Profit and sustainability go hand-in-hand in Monmouthshire

Over the next 12 months, three farm businesses from across the county are being given the chance to learn how regenerative farming practices such as planting cover crops and improving soil diversity can help improve their productivity and the land they farm on.

With one to one advice from renowned regenerative farming expert Ben Taylor Davies, also known as ‘Regen Ben’, each business will incorporate different practices and track what impact they have on their businesses over the year.

The scheme’s organisers hope that by following their stories, other farmers in Monmouthshire and across Wales will be inspired to incorporate regenerative farming practices into their businesses, helping make the country’s farms more sustainable and productive in the long-term.

“Regenerative agriculture is about taking a more holistic approach to farming, helping to improve soils, support natural habitats, boost yields and ultimately raise farm profitability,” said farm consultant Ben, who farms in Ross-on-Wye.

“I’m delighted to be working with farmers in Monmouthshire to help them create an action plan covering topics like farm profitability, revenue streams, carbon sequestration and soil health, and helping them to see how they can take steps toward regenerating their land and making their businesses more resilient.”

Tom Jones, farm manager at the Llanover Estate, one of the businesses selected to be involved in the project, said he was excited to learn how to apply the theory of regenerative agriculture across the 3000 acre estate and beyond.

“We’ve read a lot of theory about regenerative agriculture, but we’re looking forward to joining the dots with Ben and formulating a sustainable plan that we can expand through the estate and the local community,” he said.

“We want to be a business people can learn from, whether that’s farms on the estate or beyond, or members of the public who want to visit and learn about food production and the environment. We hope this project will help us achieve that goal, and that other businesses can gain something from our experiences, too.”

Laura Pollock, who farms beef and sheep at Lower House Farm in Monmouthshire with her partner, Matt Brooks, said they hope to use their place in the scheme to learn how to balance the social, economic and environmental elements of running a farm business.

“Matt’s approach to farming has always been regenerative, but because we only have the tenancy for five years initially we want to learn what we can do that will make a difference quickly, without being too expensive,” she said.

“We’re looking forward to doing biodiversity mapping so we can learn what birds, bees and bugs are on the farm already, as well as looking at how we can improve our soils to improve drainage as we get a lot of rainfall on the farm.

“We’re also curious to work with other people to find ways to innovate and create a low-input system that’s profitable and supports the environment,” she added. “Part of that will be looking at our animal feed and finding an alternative to soya, so that our farm’s environmental footprint is kept as small as possible.”

Meanwhile Ryan Whittle, who runs Monmouth-based Square Farm, a 190-acre organic beef, sheep and pig enterprise with a farm shop, in partnership with his father, Robert, said he was looking forward to learning about how regenerative farming practices could help make their businesses more resilient.

“We’re organic and have always farmed with the environment in mind, but we know there’s much more to learn,” he said. “We’re particularly interested in looking at our soil health and measuring the impact any changes we make to our pasture management have over the next year.”

Facilitated through ACE Monmouth, a town council partnership, the scheme is being funded by Monmouthshire Food Partnership, Size of Wales/Co-op Foundation, and the Wye Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty through the Welsh Government’s Sustainable Development Fund.

Peter Fox, Member of the Senedd for Monmouth, said the project would help farmers across Wales see how regenerative farming practices can work in harmony with nature while producing high quality food.

“Regenerative farming practices can help farmers adjust their systems while remaining profitable, which is vital if we’re to see sustainable farm businesses,” he said.

Catrin Maby, Monmouthshire County Council’s cabinet member for Climate Change and the Environment, said the project will do essential work in helping farmers to transition to more sustainable practices.

“This project is important because it provides practical support and an example of good practice in our local area, as well as a basis for knowledge exchange both locally and beyond,” she added.

“Regenerative farming has the potential to address many of the environmental challenges Monmouthshire faces, so it will be wonderful to see farmers across the county — and beyond — take up these approaches.”

To help share knowledge and experiences of using regenerative farming practices across Monmouthshire and beyond, a Facebook group called ‘Talk Farm Regen Monmouthshire’ has also been set up as part of the initiative.

A total of £13, 567 has been awarded to ACE Monmouth to facilitate the regenerative farming mentoring project. This includes £6,067 from the Welsh Government’s Sustainable Development Fund (SDF) in the Wye Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), £5,000 from Monmouthshire Food Partnership and £2,500 from Size of Wales and Coop Carbon Innovation Fund.

Over the coming months, the group – supported by Monmouthshire County Council through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund – will be hosting local regenerative agriculture events for farmers and growers to attend.

All details are available via the Facebook group at facebook.com/ talkfarmregenmonmouthshire