It is widely acknowledged that UK farming is set to undergo somewhat of a revolution. With external factors driving a period of rapid change. Farming is an industry that inherently follows the traditions of its predecessor. The average framer is now over 60 years old, and we are in the midst of a technology boom that affects all walks of life, and farmers must adopt the benefits that Agritech can offer or be left behind.
Climate change too is having an effect whereby more frequent extreme weather events can harm crops, yet shifting temperate growing boundaries also bring new opportunities to grow crops that were previously only seen in further south. Farm business has in recent times relied heavily on subsidies, paid out per acreage, yet following Brexit the ways these payments are made will soon be based on a ‘polluter pays’ bases and on how land managers look after there natural resources (public goods) such as air, water, and soil quality.
Consumer choices are shifting, also, meat is now almost a dirty word, people are more conscious about the provenance of the food they eat, and quite rightly the use of herbicides and pesticides is being tightened so farmers are having to turn towards natural answers instead of quick fixes that harm the environment.
We went into farming at Trelonk with our eyes open to these problems, with the aim to be a progressive and boutique farm, through cultivating nutrient-dense, climate-smart crops using regenerative practices to develop an authentic product that consumers could trust, which value meant we are not dependent on government support.
It is still very early days, as we just draw the curtain on our ‘prototype’ cropping year but we feel we are on the right track that our farm business will help solve the problems faced. There is great opportunity ahead for the future of farming but it is both very bright and very different. (Image © Bence Bella-Schnottner )
