As an organic farmer, John has an ingrained interest in farming in harmony with the environment so had no hesitation in signing up for the Programme for the Improvement in Sustainability of (red) Meat (PRISM 2030) initiative, which was launched in November 2022 by ABP UK, one of Europe’s leading privately owned food processors.
Agrecalc’s consultancy partners, The Andersons Centre, used our technology to calculate and – together with Professor Jude Capper from Harper Adams University – give suggestions to improve the carbon footprint and business efficiency at 47/ha Kittisford Barton Farm, near Wellington in Somerset.
John, aged 36, grew up on the family farm but left school to take up a place at military college. This led to instructing outdoor pursuits in France, followed by a sports science degree and finally back home to his farming roots.
“My attitude was very much let’s try this carbon calculation and see what bits we can learn,” explains John. “On a personal level I feel farmers – and more specifically cows – get an undeserved bad press when it comes to emissions.”
The farm has been organic since 2000 and runs a simple system of buying in around 50 weaned Angus-cross calves each year from a local dairy herd. These stay on milk for three or four months before being finished for ABP at 24 months.
“We don’t push them on concentrates, preferring a grass-fed system,” says John, who farms with his parents, wife and young family. “One of the study’s recommendations was to get them finished earlier. My belief is the jury’s still out on this, as with organic concentrate £700 a ton would the costs of getting them away at 19 or 20 months really add up? It is a fascinating debate that I agree needs to be had.”
John also runs a herd of 30 pedigree Dexters on the family’s holding, with some offspring retained for breeding and others being used in a beef box scheme. Other enterprises on the farm include luxury holiday accommodation.
“We’re now keeping more of the cattle out for longer and this, in turn, reduces the amount of straw used,” recalls John, who says the Agrecalc calculations showed he was using more than the average bales of straw for beef cattle.
“I used to house the cattle from early October until April, but since the Agrecalc study some didn’t come inside until January and another group were out by February. Slightly adjusting the numbers of cattle kept over winter means there is more grass for spring, as well as improving soil structure with less trampling of the fields thanks to rotational grazing.”
With its organic status, the farm does not use any artificial fertilisers or herbicide sprays and no wormers or antibiotics unless the latter is needed from an animal welfare point of view.
