US regen farming guru set for Cumbrian conference visit
Greg Judy © Greg Judy A world-leading regenerative farmer will visit the UK this summer to nurture farmers keen on creating resilient, inflation-proof systems.
Missouri livestock farmer Greg Judy is the headline speaker at the inaugural Carbon Calling conference, a weekend event near Penrith, Cumbria intended to share knowledge about grass and forage-based livestock.
The author of How to Think Like a Grazier, Mr Judy has featured in books, webinars and Ted talks, and will deliver a talk entitled “What does farming need to look like?”.
See also: Organic mob grazing system cuts £380/livestock unit on estate
Conference information
- 24-26 June
- Sleastonhow, Kirkby Thore, Penrith, CA10 1XL
- @carboncallfarm on Twitter
- Hosted by Tim Nicolson at Sleastonhow Farm, the conference is being spearheaded by Cumbrian beef and sheep farmers Nic and Paul Renison, and consultant and Lincolnshire farmer Liz Genever, formerly of AHDB Beef and Lamb.
From facing bankruptcy in 1999 at the family farm, Mr Judy went on to turn a profit with regenerative farming. The business now ranges over 12 other farms.
Work with nature
Addressing a recent Carbon Calling webinar, Mr Judy said he went from running a loss-making farm working with big agricultural chemical companies to being a profitable farm that works with nature.
“I’d wake up in the morning and the first thing I’d ask myself was, ‘What can I kill today?’,” he said.
“If we learn to mimic nature instead of fighting it all the time, we can make a good living, and, at the end of the day, there’s something to hand down to the next generation.”
He added that although he grew up on a farm, he had never valued grass or healthy soil properly.
“I was going to a lot of universities and they were teaching bigger weaning weights and more milk. But I’ve learnt that it’s not about profit per head, it’s profit per acre that matters.”
Tickets for the event start at £50 for one day of the conference, and can be bought here
Conference line-up
The programme of speakers includes:
- Janet Hughes, programme director for the Future Farming and Countryside Programme
- Sheila Dillon from The Food Programme on BBC Radio 4
- James Robinson, an organic dairy farmer
- Jane Lane from Westmorland family (Tebay and Gloucester Services)
- Michael Blanche from the Pasture Pod
- Charley Walker, beef and sheep farmer
- Alex Brewster from Powered Pasture
- Andy Rumming from Andy Rumming’s Beef
- Jon Francis from Paddock Farm
- Martin Gott from St James Cheese.