Agriculture
Agriculture
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Agriculture, Conservation, Earth and Leaf, Economics, Education, Environment, Latest Posts, Slider Posts
Sustainability in Farming
When I talk about sustainability in farming, which I do a lot, I don’t just mean looking after the environment and reducing global warming. I mean making sure farming communities see sustainability in farming.
They need to earn a decent living whilst caring for our precious countryside.
And currently, in the UK, farming patently isn’t sustainable at all. The average age of a farmer has been rising steadily for years and is now about 65. That tells you something is wrong.
I met this tree alone in a field in Dentdale in July 2023. It is vast. A Sycamore, the girth 4 metres plus, putting it at about 450 years old. It is grazed to the base yet one or two epiphytes cling to its upper branches. It should be the centre-piece of a rehabilitated woodland, surrounded by Sessile Oak, Hazel and Birch. I registered it with the Woodland Trust that night. They were unaware of its existence.
The exact definition of sustainability bears some consideration;
“The property of being environmentally sustainable; the degree to which a process or enterprise is able to be maintained or continued while avoiding the long-term depletion of natural resources”. {OED}
That process or enterprise includes the farm, the farmer and the farming system.
In time our Shepherds of the Trees project aims to provide exactly what we are talking about – “Sustainability in Farming“
We also have a website dedicated specifically to the project at “www.shepherdsofthetrees.org”
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Soil
Soil s something we all take for granted.
I’m surprised, first of all, that I have not written about this before. Soil is the absolute foundation for farming and we exploit soil at our peril. It comes in many guises, from peat to clay and that in turn affects the vegetation that grows in that soil, including our food.
Soil erosion and loss is a huge factor affecting our world. Soil stores carbon. Bare soil is an absolute catastrophe for the planet, it simply bleeds CO2. This continues until all that is left is sand.
Historically (i.e. more than 150 years ago) Carbon Dioxide levels in out atmosphere were not really affected by either farming or wood and fossil fuel burning. Even so humans had already started destroying soils, the prime example being the massive expansion of the Sahara desert by grazing pressure from livestock.
Where did soil come from.
A great place to learn about this is by watching Earth with Chris Packham.
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Net Zero and Carbon Credits Exposed for all to See!
Net Zero and Carbon Credits are both concepts that allow polluters to continue to pollute. Fact.
Both ideas have been drawn up to not rock the boat, yet to appear as though governments are doing something about global warming. The glaring problem with Net Zero and Carbon Credits are the words “net” and “credits”.
https://www.efeca.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/UK-RTSS-APR-2021.pdf
I’m writing this because today I learned that an estate in Leicestershire will earn £120,000 by farming sustainably. Every farmer should be farming sustainably. There’s a dark side to the £120,000 though. The farm in question is selling the carbon credits. Some are being bought by the Mercedes Benz formula one team so that they can claim in time to becoming a net zero racing outfit. In other words Mercedes Benz are buying Net Zero and Carbon Credits to improve their status whilst still producing the same level of CO2. And remember CO2 production is cumulative not annually turned over. Net Zero and Carbon Credits are misleading.
Im typing stuff just for the sake of typing the words net zero and carbon credits. Well boo its worked 605 waords
We must also realise that the carbon capture calculations on the farm do not include the sale off farm of carbon as meat. Lambs and Beef. Additionally the Methane produced by those beef animals and sheep is not counted in the equation.
Claims in farming that well managed pasture for example on a dairy farm absorb as much carbon as the rainforest each year may indeed be true, but it is not the full picture. In fact it is grossly misleading. Why? Carbon is also output from each hectare of land. It intensive dairy farming large quantities on nitrogenous fertiliser are used to make the grass grow faster. As the grass grows faster it absorbs more carbon. That is good isn’t it? Of itself yes, but that grass is removed, harvested to make silage or grazed for milk. The milk, meat and animal carcasses are removed from the farm and as they are consumed Carbon Dioxide is released. At the input end, the nitrogenous fertiliser is made from Oil. This releases huge amounts of CO2.
