Good afternoon,

We put a group of cows in the orchard yesterday, which just feels correct. They won’t stay more than a few days as the grass won’t sustain them for longer, but it’s lovely to have them in there for now. The 6 or 7ml of rain we’ve had over the last two days has been welcome, and without wanting to dampen this sublime spring, a few more would definitely do the grass some good.

I listened to The Food Programme episode on regenerative farming a few days ago, which reminded me to talk about it more - on here and in person, if you fancy a chat in the yard on Saturdays. It’s a term that I’m guilty of throwing around, and as it hasn’t been clearly defined and probably still isn’t widely understood, it might sometimes land as a little meaningless or green washy. Our understanding of it is farming in a way that promotes soil health, biodiversity & captures carbon. Regenerating the land, to get it back into a better position for things to thrive on their own terms again.

So in an effort to do better, you can expect a little more on this from me moving forward. The reason I mention it today is because ground cover is one of the important elements of regenerative agriculture, and the recent dry and sunny weather has made a strong case for it.

Two neighbouring fields photographed on Tuesday evening - the first being bare and looking parched. The cracks of dried ground go 3 or 4 inches deep, and the health of that soil will have been compromised. The second with grass cover, which looks a little thirsty too, but the soil beneath is soft and damp. The roots from the grass go deep into the ground and pull up moisture from below which sustains the top layers until the next rainfall. It protects the top soil from erosion from strong winds, strong rain and unusually dry periods - all of which we can expect to see more and more.

This isn’t revolutionary, I’m sure most of you will be familiar with the basics principles of how things grow best. But it is one of the things that conventional farmers might not have prioritised because a cover crop isn’t necessarily a cash crop. Committing to farming regeneratively means we include long term soil health in our plans and processes. Not everything goes to plan, but constant ground cover is something we’re pretty good at.

If you’re considering popping in tomorrow, Laura is running the shop & tap. The fridges are full of tomahawks, sirloins, fillets & rump joints. Next week is our Spring Market so if we don’t see you tomorrow, we hope to see you then.