REGENERATING FARMING FOR THE FUTURE
Knight Frank is in the business of making dreams become a reality for our clients. Rosa Smith caught up with Ian Horsley, who in 2017 bought a 140-acre farm in the Malvern Hills with us in his quest to put his passion for regenerative agriculture into practice – a far cry from his former banking career in the City of London
Hi Ian. Your lifestyle change is very reminiscent of the move that many people have been making in the wake of the pandemic. What made you want to immerse yourself in country life? I grew up in the Lincolnshire and Yorkshire countryside, and was always aware I wanted to be back in a rural environment. However, I went into banking, and was a trader in the City until 2008. During the latter years of my career, I had developed a real interest in not just cooking, but where food comes from. That, combined with concerns for my own health and stress levels, eventually put me on the path that led me to where I am today. I decided to take my interest to the next level and enrolled on an Agriculture post-grad course at the Royal Agricultural University in Cirencester, thinking that it would give me enough grounding to run my own smallholding. The course totally changed my mindset, and I decided that I wanted to go bigger and do it properly – I wanted to actually farm.
How did you then put that dream into practice? After I finished the course, I learned on the job by working on various farms across the country, just trying to get as much hands-on experience as I could. After meeting my wife, Rosanna, who is a dietitian by profession and shares my love of all things related to farming and good food, we bought our first farm in Devon. It quite quickly became apparent that we needed somewhere with more room for diversification, so when Baston Hall in the Malvern Hills became available with Knight Frank, we jumped. We let out the historic main house, which was built in 1620, for holiday stays, retreats and corporate events, and sleeps 20 people, and which Rosanna manages, while I’m mainly on the farm. But the two businesses are fully integrated. The house enables us to farm in the best way for the environment, biodiversity and food production, while the farm provides the backdrop to the Baston Hall experience. It also allows us to spread awareness. We offer farm walks with guests and tell them about regenerative agriculture and the science of soil, and I always find that people are keen to learn and fascinated by the integrated web of natural ecosystems.
So, what exactly is regenerative agriculture? The most important thing to bear in mind is that everything is for the benefit of the soil and letting nature work for us. Modern farming methods that have been developed over the past 70 years or so are incredibly harmful to the soil’s health. It’s been considered an inert medium, opposed to a living thing that has the power to fully support plant and therefore animal life, when treated correctly without the use of chemicals and pesticides. If I were to try and summarise, I would say that regenerative agriculture is about embracing and working in harmony with nature and finding natural solutions to complex problems rather than looking for the fastest man-made, short-term fix.
What do you farm? We have always farmed sheep, most recently a pedigree breed called Lleyns that originate from north-west Wales, although we have just transitioned to a pedigree herd of native Aberdeen Angus cattle, which will be our first foray into beef and a great opportunity for the soil to benefit from a animal that can thrive in long rested pastures, enabling the plants to more fully feed the soil microbiome.
It could be argued that in light of environmental concerns farming has developed something of an unpopular reputation. What advice would you give to those concerned about farming practices and how does regenerative agriculture support this?
There’s a lot of murky information out there when it comes to the agricultural industry, particularly in regard to its environmental impact. By all means, eat more fruit and vegetables, but I don’t think that turning our back on meat is the way to save the planet – quite the opposite – and I say that as a former vegetarian of several years. At the end of the day, people will always want real food: highly processed, low nutrition substitutes won’t stand the test of time. This year, meat sales grew by over 10%. Yes, intensive farming is bad for the environment, but in my opinion, animal welfare, and agriculture generally, when done well and regeneratively, is not – it’s the opposite. It’s a hugely positive story in terms of carbon capture; if done on mass it could potentially be enough to reverse climate change. But for real progress, there needs to be wider support across the industry and less focus on cheap, imported goods where the environmental costs are just offshored. Shop local, support local, and buy directly from farmers where you can. I think programmes like Clarkson’s Farm have been great for bringing farming back to public attention.
The course totally changed my mindset, and I decided that I wanted to go bigger and do it properly – I wanted to actually farm
Do you think the concept of regenerative farming will capture public attention in a similar way to Clarkson’s Farm in the coming years? I hope so. The more people who take an interest, the better. For the people like myself who are already passionate about it, the sense of community is incredible. I’m part of a 145-strong WhatsApp group of regenerative farmers, and we’re constantly exchanging pictures and ideas. That’s the great thing about regenerative farming, it’s meant in every sense of the word. We want not only to regenerate soils, but to bring rural communities back to life and show people that rural jobs and opportunities are there and viable in a forward-thinking way. People are beginning to get excited about farming again for the first time in years; that in itself is worth celebrating.
What advice would you give someone looking to follow a similar path? Make it happen! There are so many educational resources out there (websites, Twitter accounts, the Groundswell conference, YouTube videos) which are a great place to start. And behavioural change. It all starts with the consumer. Do the research, find the suppliers, support local farmers. I think everyone should be interested in soil health, it’s the fundamental principle of our earth. And of course, a great place to start if you want to know more is at Baston Hall…
Follow Ian on Twitter @IanDHorsley For more information visit www.gartonhardy.com For holiday stay enquiries www.bastonhall.co.uk