There’s more. The cows spend the winter indoors, some are indoors all year round. Their diet is made up from grass and supplementary concentrate rations. The major protein source in these rations is Soya. In a typical year each cow may eat about 400 kg of soya. Ten UK cows eat about one hectares worth of Soya each year. That’s a hectare of rainforest or Cerrado. Have a look at Net Zero and carbon Credits undressed (below). Imported animal feed farcically ain’t included in the UK Net Zero calculations.
And then there’s the Methane. Its a big part of the problem not covered by Net Zero and Carbon Credits. I have written other posts on Methane; Methane Emissions Must be Eliminated as a No 1 Priority; Bottom Trawling Destroys the Seabed and Must End Now
Net Zero and Carbon Credits Undressed
The Royal Society explain neatly what Net Zero is – What is net Zero?
Not included in the UK Net Zero calculations – Aviation, Foreign Imports and Finance. Oh dear. We are a net importer, especially of food. We are a major world player in Aviation, London is a world finance capital responsible for almost half of our GDP. Net zero here then by 2050 means nothing.
Lets look at another youtube video for Carbon Credits – What are Carbon Credits?
There we are – Net Zero and Carbon Credits Exposed for what they are, just empty political words.
The claim that it stores as much is simply incorrect.
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Our National Parks are Stunning but Flawed
Our National Parks are stunning but flawed. They are not quite what they seem. Yes they are beautiful, they preserve the heritage of their area at least physically, but not socially.
Not quite as described on the tin ……
Our national parks attract millions of visitors each year. Our park authorities are tasked with preserving their heritage and they do so admirably under great financial pressure. They are still exclusively dominated by farming, mainly be beef and sheep, with some dairy farming. the moors are largely owned by estates who use them for grouse shooting.
This all begs the question What do we really want from our National Parks?
Indeed. On the moorland our wildlife is brutally under threat from zealous gamekeepers and unfriendly owners. Hen Harriers are still in decline. An Osprey was recently shot during a grouse drive.
Lower down the hills sheep dominate the landscape. In Derbyshire the Peak Forest was felled land was enclosed by thousands of miles of dry stone walls to keep in the sheep.
Meanwhile the villages in the parks are unable to support shops and pubs. Young couples in the parks cannot afford homes and are forced to move away. The social structure is collapsing. Our rich rural heritage of robust self supporting communities has largely collapsed. Modern farming methods have decimated the wildlife. Reform of the sheep industry would be a good place to start – Click here to find out how.
Our National Parks:
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Methane Emissions Must be Eliminated as a No 1 Priority
Short term gains in the fight to save the planet can be made if we understand that dealing with methane emissions must be a priority 1st is best. Methane is rapidly heating up our world and some sources we can directly control.
Its is fact that Carbon Dioxide does most of the long term damage, but it is also true that Methane is over thirty times more potent than CO2. Methane also leaves the atmosphere fairly quickly, Carbon Dioxide does not.
So, where are the sources of Methane emissions?
Agriculture, decomposition of waste and fossil fuels – these are under our control and account for 60% of the Methane in the atmosphere. The majority of this is agriculture, namely livestock farming.
Wetlands are the largest natural source and there is little we can do there. However wetlands absorb methane too and vast amounts of Carbon Dioxide. Wetlands are also critical for biodiversity and home to a disproportionately large number of species:
All about Methane Emissions
Methane (CH4) is a powerful greenhouse gas, and is the second-largest contributor to climate warming after carbon dioxide (CO2). A molecule of methane traps more heat than a molecule of CO2, but methane has a relatively short lifespan of 7 to 12 years in the atmosphere, while CO2 can persist for hundreds of years or more.
Methane comes from both natural sources and human activities. An estimated 60% of today’s methane emissions are the result of human activities. The largest sources of methane are agriculture, fossil fuels, and decomposition of landfill waste. Natural processes account for 40% of methane emissions, with wetlands being the largest natural source. (Learn more about the Global Methane Budget.)
