Our blog
The latest ideas, opinions and innovations from people working in sustainable agriculture
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Hedgerows need to flower
Listening to a Gardener’s Question Time programme recently, I heard a lady ask the experts why her shrubs are not flowering as expected: "I prune...
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Mowing sainfoin for silage
This month Richard explains the process of making sainfoin silage at Daylesford. Starting off in the field he describes how the crop has been established...
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Can a neonic-free future be good for farming and nature?
The current buzz As I write this, the European Commission is considering whether to extend the current partial ban on neonicotinoid insecticides (neonics) - introduced...
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Editor's blog - Our first newsletter and 'Agricology in the Field'!
Welcome to the first ‘Editor’s blog’ and first Agricology newsletter - a double treat! You will be only too aware of the major challenges farmers...
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From 'Where the Birds Sing' to 'Fields for the Future'- a 25 year celebration!
British agriculture is a balance between food production and responsible environmental management. There are many challenges farmers and land owners face within their own businesses,...
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How can two sheep shape the future of your farm?
Picture a sheep... Bleating. Grazing. Chewing the cud. Following the crowd. Possibly lying on its back as sheep are wont to do. All typical sheep...
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Mechanical weeding project
The Royal Agricultural University (RAU) has been carrying out weeding trials at its Harnhill Manor Farm, near Cirencester, looking at the role of mechanical weeding...
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Farmer led policy - leading the way on reducing antibiotic use on farm
Can dairy farmers lead the way in the UK for antibiotic reduction? Why of course, it is already happening! A pilot project sponsored by AHDB...
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Antibiotics: can we keep farm animals well without them?
In 2010, I took a trip to Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and New York, USA, to ask some organic dairy farmers about how they managed health and...
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Homeopathy; a credible alternative to antibiotics
... and not just a load of old bull! What if somebody told you that there is a credible alternative to antibiotics, that it is...
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Bucking the trend: an alternative approach to couch control
How can we manage pernicious perennial weeds without recourse to agrochemicals, or cultivations that can damage soil structure and soil biology? For organic farmers that...
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How do you test your soil health?
The importance of soil health is now well recognised. With warnings that the UK’s soils have only 100 harvests left, and with flooding a growing...
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Harrow Combing Oats
Richard Smith, Senior Farm Manager at Daylesford Farm discusses harrow combing oats. The oats were drilled late in October which allows the crop to grow...
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Lambing 2017
This month Richard is re-visiting the sheep barn, explaining how they lamb at Daylesford. The sheep have been shorn, scanned and grouped into singles, doubles...
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Cover crop crossroads
Life is all about choices, some turn out well and others can fire a whole load of challenges your way. The same is true as...
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Breaking away from the flock … diversification in farming
It won’t be news to anyone in the farming sector that times are tough. Farming is influenced by many external elements meaning sometimes the only...
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New perspectives on farming
What happens when 42 people co-farm a field of wheat? In September 2015, 42 people; a motley bunch of bakers and bankers, neighbours and scientists...
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Companion crops are a farmer’s friend
Companion cropping can sometimes be a difficult term to define, but a learned fellow farmer, Andy Howard , describes it as growing two or more...
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Agroforestry - it's just trees on farms!
Speaking to a good friend of mine recently about agroforestry, and trying to explain what I actually meant by it, I ended up flippantly saying...
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Rearing beef cattle
This month Richard talks about the beef cattle at Daylesford , giving a few pointers on feeding regimes and calving management. There are three types...
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