Event Date
Mob grazing at Home Farm, Dorset

Join Innovative Farmers and Tom & Sophie Gregory for a farm walk and discussion on how mob grazing affects soils, pasture growth and yields

Tom and Sophie Gregory are first-generation organic farmers who milk 400 dairy cows and also have beef and arable enterprises on the farm. Their dairy system is based on regenerative principles including mob grazing – the focus of this event. They are one of six farms in a field lab testing whether a grazing system based on extended resting periods and optimal recovery can improve sward resilience and soil health without impacting forage quality or milk yield.

The event will include a tour of the farm, lunch, speakers on grazing management and soil carbon, and a farmer panel discussing the practicalities and impact of tall grass grazing.

The farm walk will include visits to the mob grazing field trials and a bonus visit to see some trials on hot composting farmyard manure!

This event is free to attend.

Speakers:

  • Tom Gregory (Home Farm, Sadborow Estate)
  • Becky Willson (Farm Carbon Toolkit)
  • A panel of other triallists and field lab coordinator Kate Still (Soil Association)

Agenda:

  • 10:30am: Tea, coffee
  • 11:00am: Start - intros, discussion on perceived barriers to mob grazing
  • 11:30 - 1:30pm: Farm walk, visit mob grazing fields and hot composting FYM trials
  • 1:30 - 2:30pm: Lunch
  • 2:30 - 3pm: Grazing management for soil carbon
  • 3 - 4pm: Panel discussion with farmers in the mob grazing field lab, Q&A
  • 4pm: Close

More information and reserve your ticket

Innovative Farmers is a not for profit network giving farmers research support and funding on their own terms. Through trialling, testing and hands-on research, we help farmers find lasting solutions to practical problems. The network is led by the Soil Association and supported by funders including the King Charles Charitable Fund and Swire Charitable Trust.

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Innovative Farmers was established in 2012 by the Soil Association with the aim of bringing scientific rigour to on-farm trials co-designed by farmers and researchers. With a focus on sustainability and resilience, groups come together on discrete topics and on-farm trials addressing the topics that matter to them.

Regenerative farming looks to optimise the use of the ecological system and environment, in order to benefit from the natural ecosystem services that they provide.

The Farming and Land Use Team at the Soil Association have a specialist knowledge of all UK agricultural sectors as well as in depth understanding of organic and agroecological food production systems. Our goal is to support organic and non-organic farmers alike to transition towards more sustainable practices.

The intricate web of relationships between physical, chemical and biological soil components underpins crop and livestock health and productivity.

Mob grazing is a form of intensive managed grazing where large numbers of animals graze a small area of land for a short period of time. There is increasing interest in this system due to perceived productivity and environmental benefits. However, there is very limited research to quantify the impact of mob grazing systems, and many farmers adopting the system have been influenced by anecdotal evidence from other farmers.

Dairy production is a critical component of the agriculture industry focused on the sustainable production of milk and milk-derived products.

Grass in farming is interconnected with livestock systems for their feed, in the form of grazing, haylage and silage, and is also used as 'leys' (short-term grasslands) to regenerate soil structure and quality.

Beef production encompasses various stages, from breeding and rearing to processing and distribution.