The principles of Gentle Farming
We farm in partnership with nature and soils.
We use 4 key principles in every farming decision we take.
Our results speak for themselves
Environmental
90%* less soil surface disturbance: Using no till techniques
40%* less artificial inputs: with the addition of organic fertilisers
100% Soil Cover: Using mulches and cover cropping
10% Areas for nature: Woodland, hedgerows, Meadows
Soil Life: Soil quality can be measured in the amount of Soil Organic Matter. 16 years ago our farms soil had ~ 4% SOM in 2022 we had ~ 10% SOM.
Biodiversity: In a recent survey 11 species of birds, 6 species of butterfly and 5 species of other insects were identified. The ruddy darter dragonfly was seen all over the farm.
Carbon: Total current soil carbon stock +95,000 tonnes
Sequestered a total of 534 tonnes of C02 per hectare of the last 15 years**
* Compared to a conventional farming system
** 6% SOM increase with 8.9 tonnes of C02 per 0.1% SOM
Crop Types | Industry average KG of C02eq per tonne of product (GLFI) | Gentle Farming KG of C02eq per tonne of product (2022) |
|---|---|---|
Spring Wheat | 351.55 | -93.74 |
Oats | 297.18 | -532.28 |
Winter Wheat
| 351.55 | -78.23 |
Financial
Yield: All of our crops now produce comparable yields to a conventional farming system. Achieving an average yield of 11.8 t / ha for winter wheat in 2022
Profitability: Our costs are ~27% less than a conventional farming system and our income is the same so we are more profitable per hectare
