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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…
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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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Inspiring People and Awesome Organisations
These inspiring people and awesome organisations have encouraged us to form the Earth and Leaf Community Interest Company and do something positive in the environment and farming sector. Number One The inspiring Sally Phillips from Buy Land Plant Trees There is an article in our document library highlighting her work. Sally Phillips bought Low Fell in the Lake District three years ago through her company Buy Land Plant Trees. Read on here … about the first of our inspiring people and awesome organisations. Number Two Wicton Farm are doing dairy differently, its refreshing Number Three Matt Staniek. The article in our document library highlights Sally’s work. Number Four Dave Blackledge, the Hero of Hodbarrow
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La Nina Returns – Is it Going to Save the World?
La Nina returns. El Nino is over. If correct then this is fantastic news for the planet and for the Amazon rainforest. IF it cools the oceans as it usually does … There are two unusual, but significant climate patterns in the Pacific Ocean, El Nino and La Nina. Normally trade winds blow west along the equator, taking warm water from South America towards Asia. To replace that warm water, cold water rises from the depths, upwelling. El Nino exacerbates global warming. La Nina cools the planet. How? During La Nina the trade winds blow more strongly, causing more upwelling. Quite simply this cools the Pacific Ocean and therefore the globe. https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/ninonina.html Of course, this merely buys us time. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-68826152
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Why is it raining so much ?
Why is it raining so much ? It’s very simple. Global warming! Warmer air holds more water vapour. As a result there is more water up there and eventually it has to leave the atmosphere! So it ends up down here. Also where has the snow gone. We don’t have hard winters any more. Rising temperatures are to blame. Its also typical to complain about the weather. It does have to rain otherwise we wouldn’t be here. Why is it raining so much? South East Wales today 25/11/24 South Wales has experienced some of the worst impacts – Welsh First Minister Eluned Morgan says the floods are “absolutely devastating” But it gets more complicated than that ….. Why is it raining so much or why isn’t it raining so much? In some places it isn’t raining enough, like The Pantanal. There are devastating droughts in South Africa. It will get worse too as we continue to heat our world. Farming is hit hard, this will affect yields next year. Our actions also affect the jet…
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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…
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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…
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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. LINK
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Mushrooms are the Future of Our Diet and of our World
Mushrooms are the Future. I grew up on a farm that had fields full of Field Mushrooms and Puffballs every autumn. We also had Shaggy Inkcaps and a large number of others fungi too. The Inkcaps grew in a straight line across a large field next to an ancient bridleway. I always wondered why. Now I know – there used to be a hedge there, an ancient hedge. I have never worked on another farm since with a huge variety of fungi out there. They were always near the edge of the wood or a hedge. Sometimes they would appear where a hedge used to be! Key to this is that we used very little artificial fertiliser and no herbicides. Mushrooms are the future of our world. When we destroy ancient forest, we destroy a vast network of underground piping and plumbing that helps capture carbon and sustain our world. Mushrooms are the Future The Vegan Food and Living publication is a useful reference.
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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 Internal Link 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…
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Green-washing at Drax Uncovered by Panorama
Last year Ofgem committed to investigating apparent Green-washing Drax: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2023/may/31/ofgem-investigation-drax-compliance-biomass-renewable-energy-subsidy-scheme Here is a little of the detail from the BBC Panorama investigation, Green-washing at Drax. Once the program becomes available it will feature on here. Meanwhile global warming continues and so does green-washing. In response to the latest findings by the BBC, Drax admitted it has taken wood from old-growth forests. But it told Panorama that 77% of the material for its Canadian wood pellets came from sawdust and sawmill residues, with the rest coming from forestry residues and low-grade logs. A spokesman for the company says that it keeps its sourcing policy and practices under regular review so that they “take account of evolving forest dynamics, legislation, policy, and science”. Drax says that it decided in October 2023 to stop sourcing wood from old-growth priority deferral areas, and that “work to implement this decision through the supply chain is ongoing”. The company doesn’t dispute that it is still taking wood from old-growth sites that are not priority deferral areas. The burning of wood from…
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Green-washing isnt so Green after all
