Following on from a public meeting held in Bristol to discuss the role of livestock in future farming systems, the Sustainable Food Trust held a conference on the 24th and 25th November to take the conversation from theory to practice. Generously hosted by Sir Alan and Lady Parker at Fir Farm in Gloucestershire, this two day event again featured pioneering livestock producer, Joel Salatin and was attended by an enthralled gathering of 120 farmers who had all made a pilgrimage to hear Joel’s story.
This film of the first session explores the practical application of ‘mob’ or ‘holistic’ grazing techniques. An introductory talk by Joel is then followed by presentations from Andrew Brewster, of Brewster Cattle Co, and Robert Craig, dairy farmer at Dolphenby Farm, Cumbria. You can read more about Robert’s farm and grazing practices here. Participants also shared their thoughts and take-home actions following the event, which you can read here.
Teaser photo credit: Brian Johnson and Dane Kanter, Wikimedia Commons.
Tags: building resilient food systems, managed grazing systems, mob grazing
Related Articles
'SELECT SQL_CALC_FOUND_ROWS wp_posts.ID
FROM wp_posts LEFT JOIN wp_term_relationships ON (wp_posts.ID = wp_term_relationships.object_id)
WHERE 1=1 AND wp_posts.ID NOT IN (3465112) AND (
wp_term_relationships.term_taxonomy_id IN (4,8988)
) AND wp_posts.post_type = \'post\' AND ((wp_posts.post_status = \'publish\'))
GROUP BY wp_posts.ID
ORDER BY wp_posts.post_date DESC
LIMIT 0, 3'
In January, we launched a brand-new Marine Ecosystems Community of Practice – a collaborative initiative bringing together four Ecosystem Restoration Communities (ERCs) working at the frontlines of coastal and marine restoration.
What if, instead of going into debt to invest in their farms, farmers came together to pool equipment? What if, instead of struggling to run a small farm alone, there was extra help at hand? What if new entrants could draw on the experience of more established farmers in their local area? It may sound too good to be true, but this is the reality with France’s network of Agricultural Machinery Cooperatives (CUMA).
In Tughgoz village, located in the remote Ishkashim District of Tajikistan, agriculture is more than a livelihood — it is the foundation of daily life. Like many rural communities in the region, village residents rely on their land, local knowledge, and traditional seed varieties to sustain their families and protect their future.
