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The latest ideas, opinions and innovations from people working in sustainable agriculture
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Dealing with diamond-backs!
If you search for ‘diamondback’ in the social media then you will find posts about bicycles, guns, terrapins, snakes and several other weird and wonderful...
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Choosing a Bull - Agricology Vlog December 2018
In December's vlog, Richard Smith, Farms Manager for Daylesford Organic, discusses strategies that he employs when choosing a bull (Daylesford stock pedigree registered Aberdeen Angus...
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Farmer clusters: why they’re a good recipe to protect soil, water and wildlife
Farmer clusters are a bit of a ‘buzzword’ amongst those involved with conservation of wildlife and protection of resources on farmland. The idea of neighbouring...
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Your farm, your future... digging deep
I recently attended the Northern Farming Conference in Hexham. This year's theme was ‘Your Farm, Your Future’ and provided fodder for considering how to progress...
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Take the October Soil Test Challenge & get free advice from a soil health expert
Soil is your most important resource as a farmer, but do you really understand it and know how to improve it? This month we challenge...
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Autumn Cultivations - Agricology Vlog October 18
In this months Agricology mini vlog, Richard Smith, Farms Manager for Daylesford Organic, discusses ploughing up a red clover ley in preparation to sow a...
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Community-supported farming, seed saving & 'the fight against blight'
Community-supported farming gives people the opportunity to define their own food and agriculture. The agroecology approach encourages using local resources effectively, recycling of nutrients and...
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Seeds - our culture and our future
Cultivating diversity is one way for smaller organic growers, selling directly to the consumer, to differentiate themselves from the uniform offerings of the multiple retailers...
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Enterprise Stacking & Agroforestry; Chickens, Orchards, Biomass & Market Gardens - Update
This vlog is the second in what will be a series of updates following a recent agroforestry project which used a Woodland Trust grant to...
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Potato blight - is the answer beneath the covers?
Potatoes grown in the UK are at risk from 26 different diseases. It is vital therefore to investigate methods and varieties that reduce the cost...
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Sainfoin Nutritional Analysis
In this months Agricology vlog, Richard Smith (Farm Manager at Daylesford Organic Farm) gives an update on the nutritional analysis that was carried out on...
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Making your soil rain-ready (part 2): Time to look ahead
Following-on from part 1 , where I focused on observations of soil structure (as a measure of soil health) and what conclusions could be drawn...
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Soil, light and 3D farming
Light is a critical factor for photosynthesis and therefore crop growth. The soil also has a key role to play and a healthy, fertile soil...
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Making your soil rain-ready (part 1): Skywatchers, it's time to look down
It’s been a “funny old year” - from the wet, water-logged winter-spring to the dry spring-summer. During the prolonged dry spell, people were watching the...
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Agroforestry is the missing agro-ecological element
A farmer’s reflection on the EURAF 2018 Conference... I am an organic, pasture fed and regenerative farmer in the Cotswolds at Conygree Farm on the...
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Pasture-based systems - sainfoin & red clover
In this months Agricology vlog, Richard Smith (Farm Manager at Daylesford Organic Farm) discusses everything sainfoin; when to cut for silage, how it is withstanding...
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Challenging times for farmers affected by drought
As you will only be too well aware, the prolonged hot and dry weather conditions have created difficulties in meeting the requirements of rural grant...
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Soil management
(Taken from 'Churchill Travel Blog: soil management in USA, Switzerland and Denmark') Soil is the primary means of producing food and the basis of human...
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No-till, 'flower power' & 'the farmer's nemesis'
June was a really busy (and hot!) month for the Agricology team packed full of some great events, one of which was the no-till conference...
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How is the pasture-fed innovative practitioners’ project going?
Naturally productive systems which support large numbers of grazing livestock have provided inspiration for Pasture for Life (PfL) certified producers to adopt pasture management practices...
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