The concentration of methane in the atmosphere has more than doubled over the past 200 years. Scientists estimate that this increase is responsible for 20 to 30% of climate warming since the Industrial Revolution (which began in 1750).
Why is it that dealing with methane emissions is so critical?
We can control methane production from our agriculture simply by stopping mass production of beef and dairy products. We must still focus on Carbon Dioxide as well, but Methane should be a short term target.
Learn more about Methane heating up our world and what we know by clicking on the links below:
Our Earth and Leaf World Explained
What we now know about climate change
Also have alook at our post on Net Zero and Carbon Credits
This is why dealing with Methane Emissions is so important.
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Planting trees is not enough
Why is it that simply planting trees is not enough. Firstly, a farmer is the right person to be planting trees on a farm. Secondly, the right person to look after those newly planted trees is, wait for it, the farmer.
Frequently we see ranks of trees planted on farms in narrow bands and straight lines, the same distance apart and all the same age. They are always too close together. Additionally there are just trees, no shrubs like Gorse, Broom, Blackthorn, Brambles and Dog Rose to name just a few. Finally there are no open spaces.
I wander through fields that often contain a lonely Oak or Sycamore. The urge takes me to plant companions for them. I would surround each with thickets of Blackthorn and Crab Apple and plant Oak or Sycamore saplings with them.Planting trees is not enough
Sometimes you see these isolated trees with remnant bluebells or Dogs Mercury lingering around their roots. These trees need help, fencing out and more cover needs planting. Specifically any areas in grass fields with ancient woodland indicators should be replanted urgently. Use shrubs a lot more than trees. They must be native. Planting trees is not enough.
A lone Wild Garlic plant on the bank of the River Noe in Derbyshire If you have any areas with indicator species you must plant next to them. Planting trees is not the end. Care for them too! Mix meadows with scrub and trees and introduce farm animals at low level stocking.
Wildflower meadows fit into this network. Preferably they are cut for hay in late July or later. Low level sheep and cattle grazing follows until late April. And guess who should look after this wonder world. The farmer.
Not enough thought goes into what is planted and where. Lets explore the topic!
So Why is it that Just Planting Trees is not Enough ?
Just planting trees is not enough. There is more to it. A forest is a complex mix of plants of different ages, fungi, insects, invertebrates, birds and animals. Complex habitats like this store vast amounts of carbon. Planting trees is not enough. We now know that the trees and plants live in complex harmony with underground communication through fungi. When a forest is cleared most of these fungi die. Clearing a forest releases vast amounts of Carbon Dioxide, heating our planet. Burning the wood makes things even worse. Have a look at another post about our very own Drax power Station just here.
Deciding where to plant/re wild is an important first step. Indicator species are one starting place, they may be in hedgerows ironically often at roadsides, hiding in plain sight. Old existing trees are focal points. They need companions. Do not simply plant in blocks, in straight lines. Leave open areas, marshy areas, consider blocking field drains and damming ditches.
Forests need open rides, clearings, dead wood, ponds, large animal herbivores, animals that dig. Animals that die there should be left. See “Why culled deer carcasses in Scotland should be left to rot, according to experts” in our document library.
Ancient Woodland Indicators
Dogs Mercury, Wild Garlic, Blue Bells, Dog Violet, Wood Anemone, Pink Campion, Lily of the Valley, Greater Stitchwort, Wood Sorrel, Golden Saxifrage, Yellow Archangel. Here are some pictures:
What are others saying about planting trees?
“Instead of focusing on planting huge numbers of trees, experts tell Vox, we should focus on growing trees for the long haul, protecting and restoring ecosystems beyond just forests, and empowering the local communities that are best positioned to care for them.”
This is the aim of our proposed “Shepherds of the Trees” project. Have a look at our proposals right here!
The Woodland Trust can help. Visit them here
We must do more, simply planting trees is not enough.
