Is Groundswell the most important event on the contemporary UK farming calendar?
We’re all finally coming back down to Earth after another brilliant two days at Groundswell: The Regenerative Agriculture Festival.
It’s a truly unique event. A bold combination of thought-provoking seminars and workshops with leading soil health experts, experienced arable and livestock farmers, agricultural policy experts, and more. Plus a host of cutting-edge machinery and tech demonstrations, on-site trials, countless exhibitor stalls, and more!
One of the 100+ workshop sessions at Groundswell 2024
DISCUSSION AND LEARNING
Now in its eighth year, Groundswell has grown significantly since its humble origins. This modern farming event-cum-festival arguably reflects the rapidly growing interest in the benefits of regenerative farming practices, such as reduced inputs, improved soil health, carbon sequestration, improved biodiversity, flood/drought prevention, and more. The Cherry family deserves genuine credit for what they have achieved.
With a relaxed and open atmosphere that encourages real discussion and learning, Groundswell also provides delegates with the perfect opportunity to socialise with like-minded friends (old and new!) while enjoying great local, festival-style food and a beer or two—topped off on Wednesday eve by a certain well-known regenerative farmer/DJ on the decks until the early hours. Only at Groundswell…😉
The Terrafarmer stand at Groundswell 2024: we never stopped!
SETTING UP OUR STALL
Once again, the Terrafarmer team set up stall at D10 in the Pasture Field and it was pretty much non-stop from the word go! Over the two days, we had countless visitors to our stand wanting to discuss our soil services and consultancy work, as well as positive enquiries about our Wintex Agro soil sampling equipment sales and repairs services. So much so that our planned rota to allow each of us to catch a workshop or two soon went out of the window!
One of the exciting aspects of Groundswell is never knowing who will walk into the tent. It was wonderful to have the opportunity for face-to-face interactions with so many interested visitors to the stand, as well as to catch up with existing clients as they dropped in for a chat. The relaxed and welcoming setting of Groundswell enables us to continue fostering and building relationships with our customers, which is what it is all about.
We made some fantastic new contacts over the two-day event, with the potential for future work and ongoing relationships of support and guidance. As they say, regenerative farming is a unique journey for each farmer and farm, and the huge variety of talks and seminars provided a perfect opportunity for our team members to expand their knowledge and learning—when we found the time to get away, of course! The weather was fantastic—even a little too fantastic on Wednesday—and we offered cold refreshments and welcome shade from the hot sun, making our stand a popular spot for great conversation.
Terrafarmer's Tom Tolputt was interviewed at Groundswell 2024
Much to their credit, the Groundswell team intends to make several of the keynote sessions available on their YouTube page. Keep checking back for updates.
SEE YOU IN 2025
It’s wonderful to see Groundswell: The Festival of Regenerative Agriculture coming of age, with widespread coverage of not only the event itself but also the fundamental principles of regenerative farming that Terrafarmer actively promotes – reducing tillage, maintaining ground cover, reducing harmful inputs, integrating livestock, and increasing diversity above and below the soil – being widely discussed in the mainstream farming press. (See, for example, Farmers Weekly, Farmers Guardian, and Southwest Farmer.)
We’re already looking forward to Groundswell 2025 and doing it all over again. See you there!
GET IN TOUCH
At Terrafarmer, we see consulting as a long-term process and we aim to establish an ongoing, trust-based relationship with all our clients. With many years of practical farming experience and a commitment to sustainable and regenerative farming systems, we’re the right choice.
If you’re interested in soil health, carbon baselining, and regenerative agronomy, we can help your business to become both environmentally AND economically sustainable.
Get in touch for a no-obligation chat on 01347 844132 or send us a message on our Contact Page. We’re here to help.
About the author
After gaining an HND in Agriculture, Tom Tolputt went on to work as an Area Manager and Farm Animal Nutritionist for Agri-King for seven years. Setting out his stall as an independent consultant, he began advising a range of organic and conventional farm businesses across the UK. He also runs the family farm, raising organic beef cattle and organic cereals at Lesquite Organics with his wife, Nic, near Looe in Cornwall.
About the author
After gaining an HND in Agriculture, Tom Tolputt went on to work as an Area Manager and Farm Animal Nutritionist for Agri-King for seven years. Setting out his stall as an independent consultant, he began advising a range of organic and conventional farm businesses across the UK. He also runs the family farm, raising organic beef cattle and organic cereals at Lesquite Organics with his wife, Nic, near Looe in Cornwall.
