The Source

A Cumbrian farm purchased by Addington Fund has become the launchpad for an ambitious new scheme helping young entrants into agriculture.

Construction is now underway on the Tiny Trailer Abattoir, a ground breaking project led by Orkney farmer Jane Cooper, who is part‑funding the initiative to end the long and stressful journeys her rare breed Boreray sheep currently face.

The Forage for CH4nge project – funded by Innovate UK - brought together farmers and scientists in a bid to better understand how traditional breeds and different pastures can help reduce the environmental impact of sheep farming. 

The establishment of rare arable plants in spring barley suppressed common weeds and reduced their coverage. This led us to the assumption of a natural weed suppression that can be considered for biodiversity-enhancing approaches in weed management. For weed management, we recommend seeding mixtures of RAP, whereas topsoil translocation requires further investigation to ensure optimal application.

Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco) and Maritime pine (Pinus pinaster Ait.) established well on most sites, and may be more versatile species than is often assumed.

Circular bioeconomy can improve ruminant sustainability, but needs systemic change. Precision feeding and the use of food waste can lower methane and waste impacts. Feed additives and gene editing provide potential tools to lower enteric methane. Life cycle assessment and modeling quantify trade-offs and co-benefits. Policies and finance should enable adoption, especially in low-income regions.

This review summarizes the current evidence of approaches ranging from phytochemicals to botanicals, nutritional and mineral modulators, microbiome-directed biotics and metabolites, immunological effectors, nanodelivery systems and omics-guided platforms. Collectively, these strategies intervene at multiple biological nodes, from a direct parasitic effect at different developmental stages of the parasite to preserving mucosal architecture and modulating host immunity, reprogramming gut microbial ecology and improving metabolic resilience during infection.

Intercropping has demonstrated an ability to provide more resilience on farms, particularly in low input systems. It can produce higher total yields, higher quality products and more crop protein than monocrops. It can potentially increase resilience and reduce risk. 

The more intensive tillage methods tested (rotary tiller, disc harrow, stubble harrow) did not provide significantly better perennial weed control than the horizontal root cutter. Treatments with the vertical root cutter had 40% less E. repens and 22% less S. arvensis shoot biomass than treatments without the vertical root cutter.

Over 1961 to 2021, we find that Total Factor Productivity growth—which captures the sector’s ability to produce more output per unit of measured input—has consistently remained one of the main sources of GHG emission reduction within farms.

Short lying bouts, incomplete bouts, and memory were tested as pain indicators. Band and surgical castration were used as pain sources. Total lying bouts did not differ between castration methods.

This report, funded by the Agile Initiative, presents insights from a year of engagement with UK food system stakeholders and experts to unpick the ambiguity of Regenerative Agriculture (Regen Ag). It considers if, how, and to what extent Regen Ag could support the pursuit of local, national and international goals for the UK food system, and what policy interventions might facilitate this role and help to avoid the potential pitfalls associated with this contested concept.