Farm Net Zero - An insight into Blable Farm

The Cornish farming community is taking action to reach Net Zero goals by trialling progressive strategies, implementing change and promoting their successes, as well as failings.

Farm Net Zero (FNZ) is a project ingrained with peer-to-peer learning, on farm trials and community support. Funded by The National Lottery Community Fund, this Cornwall based project aims to highlight the contribution that agriculture can make to achieving Net Zero.

Organisations working alongside the Cornish farming community include Duchy College Rural Business School, the Farm Carbon Toolkit, Westcountry Rivers Trust, Innovative Farmers, Just Farmers and our team here at Innovation for Agriculture.

Earlier this month, the project hosted a conference at Blable Farm with owners Mike Roberts and his son Sam, allowing us the opportunity to learn more about their farming practices.

Blable Farm is one of three demo farms incorporated into this project. The demonstration farms are there to act as hubs for training and inspiration for other farmers. Each demonstration farmer will have bespoke help and guidance throughout the project duration with the goal of reaching Net Zero. Regular carbon footprinting by the Farm Carbon Toolkit will assess progress.

The Blable Farm herd of 150 stabiliser cows and 115 yearlings are managed through differed paddock grazing of grass and herbal leys, and supplementary arable silage feeds. With the help of the Precision Grazing Company, Blable Farm has changed its strategy towards rotational grazing and is incorporating a greater diversity of species within their sward. This mixture includes: daiken radish, winter vetch, forage rye, oats, chickery, cocksfoot, plantain and a variety of clover. 

The Roberts' have worked hard to diversify with their meat supply into direct box schemes and are also undertaking a sequence of renewable energy projects. 

By integrating compost to improve soil fertility sourced from The Green Waste Company supply at £2 a tonne, artificial inputs have been dramatically reduced. They are also embarking on an out-winter grazing trial with their cattle, more information on which can be found by clicking here.

To learn more about this farming enterprise and the changes that they are making, watch the video below. We look forward to updating you on their journey to Net Zero!