Good afternoon,
It’s a big week on the farm - the herd are moving outdoors! It is pure joy to watch the animals jostle their way onto the pasture and we’re hoping the sun dries out the ground sufficiently to get them all out over the next couple of days.
Keep your fingers crossed for us.
Today’s people profile focuses on Andrew, the chap who co-kicked things off at Trenchmore 9 years ago and who is the driving force responsible for getting us to where we are today. Also, my boss and my dad so treading carefully here…
Similar to Nev, Andrew didn’t grow up on a farm but was bitten by the agricultural bug (there must be an ointment somewhere..?!) at the tender age of 8 after spending the summer helping a Welsh dairy farmer. Not deterred by the early starts, Andrew entered a writing competition sponsored by Westminster Bank on why we should save. He wrote about saving to buy cows and won the competition.
After graduating with a degree in agriculture, he went to work with a commercial cattle herd. This was the mid 80’s when Big Ag was very big and conventional farming methods were being taught and practiced across the country. Profits and yields trumped welfare and sustainability for most farmers, but Andrew wanted to do it differently. Much to his frustration, he soon realised that without patrimony, matrimony or parsimony he would struggle to ever have his own farm and look after his animals as he’d like.
He wanted the opportunity to give his cattle a good life, to graze grass and suckle their young. He wanted to run a farm that proudly held up three pillars of sustainability - ethical, environmental and economic.
So after a 30 year stint in branding and family rearing, Andrew managed to return to the land. An opportunity to farm the land surrounding our family house came up so we went for it.
After decades of intensive arable farming, the land had lost a lot of top soil and fertility so we set about improving it. Water pipes were laid, fencing was repaired and natural ecosystems were restored. Cattle get more than their fair share of bad press when it comes to the climate - the science (and our anecdotal experiences) show that they are instrumental in restoring depleted land. Methods like mob grazing and muck spreading help to capture carbon in the soil, improving its fertility and taking carbon out of the atmosphere.
Trenchmore is an integrated mixed farm and Andrew organises the beef, cider and arable so that they all work together and in balance with nature. He is proud to produce delicious and nutritionally dense foods, whilst improving our soils and working with our community.
He has high standards and won’t accept mediocracy, which is why you will often find him working the longest and hardest out of all of us. But he has much to show for it - those who have visited Trenchmore will have noticed how lush our grasses are, how beautiful our yard is, how happy our cattle look and how delicious our produce is. We have Andrew to thank for making it happen.
Date for your diary: April 17th, 12pm.
Assuming no bumps in the roadmap, The Trenchmore Arms will be open again, serving a Sopi Pizza with one hand and a Silly Moo Cider with the other. Heaven.
Pizza booking will be available through Sopi’s website from 11th April.
Things to watch, read and enjoy…
Alison Roman’s short rib recipe for the next time you get your hands on some Trenchmore short ribs
The upcoming Green Books event -Investing To Save The Planet
Derek from Daylands Farm - look out for him and his gorgeous produce at Sussex farmer’s markets
The How to Save a Planet podcast episode on soil health and regenerative agriculture
