Net-Zero and livestock farming

[petergittins]

Hello everyone, **not spamming but was suggested to move to this thread**

I wondered if anyone had any contacts for livestock farmers in England who are actively trying to achieve 'net zero' in their farming business. I'd like to chat with them about what they think the benefits are in doing this, what are the barriers, and how their business practices align with supporting government environmental ambitions. I'd also like to speak with farmers who are critical of net-zero and new environmental legislation- tbh on our farm we are not actively doing anything to meet net-zero, other than compliance with schemes but I know this varies around the country.

This is part of a research project I am working on at Leeds university. We are putting together a brief highlighting current farmer views and concerns. So your input could feed into policymaking. It would be great to arrange some interviews with those interested so I could formally collect some data and air farmer views and concerns.

Yorkshire, Cumbria and Exmoor regions are the areas under study but we would still welcome views from those further afield.

Kind regards,
Peter.
[email protected]

 

[Jerry]

My sheep and cattle are probably net zero or better already and have been for some time.

Not housed, so out side all year.
Grazing old permanent pasture most of the year or roots for 3 months in winter plus grazing winter cereals thus reducing my need for artificial fertilisers on those and a reduced need for fungicides and growth regs.
Grass is sequestering carbon 365 days a year.
No hard feed, just a bit of haylage through the winter, so a bit of fuel and plastic use but its only a couple hundred of so of bales

 

[petergittins]

Have you done any calculations using any of the tool kits yet? Do you see any benefits of having this net-zero status on your farm?

Let me know if you'd be interested in taking part, I'll be visiting Exmoor/devon area to do some interviews

 

[The Seeker]

How can we make something without it having carbon in ? What do people want ? Why will it be ok to ban livestock in this country and import the same from abroad ? Dliol
Take net zero seriously when the stop holiday makers jetting off every minute of the day,

 

[Gedd]

Hello everyone, **not spamming but was suggested to move to this thread**

I wondered if anyone had any contacts for livestock farmers in England who are actively trying to achieve 'net zero' in their farming business. I'd like to chat with them about what they think the benefits are in doing this, what are the barriers, and how their business practices align with supporting government environmental ambitions. I'd also like to speak with farmers who are critical of net-zero and new environmental legislation- tbh on our farm we are not actively doing anything to meet net-zero, other than compliance with schemes but I know this varies around the country.

This is part of a research project I am working on at Leeds university. We are putting together a brief highlighting current farmer views and concerns. So your input could feed into policymaking. It would be great to arrange some interviews with those interested so I could formally collect some data and air farmer views and concerns.

Yorkshire, Cumbria and Exmoor regions are the areas under study but we would still welcome views from those further afield.

Kind regards,
Peter.
[email protected]

Its a load of bo#####s look outside of agriculture for the problem if indeed thete is one

 

[Highland Mule]

Have you done any calculations using any of the tool kits yet? Do you see any benefits of having this net-zero status on your farm?

Let me know if you'd be interested in taking part, I'll be visiting Exmoor/devon area to do some interviews

Why would he use the tool kits when they are so fundamentally flawed and do not correctly give credit for e.g. sequestered carbon in grassland? Unless the correct models are available, it's garbage in and garbage out.

Have you done an assessment of your life and work Peter? I'm willing to bet you are very far away from net zero - far further than Jerry is. How much carbon has your workplace sequestered so far this year and how much has the rest of your lifestyle produced?

 

[steveR]

Glad you moved across @Peter Gittins

I thought you would get some useful replies here....

@delilah

 

[steveR]

Have you done any calculations using any of the tool kits yet? Do you see any benefits of having this net-zero status on your farm?

Let me know if you'd be interested in taking part, I'll be visiting Exmoor/devon area to do some interviews

I appreciate that you are doing the research now Peter, but can we ask who is funding the Research please?

Also, have you seen or heard yet, of ANY benefit in a farm trying to attain this somewhat illusory status please?

 

[steveR]

Why would he use the tool kits when they are so fundamentally flawed and do not correctly give credit for e.g. sequestered carbon in grassland? Unless the correct models are available, it's garbage in and garbage out.

Have you done an assessment of your life and work Peter? I'm willing to bet you are very far away from net zero - far further than Jerry is. How much carbon has your workplace sequestered so far this year and how much has the rest of your lifestyle produced?

Well to be fair, Peter has not stated any position on this whole business.

In fact he stated in the OP....

tbh on our farm we are not actively doing anything to meet net-zero, other than compliance with schemes but I know this varies around the country.

Which is a fair enough point.

 

[puppet]

My sheep and cattle are probably net zero or better already and have been for some time.

Not housed, so out side all year.
Grazing old permanent pasture most of the year or roots for 3 months in winter plus grazing winter cereals thus reducing my need for artificial fertilisers on those and a reduced need for fungicides and growth regs.
Grass is sequestering carbon 365 days a year.
No hard feed, just a bit of haylage through the winter, so a bit of fuel and plastic use but its only a couple hundred of so of bales

By the current calculators you are a million miles from net zero if you have livestock. 80% of our GHGs are purely enteric fermentation and slurry management. Of course we want to reduce inputs but farting about with a few percent fuel, feed additives and plastic costs will make little difference until the cattle are removed. Which is exactly what the environmental fundamentalists want.
If you want to become carbon neutral then speak to Brewdog or Google. Of course they have managed by using farmers biggest asset - land.

