Integrating livestock into an arable system

The regenagri podcast talks with industry experts to explore the future of farming and the hot topics surrounding the global movement of regenerative agriculture. In episode 21, Rose Riley from Control Union UK, welcomes Sophie Alexander, from Hemsworth Farm in Dorset, England. After taking her farm over in 2011, Sophie has introduced a dairy herd to what had previously been a predominantly arable enterprise. In this episode, we explore how livestock were introduced to the farm, how the impact of having cows grazing benefits the arable side of the business and overcoming some of the initial challenges with introducing livestock. Sophie also shares how the dairy herd have become a vital component for driving the farm’s ‘ecological engine,’ resulting in healthy soils and increased biodiversity. The dairy side of the business also improved the farm’s financial resilience as it brings a consistent cash flow, complimenting the arable activities, in which there is a long wait between investing in establishing a crop and seeing any financial return from it.