What’s the difference between “Regenarative Farming” and traditional “Mixed Farming”?

I’ve not read through the replies but my take on it would be this -

Mixed farming is just farming a mixture of different types of animal / crop etc, grass and arable ...... it can still be done destructively and badly for the soil / natural world.

Regenerative farming, if done well, should both provide profit and also do so in a way which helps to regenerate the soil, it’s fertility and the natural biodiversity of the farm.
 

Derrick Hughes

Member
Location
Ceredigion
I’ve not read through the replies but my take on it would be this -

Mixed farming is just farming a mixture of different types of animal / crop etc, grass and arable ...... it can still be done destructively and badly for the soil / natural world.

Regenerative farming, if done well, should both provide profit and also do so in a way which helps to regenerate the soil, it’s fertility and the natural biodiversity of the farm.
Spot on
 

Pilatus

Member
Location
cotswolds
I’ve not read through the replies but my take on it would be this -

Mixed farming is just farming a mixture of different types of animal / crop etc, grass and arable ...... it can still be done destructively and badly for the soil / natural world.

Regenerative farming, if done well, should both provide profit and also do so in a way which helps to regenerate the soil, it’s fertility and the natural biodiversity of the farm.
In my humble opinion that is virtually the same as what was subconsciously trying to achieve with traditional mixed farming, but as @Bucks Boy says, it is now called “Regenerative Farming” so one is being politically correct. :rolleyes: ;)
 

JD-Kid

Member
my take on it maybe a bit diffrent
some of the people that have written books talk of a total change in there systems
but the underlying thing is they learned alot about how there soil works. what efect diffrent systems will have the efect of plants fert use chemical efect on soil life. etc etc
a pure cropping farmer. could be regen with out a single animal on the place with cover crops crimp rolled then drilled in to diffrent plants helping to supply some of there fert inputs and lowering leaching etc some controlling pests etc.
any farming system it's the better understanding of the effects good or bad. they current farming system is doing mob stocking on a winter crop can have a huge negative efect on the soil if done wrong
 

Humble Village Farmer

Member
BASE UK Member
Location
Essex
We are where we are and we're not going to go all the way back to the UK being a part wooded, part flooded part grazed wilderness.

That's presumably where complete regeneration would lead us. "Regen ag" is a step or steps in that general direction.
 

Pilatus

Member
Location
cotswolds
We are where we are and we're not going to go all the way back to the UK being a part wooded, part flooded part grazed wilderness.

That's presumably where complete regeneration would lead us. "Regen ag" is a step or steps in that general direction.
Meanwhile world stocks of grain and oilseeds are on a knife edge.!!!!
In times of plenty we can all try and be self righteous, but when up against the wall survival instinct will kick in.
We might not be there just yet but not far off.
 

Humble Village Farmer

Member
BASE UK Member
Location
Essex
Meanwhile world stocks of grain and oilseeds are on a knife edge.!!!!
In times of plenty we can all try and be self righteous, but when up against the wall survival instinct will kick in.
We might not be there just yet but not far off.
Do you mean that concern for soil health is being self righteous and farming can only be done properly if it's properly destructive?
 
In my humble opinion that is virtually the same as what was subconsciously trying to achieve with traditional mixed farming, but as @Bucks Boy says, it is now called “Regenerative Farming” so one is being politically correct. :rolleyes: ;)
Perhaps some ..... but I think you miss my point. Just because you farm a mixture of crops and animals doesn’t mean that you are doing anything to regenerate the ground. You could be banging bagged fert on, raping the ground, set stocking with sheep, whacking loads of bought in cake into them etc etc.

It’s a bit like keeping ‘easy care’ sheep, but having them in a shed to lamb, creeping lambs, etc etc.

I don’t think it’s got anything to do with being politically correct - I see regenerative agriculture of making more of what we can get from our own lands for free by working with the natural order, so using clover and cover crops, rotational grazing, companion planting, living mulches, composting, etc etc.

Many mixed farms are regenerative and some aren’t.

We can all learn something new from looking at the practices of others. Ok
 

snarling bee

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Bedfordshire
Interesting comment.
The land around our house is contract farmed by Velcourt. The estate owner/ custodian told me he had a job covincing the Vecourt manager last autumn , that he wanted his wheat and osr D/D rather than Top Downed, rolled , drilled then rolled.
In the end the estate owner got his way and the crops D/D with a Horsch drill look superb.
So I have a field split into 4, DD, min till, max till, plough. The brome and BG in the DD is so bad it may force me to glypho the crop. The min till is not as bad, the maxitill is okay, meanwhile the ploughed section is almost weed free. When a spring SU is £45ha or whatever I can do a lot of ploughing for that. Tell me which is sustainable? I must admit the field is in continuous wheat, but last year's weed burden was very acceptable.
 
We are where we are and we're not going to go all the way back to the UK being a part wooded, part flooded part grazed wilderness.

That's presumably where complete regeneration would lead us. "Regen ag" is a step or steps in that general direction.
I think you’re getting confused with rewilding. My version of regen ag, is profitable, relatively intense and output focused.
 

Humble Village Farmer

Member
BASE UK Member
Location
Essex
I think you’re getting confused with rewilding. My version of regen ag, is profitable, relatively intense and output focused.
I think a state of restored wilderness is the closest you will get to total regeneration.
Regenerative agriculture is agriculture, but in my opinion, is as near to the former as allows for profitable food production: mimicking ecosystems to allow food production and doing as little damage to the environment as possible.
 

Poorbuthappy

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Devon
So I have a field split into 4, DD, min till, max till, plough. The brome and BG in the DD is so bad it may force me to glypho the crop. The min till is not as bad, the maxitill is okay, meanwhile the ploughed section is almost weed free. When a spring SU is £45ha or whatever I can do a lot of ploughing for that. Tell me which is sustainable? I must admit the field is in continuous wheat, but last year's weed burden was very acceptable.
The other word used in regen thinking is holistic.
Another word that gets people wound up. But call it "joined up thinking" and everyone agrees its a good thing.
I wouldn't call continuous wheat regenerative however it's tilled. Got to look at the bigger picture.

Same with the op.
Regen farming may practice traditional mixed farming.
Traditional mixed farming may be done regeneratively.
Neither may be the case.
 
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