Network Innovation News | December 2021

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NETWORK INNOVATION NEWS Integratin g livestock into produc tion systems T HE L ATEST NEWS & I N FO R M ATI O N FO R & F ROM LEA F ’ S DE M O N STR AT I O N FAR M S & I N N OVATI O N C E N TRE S 1

HELLO Welcome to the December issue of the Network Innovation News, exclusively for and from LEAF Demonstration Farms & LEAF Innovation Centres.

This issue focuses on integrating livestock into production systems, and the benefits and challenges that are accompanied by the move towards mixed farming systems. We learn how Leckford Estate are using cattle as part of their regenerative agriculture strategy; herbal ley and grazing trials at the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust’s Allerton Project, and how Barfoots of Botley have been integrating sheep into their horticultural rotations.

Spring 2022 is starting to look busy here at LEAF, so keep an eye out for upcoming events. You will also find key updates from a variety of projects and the work LEAF is involved with, including a short introduction to the new members of our team.

We hope you enjoy this issue!

Megan Whatty megan.whatty@leaf.eco Please do get in touch if you have project work or research updates that you would like to share with the LEAF Network. Also, please let me know if you have any thoughts or would like further information on any of the features included in this issue.

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CONTEN TS Reintegrating cattle at Leckford Estate

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Herbal leys and grazing at the Allerton Project

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Grazing cover crops at Barfoots of Botley

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News from LEAF

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Project Updates

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The LEAF Network

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KEY DATES: Oxford Real Farming Conference LEAF Marque Public Consultation webinar Standard Relevance: Writing a Standard for a global and varied industry Low Carbon Agriculture Show Nonington Farms Ltd LEAF Demonstration Farm launch event Jersey Royal Company LEAF Demonstration Farm launch event LEAF Open Farm Sunday

5-7th January 10th January 10:30am 8-9th March March 2022 May 2022 12th June 2022 3

MIXED ARABLE & BEEF PRODUCTION AT LECKFORD ESTATE

Leckford Estate, otherwise known as the Waitrose Farm, is a LEAF Demonstration Farm, Beacon of Excellence and also LEAF Marque certified. The farm is situated in Hampshire covering 4000 acres.

Sustainability has always been a key part of operations at Leckford, with recent attention shifting onto how beef cattle can help achieve their environmental objectives. Andrew Ferguson, farm manager at Leckford, explains how they are using cattle as part of their regenerative strategy.

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EXPANDING BEEF PRODUCTION AT LECKFORD At the start of 2021, Leckford made the tough decision to cease dairy operations. This decision was triggered by a simple question: what is the purpose of our farming activities at Leckford? The answer to this was to be an example of regenerative agricultural practices. I joined Leckford in 2011 and conducted a SWOT analysis of all the farm enterprises, reviewing current and potential performance. A big part of regenerative agriculture is to consider critically and constructively the resources (natural, physical, etc) available on farm and, unfortunately, although dairy was a successful part of the estate, our dairy was a casualty of this review and it was decided that the enterprise no longer fitted the purpose of the farm, and that beef production would be expanded. The farm is currently home to around 750 cattle which are a mix of Aberdeen Angus and dairy heifers.

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HABITAT CONSERVATION AND GRAZING One of the benefits of beef cattle is that they can be more easily integrated into different areas of the farm compared to dairy cattle, allowing grazing of different habitats. Habitat management through cattle grazing is used at Leckford to enhance water meadow and chalk grass land habitats, helping to maintain these semi-natural habitats.

The farm also grows a range of forage legumes, such as red clover and lucerne, a 20% protein legume which is used to make haylage. Leckford was previously part of the Sustainable Forage Protein project alongside Aberystwyth and Bangor Universities, exploring how they could incorporate home-grown protein crops into their systems.

The aim now is to reduce external inputs by feeding cattle entirely on homegrown feed using herbal leys, forage legumes, rapeseed meal and grain.

