Farmer Focus: Change is inevitable – just don’t give up

Change is inevitable. Unfortunately, it is with a sad heart that I write I am no longer managing Brewood Park Farm.

The pain and anguish of losing the farm I have put my life and soul into is akin to losing another part of me. I feel I have been kicked and kicked since my accident and just when I come up for air, I get kicked again.

Nevertheless, that is the roller coaster of life. We never know what is waiting for us round the corner and sometimes it’s probably better we don’t.

I always say that as long as you don’t give up on life, life doesn’t give up on you.

See also: US research reveals benefits of regenerative agriculture

About the author

Tim Parton

Tim Parton manages 300ha in South Staffordshire growing winter wheat, OSR, spring barley, beans, oats, lupins and wild flowers as part of a biological farming system. He grows cover crops and grass for haylage across sandy clay loam soils.

Read more articles by Tim Parton

I had a fantastic few days at Groundswell launching my new book, Intelligent Farming, which is now available on Amazon.

The book depicts my journey into regenerative agriculture. I am starting to despise the word, “regenerative”, as it has been diluted so much and everybody is confused by its meaning. 

Once a word becomes an identity, a “label”, society is divided on whose system is better.

Contrary to dividing farmers, we need to come together to work to produce healthy, functioning soils to yield healthier, nutritious food.

We must change the way we farm, and I hope my book explains the whys and the hows.

Moving forward I will continue to consult for other people, as I have been doing for the past few years around the world.

Fortunately, I have a buggy and various wheelchair adaptations that I can trek around farms to enable me to offer this service.

I will continue to give talks and progress The Green Farm Collective, and thus be kept busy going forward.

Crops this year vary tremendously around the country, dependent on rainfall. I have supported numerous farmers through the growing season without the use of fungicides.

Potassium has been majorly deficient this year across the UK.

I put this down to the dry season, and nitrogen becoming available in large amounts when water finally arrived, locking up potassium.