For me, Groundswell is as much about catching-up with people as it is going to talks and visiting stands. By being part of a network which integrates you into the industry well, it makes going to events even more enjoyable when you can bump into fellow Em Gen members, and other relatable young people.
When I first got interested in regenerative agriculture, I felt like I had imposter syndrome. I thought that everybody in the industry, although welcoming and friendly, were already fully embedded within it and had their own defined role within the sector. I especially noted that a lot of my peers were not my age, which made integrating feel more difficult too.
Being part of Emergent Generation has since given me great exposure to the network of young people that we have created together. This has almost certainly given me the confidence to pursue this sector as a pathway.
Through interacting with like minded younger people, I have shaken off the feeling of struggling to assimilate within the field.
At Groundswell 2024 it was amazing to host our informal meet-up bringing together familiar faces and new faces, from all backgrounds. We decided to make a flag to signpost people where to meet which worked really well. We were joined by members who had already come to one or all of our events over the past 2 years, and also people who had discovered us for the first time on that day. It's wonderful to see the network grow and to think of the experiences that everyone within it has, and are sharing with others.
Some highlights for me were seeing Em Gen members speaking - demonstrating the importance of young people’s voice in the movement, and hopefully inspiring other young people to aspire to speak at these events.
My highlights (available online soon) were these talks….
Climate Change - How Farming is Part of the Solution Not the Problem (Stephen Watson, Anthony Ellis, Becky Wilson, Nadaline Webster and Ian Davis)
This session highlighted the difference between offsetting and insetting carbon emissions and how the wider benefits of agriculture are always omitted when discussing the emissions that it is partially responsible for. “Soil Not Oil” was a take home message for me!
Calculating Carrying Capacity Workshop (Claire Beaumont, Sam Beaumont, Silas Hedley-Lawrence and Ian Horsley)
Some really useful quick calculations that can be made to work out your dry matter requirements for your herd/flock. It was also interesting to think of grazing at different intensities, stocking rates and residuals during different seasons in order to maximise plant productivity and therefore increase carrying capacity.
Odette Menard - CROP Concept and Soil Compaction
Thinking about soil compaction causes and how to assess and understand this in the field. I was surprised to find out that glomalin, the protein created by biology in the soil which helps to create stable soil aggregates, only lasts in the soil for about a month! Thus it’s so important to maintain a living root in the soil. It’s important to remember the CROP Concept:C - Cover (protect the soil) R - Roots (feed the soil) O - Oxygen (physical soil structure) P - Porosity (water infiltration)
Joel Williams - Carbon Sequestration: What, How, Why?
Learning about the difference between metabolic carbon and structural carbon in the soil. Perennials allocate more metabolic carbon to the soil than annuals which also have less root biomass (bred to be high yielding above ground). Soil microbes themselves account for about 50% of the carbon in the soil. Clay soils have the potential to store more carbon than sandy soils.
Look out for more of the sessions from 2024, and previous years, on the Groundswell YouTube channel.
Others very much enjoyed learning about pasture-fed pigs:
“Amy Chapple (an Em Gen'r) on the panel, is doing some really groundbreaking stuff with pastured pigs on Redwoods farm in Devon, super knowledgeable! - Claire Langrish
“In terms of best bits, I loved the regen pigs talk, as I’m hoping to get my own Gloucester old spots soon! I think it was the first pigs talk at Groundswell too” - James Lunt
Megan Dunn shared these thoughts from her Groundswell 2024:
The photo above is from the understanding ag field walk with Stewart Johnson and Kyle Richardville. One of my favourite moments was seeing the soil farmer of the year award presentation. Farmers from three very different farming systems were on stage, yet they shared similar passions, motivations, challenges and incredible knowledge.
It’s not often that I’ve seen a large-mixed farmer from Gloucestershire, a dairy farmer from Cornwall and market gardeners from Buckinghamshire all on a stage at the same time, but I think it highlighted beautifully the diverse opportunities of agriculture to find the approach that works for you and your landscape, creating systems that might look very different to someone else’s, but that produce equally positive outcomes.
I was particularly inspired by David Newman and Tracy Russell’s (the winners) approach to community engagement. They encourage lots of young people to become involved with the farm as well as diversifying the diets of their local community through their farm shop. I think these are both actions that communities everywhere could benefit from if there was more support for small-scale, agroecological farmers to establish and thrive. - Megan Dunn
This year we were engaging with many new people who were now aware of our movement, had heard of us at events, or had started following us on socials. It was great to feel like we were empowering them and making them feel welcome in the way in which I felt when I first discovered the group. It is interesting that Emergent Generation, once a group of familiar faces to me, is now becoming an attractive group of familiarity to a wider audience. This gives me great hope for the future of Emergent Generation, and the Agroecological movement.
We were lucky to be joined by Alistair Macbeth, Em Gen member and farmer at Buxton Micro Dairy in the Peak District who we joined for a day in April for our regional meet up there.
Our meet-up was finished in time for us to surreptitiously usher Jonty, our co-founder, over to the PFL tent for him to unknowingly receive an award that Russ Carrington Award was giving to him in recognition of his contribution to the PFL movement (Pasture For Life), his impact within the sector and “The Russ Carrington Factor”. We were all so proud to see him accept this award - well done Jonty.
One of the joys of Groundswell is seeing familiar faces, catching up with them and their latest achievements and thoughts. This allows for a great period of reflection, especially as each year seems to come and go so quickly. Looking forward to Groundswell 2025 (2nd and 3rd of July)!
See you there, if not before.
Tristan Leslie
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