We are also looking into agroforestry opportunities, with the aim of increasing shade cover in our arable fields to improve animal welfare when cattle are grazing.

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SOIL HEALTH We have incorporated a 3-year herbal ley into the 12-year rotation, which is mob grazed by cattle to help improve soil fertility.

Farmyard manure is returned to the fields to increase soil organic matter, and we are currently applying for a biomethane plant to be built on the estate. Manure will be used to power the plant, and the digestate will return to the fields to improve soil fertility.

The methane produced from the plant will be used to power specialised biomethane powered tractors to help the farm transition to carbon neutrality.

FUTURE PLANS Looking into the future, the beef unit will likely reduce in size to 500 head of Hereford and Aberdeen Angus sucklers and will be involved in a range of trials involving regenerative agricultural practices. As part of the Waitrose Agricultural Plan, the farm has set a target to be carbon-neutral by 2035, and cattle will play an important role in increasing soil carbon sequestration and organic matter levels. Leckford is also part of the regenerative agriculture Beacons of Excellence program, which will explore the benefits of integrating livestock into production systems.

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HERBAL LEYS AND REINTEGRATING SHEEP AT THE ALLERTON PROJECT Since August 2018 the

WHY REINTEGRATE SHEEP?

Game and Wildlife

Continuous cropping, intensive agro-chemical use

Conservation Trust’s (GWCT) 300ha Allerton Project at Loddington,

UK in a spiralling decline of soil quality. A potential solution to this is the reintroduction of herbal leys

Leicestershire, a LEAF

and sheep into arable rotations, with the goal of

Innovation Centre, has

increasing soil organic matter and reducing disease

been host to a joint

and herbicide-resistant weed problems.

Sustainable Agriculture Research & Innovation

AIMS OF THE TRIAL

Club (SARIC) and Sheffield

The aim of the trial at the Allerton Project was to

University trial to

test the hypothesis that combining species-rich

investigate the benefits

herbal leys with sheep grazing and no-till cropping

of restoring soil quality

was more effective at rebuilding soil quality than

through the re-integration

traditionally established grass/clover leys, thereby

of leys and sheep into the

offering economic advantages for livestock and crop

arable rotation.

production. The second part of this hypothesis was to

Joe Stanley, Head of Training and Partnerships at the GWCT Allerton Project tells us more…

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and cultivation techniques have left arable soils in the

investigate whether mowing, rather than grazing leys, can accelerate soil recovery which may be impaired by livestock impacts on soil structure and thereby potentially reducing the length of time required for leys in the rotation to achieve economic benefit.

Black grass has been a growing problem at the Allerton Project, hence an arable field with significant grassweed and productivity issues was removed from the rotation.

The field ranged from Banbury to Denchworth series soil and was planted on one half with a perennial ryegrass/white clover ley and on the other with a diverse herbal ley mix of 16 species including festulolium, cocksfoot, fescue, clovers, trefoil, chicory and yarrow. Part of each ley was then grazed by a neighbouring sheep flock, and part left un-grazed for forage. An arable control was monitored in a neighbouring field (consisting of plough vs no-till establishment), before in year 3 (2020-21) strips of plough vs no-till were established across the ley plots in the trial field and expanded in

year 4 (2021-22).

Parallel sites were ty through re-integration simultaneously run-on lighter land in p into arable rotations Cambridgeshire and Essex. The plots

were grazed approximately 50 r Lisa Norton, Dr Samiby Ullah, Prof Adrian Collins sheep and the farm is hoping to look into mob grazing in the near future.

eking le

be written up, the establishment of some herbal ley species on the heavy clay at Loddington was very poor (especially sweet clover and sainfoin) compared to lighter land sites. The challenging wet autumn weather of 2020 posed serious problems with the direct-drill establishment of the first wheat into the heavier Denchworth series ley trial area versus ploughing. However, initial findings seem to indicate that the herbal ley has outperformed the traditional grass/ clover ley area for productivity and has also been more effective at building shallow soil organic carbon. The trial field has been re-introduced into the rotation this year by being planted with winter wheat, and the full results of the trial will be analysed after harvest 2022.

FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS The Allerton Project is looking forward to seeing the full results of the trial, but without doubt the increased use of grass and herbal leys in arable rotations will be a feature of UK farming systems in the years environmental scheme options such as

Permanent arable

GS4 (legume and herb-rich swards) to both manage problem fields, build soil health and reduce the farm carbon footprint, leys will

deeetle

ht, ts

Although the results of the trial are yet to

to come. As growers take advantage of agri-

soil

ape

TRIAL RESULTS

once again become a key part of the arable rotation. The trial will hopefully demonstrate 34 month ley

the environmental and economic-cost benefits of reintroducing sheep and leys into intensively cropped areas. If you’d like to find out more about the trial, please visit: https:// gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=BB%2FR021716%2F1

r

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GRAZING COVER CROPS AT BARFOOTS OF BOTLEY LEAF Demonstration

INCORPORATING COVER CROPS

Farm Barfoots of Botley

The use of cover crops provides many advantages,

cultivate over thirty crops and are the main producer of sweetcorn in

biodiversity. However, their removal can result in challenges, due to the reliance on glyphosate

the UK. Minimum tillage

or ploughing in order to terminate crop cover.

and cover crops are key

Combining cover crops with grazing can help combat

at Barfoots, and more

this problem, by providing an alternative way of

recently they have begun

reincorporating cover crop residues and residue from

using sheep within their

high debris crops, such as brassicas. By reducing

production system. We

the need for synthetic inputs and soil disturbance,

spoke to Keston Williams, Technical Director at Barfoots, about his work on altering the rules on grazing intervals

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from improving soil health to increasing on-farm

grazing can increase soil organic matter content, increase water holding capacity and reduce feed costs. With the current glyphosate shortages, this need to move away from a reliance on herbicides is more relevant than ever.

ALTERING GRAZING INTERVALS

FUTURE PLANS

However, the integration of livestock into

Barfoots are currently holding

horticultural rotations provides an extra

talks to ensure that the continued

problem, due to fresh produce having

use of sheep is approved by their

accompanied regulations on grazing intervals.

customers, but it is hoped that

Previously, the grazing interval regulatory

sheep will be used to graze cover

guidelines for crops such as sweetcorn was 18

crops this Spring and will become

months. This made the integration of sheep

a key part of their regenerative

unviable at Barfoots, as spring cropping

strategy. This change in grazing

meant the interval increased to a two-year gap

intervals will also help Barfoots in

between livestock and crops being permitted

its move towards a more circular

on the same land.

farming system. Crop waste such as sweetcorn husks are currently

Barfoots decided to challenge these

being used to power an on-site

regulations and lobbied to change the length

anaerobic digester, which provides

of this grazing interval, arguing that crops such

organic fertiliser and makes the

as sweetcorn are less at risk of contamination

business energy self-sufficient and

as they grow away from the ground to a

carbon neutral. The use of sheep

height where contamination is unlikely. After

will further enhance on-farm

a period of discussions, the regulatory body

nutrient recycling and play a key

agreed to alter the grazing interval, reducing

role in improving future soil health.

it to 12 months. This move will hopefully bring benefits to horticultural growers such as Barfoots, by making the integration of livestock into horticultural rotations more economical and reducing the reliance on herbicides and ploughing for reincorporating organic matter. Although Barfoots utilise modern technology such as drones, new vision cameras and aerial mapping technology, the integration of sheep demonstrates how traditional techniques still play an important role in rotations.

Using sheep to terminate crop cover can be effective, however, cover crop species composition should be considered, measures should be taken to minimise poaching risk and the timing of grazing should be monitored to maximise the benefits.

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Help shape the future of more sustainable farming & food systems – have your say!

Our public consultation on the LEAF Marque Standard v16.0 Draft is now open.

