any fields that we don't get into winter crop are either left as stubble, sown with a cover or if after spuds roughly cultivated across the slope and left)
2) Incorporate cover crops (my aim is that everything that is a spring crop gets something even if it is just rye broadcast and worked in)
3) Incorporate animals (I've started getting some covers grazed by a local sheep guy, but it's easier said than done, getting enough biomass to make it interesting for him with a september sowing date is the difficult bit)
4) grow a diverse range of crops (wheat, barley, rye, potatoes, carrots, does using legumes and radish etc in the cover crop count as diversity?)
5) Reduce soil disturbance( this is where the wheels fall of the wagon, with stoney soils separation is the only way and TBH because we have predominantly light soils we bed till very little, usual method is plough, deep cultivate, ridge, destone, plant). For cereals we plough and press then drill, this helps with weed control and burying ergot which is a big thing with rye.

To improve things I could;
Diversify crops by growing a legume for harvest (beans most likely but late harvest is a pain after we have spent the autumn at spuds)
Try sowing some vetch with rye this backend to provide some diversity and possibly some N, my idea is to not use an autumn herbicide and kill the vetch at the T1 timing maybe, would that work?
Direct drill some crops, this is a tricky one, the rotation doesn't lend itself to this really, I don't grow rape because of clubroot and oats don't seem to do well on the light land, we need straw for covering carrots but at least it means I'm keeping carbon and nutrients on the farm.

Any other thoughts.
Im really sorry but although your techniques are excellent.. your rotation and system is a bit like claiming to be organic whilst using glyphosate twice a year for example..
Real Regenerative systems try to add more SOM and biology and Carbon to soils than is taken away.. If you can put hand on heart and say you do that over 5 to 10 yrs then you have earned the badge... If you dont then Industrial farming will remain your activity and thats fine too
 

Huno

Member
Arable Farmer
Im really sorry but although your techniques are excellent.. your rotation and system is a bit like claiming to be organic whilst using glyphosate twice a year for example..
Real Regenerative systems try to add more SOM and biology and Carbon to soils than is taken away.. If you can put hand on heart and say you do that over 5 to 10 yrs then you have earned the badge... If you dont then Industrial farming will remain your activity and thats fine too
Anyone who is thinking about protecting their soil at all times is on a positive journey even if it is not economically possible during a whole rotation or decade
 

SFI - What % were you taking out of production?

  • 0 %

    Votes: 79 43.2%
  • Up to 25%

    Votes: 63 34.4%
  • 25-50%

    Votes: 30 16.4%
  • 50-75%

    Votes: 3 1.6%
  • 75-100%

    Votes: 3 1.6%
  • 100% I’ve had enough of farming!

    Votes: 5 2.7%

Red Tractor drops launch of green farming scheme amid anger from farmers

  • 1,287
  • 1
As reported in Independent


quote: “Red Tractor has confirmed it is dropping plans to launch its green farming assurance standard in April“

read the TFF thread here: https://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index.php?threads/gfc-was-to-go-ahead-now-not-going-ahead.405234/
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