 

[delilah]

So your input could feed into policymaking.

Oh, I do hope so.

https://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index.php?threads/agricultural-defence-resources-thread-part-1.385857/

There's nothing wrong our side of the farm gate. Nothing. All of the damage is being caused in the food chain. All of it.

Anyway, laters, got some climate destroyers to feed .

 

[Ffermer Bach]

Hello everyone, **not spamming but was suggested to move to this thread**

I wondered if anyone had any contacts for livestock farmers in England who are actively trying to achieve 'net zero' in their farming business. I'd like to chat with them about what they think the benefits are in doing this, what are the barriers, and how their business practices align with supporting government environmental ambitions. I'd also like to speak with farmers who are critical of net-zero and new environmental legislation- tbh on our farm we are not actively doing anything to meet net-zero, other than compliance with schemes but I know this varies around the country.

This is part of a research project I am working on at Leeds university. We are putting together a brief highlighting current farmer views and concerns. So your input could feed into policymaking. It would be great to arrange some interviews with those interested so I could formally collect some data and air farmer views and concerns.

Yorkshire, Cumbria and Exmoor regions are the areas under study but we would still welcome views from those further afield.

Kind regards,
Peter.
[email protected]

are you a staff member at the Uni? Or a Phd student?

 

[petergittins]

Glad you moved across @Peter Gittins

I thought you would get some useful replies here....

@delilah

Yes more replies here cheers

 

[Humble Village Farmer]

I appreciate that you are doing the research now Peter, but can we ask who is funding the Research please?

Also, have you seen or heard yet, of ANY benefit in a farm trying to attain this somewhat illusory status please?

I don't mind having a go at that. Everything you buy has a carbon footprint, especially things like diesel, fertiliser and imported feeds. So the less of those you buy, the lower your costs.

Secondly, photosynthesis takes co2 out of the atmosphere and gets it into plants and the soil as organic matter. The more of that you have happening on your farm the more feed or cash crops you will have, and a better functioning soil.

I do agree though, that this is a bit of a diversion from the fact that the rest of humanity is happily burning as much carbon as they can get their hands on.

 

[petergittins]

Why would he use the tool kits when they are so fundamentally flawed and do not correctly give credit for e.g. sequestered carbon in grassland? Unless the correct models are available, it's garbage in and garbage out.

Have you done an assessment of your life and work Peter? I'm willing to bet you are very far away from net zero - far further than Jerry is. How much carbon has your workplace sequestered so far this year and how much has the rest of your lifestyle produced?

And this is likely one of the things I will be talking about throughout the research, as already many of the farmers have reported inaccuracies in using the tools, the time required to input data, quality of results etc.

 

[petergittins]

are you a staff member at the Uni? Or a Phd student?

staff, lecturer/agricultural researcher at uni of Leeds, also farm on the family livestock farm

 

[petergittins]

I appreciate that you are doing the research now Peter, but can we ask who is funding the Research please?

Also, have you seen or heard yet, of ANY benefit in a farm trying to attain this somewhat illusory status please?

Some farmers I have spoken to are advocating for it, carrying out 'audits' and linking it to the products they are direct selling, labelling it a net-zero beef etc. which they say helps them stand out. Others say trying to become net zero/ trying to farm in more environmentally sustainable manners is economically beneficial. I'm sure more will have other reasons, early days with the project

You raise some points I am thinking about too, what exactly is the point of becoming net zero? what are the benefits of achieving this status? Why should farmers implement strategies to achieve this status?

Much of the existing schemes and the ELMs are being rolled out are aimed at reducing emissions anyway (and other important issues, its not just about emissions), and if more farmers move to these schemes following subsidy loss then more will be engaging in activities aimed at reducing GHG for the sector.

 

[Ffermer Bach]

staff, lecturer/agricultural researcher at uni of Leeds, also farm on the family livestock farm

what is your research project, who is it fund by and for? And most importantly what is your research question?

 

[Jerry]

Have you done any calculations using any of the tool kits yet? Do you see any benefits of having this net-zero status on your farm?

Let me know if you'd be interested in taking part, I'll be visiting Exmoor/devon area to do some interviews

No, not used any of the tool kits yet, as @Highland Mule mules says, there are too many models and none, as yet, seem to hold much value.

All the things above I mentioned are done, not for net zero reasons, rather just for good business reasons, to help my farm business thrive.

End of the day it is good old fashioned mixed farming, that certain areas like a lot of Devon, are perfectly suited to.

 

[Muddyroads]

“Much of the existing schemes and the ELMs are being rolled out are aimed at reducing emissions anyway (and other important issues,”

They are aimed at reducing output first and foremost in my opinion.