Every few years we review the LEAF Marque Standard to ensure it remains relevant. As industry practices and scientific understanding evolve over time, so our Standard needs to evolve too. The review and revision to the LEAF Marque Standard is consistent with ISEAL’s Codes of Good Practice.

We greatly value the opinions of farmers, growers, academics, fellow NGO’s, members of the public and other stakeholders. Your views matter to us and we would be very grateful to receive your comments – please complete our short online survey here which should only take 5-10 minutes (or visit our consultation webpage for other ways to submit your feedback).

Also, please join us for our upcoming webinar on the 10th January 2022 looking at standard relevance. We will outline the proposed changes to the Standard there will be plenty of opportunity for discussion and sharing your views. We look forward to seeing you!

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LEAF expands!

As the LEAF business grows, so does our team!

A big welcome to Dawn, Megan, Lucy & Pilar...

Dawn Teverson, Technical Manager “I’m Dawn, I’ve worked with farmers in the UK and East Africa, in both horticulture and livestock. My particular interests are genetic resources and integrated pest management. Working at LEAF provides the opportunity to combine both, in a whole farm approach to sustainability. My role is leading the Technical IFM team.”

Megan Whatty, Technical Officer “Hi I’m Megan, I grew up in Cornwall and previously studied a BSc in Zoology and a MSc in Food Security. I am the LEAF Network coordinator and particularly motivated by the work LEAF does in connecting research to on the ground action.”

Lucy Hando, Technical Officer “After completing a BSc degree in Agriculture at the Royal Agricultural University and most recently, 14 months spent travelling and working on various farms in New Zealand, I am excited to have joined the Technical IFM team at LEAF. I am looking forward to meeting many of you in the future.”

Pilar Pampin, Technical Officer “Hi, I’m Pilar, I’ve recently joined LEAF as a Technical Officer in the Business Development team. I am from Uruguay, where I achieved my 5-year degree as an Agronomist. Last year, I came to the UK to study a Master’s degree in Agroecology at Harper Adams University, which I finished a couple of months ago.”

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LEAF is involved in several interesting and impactful projects with our farmers, industry partners and researchers in the UK and across Europe through the EU Horizon 2020 programme. Regular updates on our projects are also shared in the IFM Quarterly, members E-news and our events.

If you would like to know more about a particular project or get

PROJECT UPDATES

involved in any capacity, please contact: megan.whatty@leaf.eco

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SHOWCASE The SHOWCASE project has just finished its first stages of fieldwork in preparation for the cover crop interventions to be implemented in summer 2022. The trial sites have been put into winter wheat and both soil and biodiversity measurements have been recorded for future comparison. We will soon be having meetings with farmers, researchers and seed specialists to decide upon the seed mix for the cover crop areas. The aim is to have a range of rooting depths, to see how cover crop traits impact soil health and biodiversity.

Resilient & Ready In September and October 2021, the Resilient & Ready team invited farmers and other industry experts to two on-farm events in Hampshire and Aberdeenshire, hosted by our Resilient and Ready farmers. Representatives from LEAF and Corteva Agriscience, industry professionals, and LEAF demonstration farmers examined what farming will look like in 30 years’ time and reflected on the long-term strategies for making farming businesses resilient in the future. The Resilient & Ready training program is now in its final year, and it is hoped that the four farms, two in Scotland and two in England, will join LEAF’s network of Demonstration Farms in the near future. The program will be recruiting new farms to be involved in the next cohort, so watch this space in Autumn 2022.

ENVISION Farmer Engagement Survey LEAF is currently working with the University of Reading on the Horizon 2020 project ENVISION, looking to develop innovative solutions for the continuous monitoring of agricultural activities to support sustainable farming practices.