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Why we Farm Cows and not Goats
The reason why we farm cows and not goats for dairy products is quite simple. Cows are easy to control and can live on just grass, they are grazers. Goats are browsers and are very difficult to fence in.
However that does not mean that it should stay that way.
Modern dairy cows live an average of just under three lactations, about 6 years. Yet these animals can easily have a stress free lifespan of 12 to 15 or more years.
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Sheep Farming in Wales, Its Time for a Change
Lets Revolutionise Sheep Farming in Wales and continue to shape the character of the nations environment. A lot of upland Wales is unsuitable for any other type of farming. I have spent quite a bit of time in Wales over the years, working in the farming sector. I always found our Welsh farmer customers open to new ideas and far more interested in marketing and new tech than others in the UK.
So here we are. Farmer protests at the Senedd. Earth and Leaf wants to work with farmers. The Sustainable Farming Scheme is a great move towards restoring habitat across Wales. This is a great article by Dr Malcolm Smith. He makes some excellent points about subtle changes that would help farmers. The scheme also needs explaining better to farmers.
Lets Revolutionise Sheep Farming in Wales and Benefit its Rural Communities too
This mirrors the same structure found in England and Scotland. Hill ewes such as the Welsh Mountain are kept on high ground. Draft ewes are sold at market to farms lower down the hill to be crossed with Blue Faced Leicesters and other breeds to produce mules. These are again moved further down the hill to be crossed with terminal sires to produce fat lambs.
https://meatpromotion.wales/en
Time for Change
We need to look at this traditional structure of the industry. The hill and draft ewe system is no longer necessary except to maintain communities. So, we must use just transition to help maintain a thriving countryside. This is what we should do !
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Cows Milk in our Diet – the Future
The future of cows milk in our diet is up for discussion. It is the most consumed dairy product in the world by volume and in the UK is cheaper than bottled water. By an accident of genetics, Caucasian peoples are able to digest cows milk, but many are intolerant to some degree. In contrast Asian origin people are, post infancy, unable to digest cows milk.
Founder of Earth and Leaf – Iain Dunn
“My career is founded on milk. Early on this was through the family farm. We milked about 36 cows to a bucket in traditional cowsheds. These cows frequently lived to 12 or more years of age. Later I attended Agricultural College and then University where I studied Agricultural Sciences. I am still learning about milk thirty six years later. I have spent most of my working life in the dairy industry mostly with cows but also with goats.”
Cows Milk in our Diet
Cow’s milk is not a great food source for vast numbers of people on our planet. There are good genetic reasons. This article from the BBC explains why; Why (some) humans have evolved to drink milk. This makes the future of cow’s milk a more interesting topic. It is a good reason to look at goat’s milk as an alternative. Why we Farm Cows and not Goats . . .
How is the future of goats milk compared to the future of cow’s milk?
It is good and that is a blessing for our planet. There is no future for cows milk in our diet, but it is also worth pointing out that many of the alternatives are unsustainable too.
Why not Cows ?
Quite simply it is an incredibly inefficient way to farm.
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The Power of Genomics – Improve Farm Sustainability
We must grasp the power of genomics firmly to help agriculture, but not simply to raise yields. We need to be smarter than that.
Read more: The Power of Genomics – Improve Farm Sustainability
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The Sahara was Once Green and it Can be Again with Your Help
The Sahara was Once Green
Did goats cause the desertification of the Sahara? We don’t think so, but it is possible.
What we do know is that the Sahara is growing. This is because of global warming and environmental pressures. If we can prevent that we must!
Goats and Cattle are the huge threat in Africa that will turn the Savannah into desert over time. There is strong evidence that the Sahara was smaller historically. We know it is expanding now, particularly with global warming.
https://www.popsci.com/sahara-desert-drought-humans/
You can also view this in our document library – https://earthandleaf.org/document/reforesting-senegals-deserts/
The Sahara was Once Green
I need to type lots more words to get my seo rank above 80. It is nearly there. Keyword density is 1.65, the focus keyword and combination appear 2 times. At least one external link with DoFollow was found in your content. There we go. Another great organisation is Ecosia, use their search engine to plant trees and rehabilitate ecosystems. They are doing amazing work in sub saharan Africa, along with the Rainforest Alliance.
