Regenerative not degenerative agriculture?

[suffolksmallholder]

This is interesting;

Could Farms Like This Change the World? - Organic Consumers

Using regenerative farming practices, the husband and wife team at Farm du Bec Hellouin have been able to grow more on less land, while also restoring soil fertility, sequestering carbon and cultivating biodiversity.

www.organicconsumers.org

SS

 

[averageguy54]

Much food for thought.

 

[averageguy54]

I'm curious to see how they manage pest control and how they would would put up forage for over wintering. Any idea how to get more information on their operation.

 

[Kiwi Pete]

An introduction to the principles of being Regenerative

Why Regenerative? What are the key principles of Regenerative? Find out in the first post in a series aimed at demystifying regenerative here.

ata.land

 

[averageguy54]

Is he going to be publishing more of these?

 

[Kiwi Pete]

Is he going to be publishing more of these?

Possibly... check out

ĀTA Regenerative

We create health for farms, families and the planet

ata.land

And maybe follow Dr Hugh Jellie on social media
He's a really good guy, approachable

They had a webinar last week, it was really stimulating and (I think) valuable no matter how far along the journey you are.

 

[averageguy54]

Just in the early stages really. My grandson seems to have a real keen on for farming so I thought it best to go the regenerative route with him. I don't have much ground and it would work best I think. Not to mention that my grandfather's farm was of the regenerative type back in the day, so to me it's a given.

 

[Kiwi Pete]

Just in the early stages really. My grandson seems to have a real keen on for farming so I thought it best to go the regenerative route with him. I don't have much ground and it would work best I think. Not to mention that my grandfather's farm was of the regenerative type back in the day, so to me it's a given.

I don't always use the word awesome, but when I do it's because getting young people onto the land, is awesome.
I have nothing against the machinery oriented kids either, it's a start; but it can be a start in the wrong direction IYSWIM.
Kinda, "perpetuating the lessons unlearnt by many" whereas someone with a good mentor (like I luckily did) is set up for a happy life, I get joy out of stuff others don't even know to look for.

Dad was sure enough that he pushed me towards the machinery side, the industrial side, because he had faith that I'd return to the "right way" and I sure did.

 

[averageguy54]

I'm kinda thinking that in the future, there is going to be a big shift toward regenerative agriculture anyway, so he may as well have a head start. And for us it's a way to start up without a lot of money to expend upfront. When you're on pension, money is always in short supply. I already have the basics, a tractor and a plough and cultivators and hillers, so we can garden, which he's wanted to do since he was 3. He's now 8 and the garden is about 4 times bigger than when we started. We also have a small flock of laying hens that we sell eggs from, that is what we don't eat. We grow a few meat birds each summer for ourselves, All the birds are in loose housing though, to save manure for the garden. He's been bugging me for a couple years now for pigs, but some work needs to be done to the barn before that can happen, so maybe next year. Currently buying feed for all these animals but perhaps could be growing some green feed instead. He's always learning though, pays close attention to what he is told and asks intelligent questions based on what he has learned.

 

[Kiwi Pete]

That's what you want - insatiable curiousity and openmindedness!
Regen ag is all about the principles, which is why it's so difficult for the "paint by numbers" generation to get their heads around.
The world is geared towards a very degenerative way of doing things - just like that gearbox diagram points out.
I've no idea what bats and butterflies and mice and hawks are "doing" for us, but I do know they should be here and not at my neighbours.

Because of the principles of mutualism, uniqueness, diversity - I know them and trust the process. I don't need to know what the processes are.

 

[awkward]

Pete , a link to your holistic for beginners thread wouldn't go amiss,