An important part of the project is understanding the awareness and involvement of UK farmers and growers in the development of digital innovation in agriculture through earth observation technology. We would be very grateful if you could complete a short survey (less than 10 minutes), which can be accessed through the following link https://readingagriculture. eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_brSN4lCIRth8vS6

SolACE The SolACE project is now in its final phase. In the UK Network, data from 2020/2021 on-farm trials has now been collected and analysed. Back in November, members in the UK Network group, including trial farmers and researchers at Newcastle University, gathered to discuss trial results from testing different potato seed mixes combined with innovative farming approaches. The results of the on-farm trials will be published online and used for the list of recommended potato varieties through the SolACE project.

Looking forward to the months ahead, findings from the UK trials will be presented alongside findings from other European Networks to the whole SolACE consortium at a Final Annual Meeting in Spring 2022. LEAF will be co-leaders of the dissemination activities for the project with fellow partners.

Three stakeholder engagement workshops will be held online in early 2022, looking at below ground research, bio stimulants and modelling future farming scenarios to aid decision-making in the context of climate change.

If you are a stakeholder in sustainable agriculture, whether a researcher, scientist, farmer or agronomist, and are interested in joining these events, please visit https://conference.solace-eu.net/pre-conferences.html

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LEAF DEMONSTRATION LEAF Demonstration Farms FARMS

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AJ & CI Snell

Anthony

Snell

Herefordshire

Addicott Partners

Robert

Addicott

Somerset

Barfoots of Botley

Keston

Williams

West Sussex

Bottom Farm

Duncan

Farrington

Northants

Bowhill Farming

Sion

Williams

Selkirk

Carroll's Heritage Potatoes

Anthony and Lucy

Carroll

Northumberland

Church Farm

Jeremy

Padfield

Somerset

Crowmarsh Battle Farms Ltd

Charlie and Tim

Chamberlain

Oxfordshire

E Dunning & Son

Paul

Hayward

East Yorkshire

E J Barker & Sons

Brian and Patrick

Barker

Suffolk

Elveden Farms Ltd

Andrew

Francis

Norfolk

E W Davies Farms Ltd

Jeremy

Durrant

Essex

Frogmary Green Farm

Nick and Claire

Bragg

Somerset

Great Wollaston

Robert

Kynaston

Shropshire

G's Marketing (Cambs Farm Growers)

Charles

Shropshire

Cambridgeshire

The Green House Sussex Lt

William

Pitts

West Sussex

Hampden Bottom Farm Ltd

Ian

Waller

Buckinghamshire

J W Pigott & Son

Ian

Pigott

Hertfordshire

JSR Farms Ltd

Charlie

Parker

East Yorkshire

The Jersey Royal Company

Mike

Renouard

Jersey

Leckford Estate Ltd

Andrew

Ferguson

Hampshire

Lockerley Estate

Craig

Livingstone

Hampshire

Morriston Farms

Lord David

Kennedy

Ayrshire

New Forest Fruit Company

Sandy

Booth

Hampshire

Nonington Farms

James

Loder-Symonds

Kent

Overbury Enterprises

Jake

Freestone

Gloucestershire

P N Broad & Son

Hugh

Broad

East Lothian

Ragley Hall Farms

Hamish

Stewart

Warwickshire

R P Tilt & Son

Nicholas

Tilt

Shropshire

R. C. Felce & Son

David

Felce

Cambridgeshire

Renner Farming

John and Helen

Renner

Northumberland

Russell Smith Farms Ltd

Ralph

Grindling

Cambridgeshire

Silton Manor Farming

Keith

Harris

Dorset

Sir Richard Sutton Estates Ltd

Chris

Baylis

Lincolnshire

Tangmere Airfield Nurseries Ltd

Mark

Knight

West Sussex

Worth Farms

Duncan

Worth

Lincolnshire

Wantisden Hall Farms

Tim

Pratt

Suffolk

Wilkin & Sons Ltd

Chris

Newenham

Essex

LEAF INNOVATION CENTRES

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Cover Photos: Leckford Estate

If you have any news or information that you feel would be of interest to the LEAF Network, please email Megan Whatty at

megan.whatty@leaf.eco

www.leaf.eco

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