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Sheep Farming Reform is Long Overdue
Sheep farming reform in Britain is overdue. We have unique system that produces about eight million lambs for slaughter each year. This system involves 18 million ewes when just 8 million should be enough. Why?
Tradition. We have what is known as a stratified sheep farming system. This is rooted in traditions of upland and moorland management. Progress in the new science of Genomics means we no longer need that system which would free millions of hectares of farmed land for other uses.
Sheep meat consumption is falling fast so we no longer need those eight million lambs. This is the ideal time for sheep farming reform in Britain. As our relationship with the EU develops exports are going to fall significantly. Some sixty percent of our lamb is exported. If we were to cease exports of lamb then we would only need about eight million ewes and that number will continue to fall in the next two decades.
Grouse shooting needs to end. Our uplands are burnt annually, drained and overgrazed by sheep purely to boost the population of native Grouse. This leads to flooding and disrupted river flow downstream and increases the difficulties caused by drought and flooding. Grouse shooting has other unpleasant side effects too – see what Raptor Persecution UK have to say about it.
Hill sheep are crossed to produce crossbred “mule” ewes which are sold or transferred to farms on lower ground to be crossed with a terminal sire. This is where the majority of lambs for meat are produced, male and female.
So we have a whole generation of hill sheep that are kept solely to produce reproductive sheep for lamb production. They generally have one lamb per ewe. The crossbred mules should average two lambs each. You don’t want more than two because a ewe has only two teats. With modern genomics this is a waste of time, land, labour and makes sheep farming very extensive. However with reform of the British sheep industry we MUST put in place just transition for the affected farmers and communities.
I have in the past been challenged with the argument that we have to use this sheep farming system because there is no other use for the uplands except sheep and beef farming along with Grouse shooting. They might add forestry. This is of course not the case.
The uplands are or should be a giant sponge absorbing rainfall and releasing it gently across the year feeding springs, rivers, reservoirs and regulating water flow that prevents flooding.
Historically this used the moors and hills for farming. Millions of hectares of land have been drained or gripped which increases water run off rates. This speeds up water flows from the hill to the sea. Along with dredging, straightening water courses and of course drainage systems lower down the hill destroy our rivers as habitat.
So how do we reform sheep farming?
We need to halve our lamb production and use genomics to make that lamb production efficient. This removes the need for “at scale” hill farming. If we take out some of the beef herds as well that gives us millions of hectares for conservation and recreation, adding the benefit of flood mitigation. This will enable us to increase the UK forest cover from 10% to 25%.
I propose we start sheep farming reform in our National Parks.
I conclude – there are many varied benefits to sheep farming reform in Britain.
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Time for Another Agricultural Revolution
It is Time for Another Agricultural Revolution
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Taking Account of Hidden Costs Results in Sustainable Food Production
Taking account of hidden costs in food production will result in sustainable food production. These hidden costs are called Externalities in traditional economics. That sounds really complicated. It isn’t.
True cost accounting is another way of looking at and evaluating these hidden costs.
This video was produced by Friends of the Earth
Economics is not taking account of externalities. In the science of economics the term externalities is used to lump together the external costs of an economic action or policy. Historically these have been difficult to measure.
These costs have to paid for eventually. This is usually by public health systems, the environment and ultimately by every single one of us. Global warming is an externality. Dealing with pollution is an externality. Another relevant example is the use of farm subsidies to make farming profitable. These subsidies are not reflected in food prices, but we pay instead through taxation.
Taking Account of Hidden Costs
Firstly this means that we will have to move to a new form of economics. The present system no longer works. Secondly we need governments to recognise this. This issue has very recently been highlighted by the United Nations. A great start! Here is a relevant article on True Cost Accounting which involves taking account of hidden costs:
