Farm walk offers insight on sustainable farming viability – Agronomist & Arable Farmer

As sustainable and regenerative farming practices continue to gain momentum, and the concept of carbon farming continues to evolve, national farming cooperative Fram Farmers and carbon farming platform Agreena hosted an event last month to demonstrate how farming in this way can be a viable and successful business model.

The latest event in the series was hosted by Josh Stratton of JM Stratton & Co, bringing together a diverse community of farmers, industry experts and environmental advocates united by a common goal: to explore innovative and achievable solutions for a more sustainable and resilient agricultural landscape.

Established in 1914, JM Stratton & Co is a family-owned estate located within the Cranborne Chase AONB in Wiltshire. Arable combinable crops are central to its farming business, growing a rotation of wheat, barley, oats, peas and oilseed rape across 1,800ha.

Managing partner Josh Stratton has been at the helm of the business’s regenerative journey, which began in 2012. Since then, the farm has diversified; in 2014 Mr Stratton commissioned an anaerobic digestion (AD) plant that is fed on food waste and produces enough energy to power 3,700homes. The bi-product of this process produces enough PAS110 digestate to fertilise their arable crops, and generates enough heat to warm their glasshouse.

In 2022, Fram Farmers announced its partnership with Agreena, one of the first platforms across Europe to facilitate issuing and trading of carbon certificates for farmers.

“By partnering with Agreena to provide in-person events, we aim to help members fully understand how they can make a more sustainable approach to farming work for them, and maximise the value of their efforts,” said Andrew Knowles, Fram Farmers chief executive.

“With the changes taking place around the Sustainable Farming Incentive, we believe arable farming is going to alter considerably, and there is opportunity for the modern farmer to evolve with and benefit from this,” he added.

Taking the form of a farm walk, the day featured a diverse line-up of speakers, including host Mr Stratton, each bringing their expertise and insights on sustainable and regenerative agriculture to the table.

During his talk, he discussed his approach of considering his fields his ‘factory floor’. This ethos underpins everything Mr Stratton does on his farm, from direct drilling, digestate and straw chopping, to his AD plant, solar farm and hedgerow planting.

At a time when new environmental schemes are being introduced to farmers, Mr Stratton was keen to emphasise how he has subscribed to these schemes without risking productivity. He has also recently signed up to Hutchinson’s Helix farm trials, which evaluate technology and agronomic techniques alongside the wider effect on factors such as soil health, rotational planning and carbon footprint.

‘We have a holistic approach to business, and enjoy farming sustainably and working with our tenants and contract farming clients,” he explained. “We are constantly trying to improve our farm practices and have committed 300 acres to a Helix trials site. We are also part of the Wylye Valley Cluster Group, a group with 34 members covering more than 12,000ha, where we initiate and devise our own conservation plans in line with local environmental priorities.”