On Radio 5 this morning I realised green-washing isnt so green after all, 7th February 2024 featured a discussion on flying and private jets. A listener messaged in to say “Ive planted over 1000 trees so I will fly as much as I like.” Oh dear! My immediate response was; “Firstly this listener doesn’t understand global warming and climate change. Secondly, he feels entitled, although he plants trees which is good. Thirdly, has he planted the trees or simply used offsets or bought carbon credits.” Now to the 1st of March, concerning Drax Power station in Yorkshire. The first thing to say about Drax is it is counted as a renewable energy plant because it burns wood chips. In other words it is not renewable energy. Most importantly he whole plant and its supply chain is mired in greenwashing. Here is the recent article from the BBC: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-68381160 First of all, cutting own ancient forest in North America to fuel British power stations is utter lunacy and environmental vandalism. Additionally cutting down forests in North…
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Sheep Farming Reform is Long Overdue
Sheep farming reform is long overdue in the UK. 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…
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Time to Take Action on Nature Decline
It is time to take action on nature decline. A report today by the Office for Environmental Protection states; “If action is not taken England risks an irreversible spiral of decline in its nature” Here’s the report from World at One: Government remains largely off track to meet its environmental ambitions, finds OEP in annual progress report. It is time to take action on nature decline. 18.01.2024 Government remains largely off track to meets its environmental ambitions and must speed up and scale up its efforts in order to achieve them, the Office for Environmental Protection (OEP) has found in its annual progress report. The OEP report provides an assessment of government’s progress towards legally-binding environmental targets and the goals of its Environmental Improvement Plan (EIP). It covers the period 1 April 2022 to 31 March 2023. It also includes content on selected cross-cutting themes, such as nature-friendly farming, and a more in-depth assessment focused on government’s apex goal of achieving ‘thriving plants and wildlife’. Dame Glenys Stacey, Chair of the OEP, said: “While some…
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Interesting Stuff Going on at Home
Wickham Fen https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cambridgeshire-67933864 Knepp Castle Estate is leading in re-wilding projects in the UK in West Sussex. Here’s a short film on their beaver reintroduction project: Finally, there are also lots of interesting things going on around the world. Click Here!
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Interesting Stuff Going on Around the World
Wow https://orangutan.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=e1bedc0d32dbb4e95a8fc9748&id=97a6777442&e=1154216cea Rain at last in North Sumatra Ive re-watched Earth. It really is an important must watch for everyone https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p0fpwlny/earth-series-1-2-snowball The Rainforest Alliance protects rainforests and helps farmers and indigenous communities. https://thrive.rainforest-alliance.org/webmail/869601/1096539028/f64e23130a4d13568029d7fc446e97bc4db42c4e819f0835a8a3f0948f49173a This is a great project in Borneo https://www.cardiff.ac.uk/documents/2484428-regrow-borneo-pilot-year-impact-report Finally, there are also lots of interesting things going on at home in the UK. Click Here!
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Time for Another Agricultural Revolution
It is Time for Another Agricultural Revolution
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Join the Earth and Leaf Community
Join the Earth and Leaf Community to help you to “reduce your carbon footprint”. Simply tell us in 250 words what your group does. We will assess your application and set a reasonable and appropriate annual or monthly fee. Send your application to info@earthandleaf.org. Denis in LLandudno, on the pier Individual membership is £4 a month. Individual members will receive a free kindle copy of the book Leaf Letters once they have completed a year of membership. What do you get if you join the Earth and Leaf Community If you wish to join us as an individual please visit Join Earth and Leaf If you want to learn more about sustainable farming have a look at The Rainforest Alliance
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Global Warming and Climate Change – Despite all the Warnings
Have a look at this, despite all the warnings on Global Warming and Climate Change, little is being done. Everyone on this world has to reduce carbon emissions and do all they can to grow and rehabilitate rain forest in order to slow global warming. Tourist destinations of natural beauty only exist because of our beautiful fragile green globe. Then someone does this! The Mexican government has driven a huge railway through the Yucatan Rain forest. Its a crime against humanity if you would like humanity to survive rather than make a lot of money for a very few people. https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20240102-the-train-maya-mexicos-ambitious-new-tourism-megaproject Global warming and climate change The destruction of the Pantanal surely should impact everyone on the globe.
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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 the correct way to look at and evaluate these hidden costs. Mainstream economics hides these costs with good reason. Many seemingly profitable economic decisions would not be taken if these costs were taken into account. This change in our economic system is vital to protect our world. It is also vital that the system is adopted by the United Nations, the only way that China, Russia, India and in particular, the USA can be pressurised to comply. This video was produced by Friends of the Earth Taking Account of Hidden Costs Classical economics does not take 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 we have been informed that these costs are very difficult to measure; so they are ignored which is really convenient…
