Organic small-scale farming - a UK farmer writes

Victor Barry (above, second from the left) reflects on what it’s like to be an organic and low-carbon farmer in the UK.

I’m an organic and low-carbon farmer on Treloan Farm, in the beautiful and designated heritage coastal area on the south coast of Cornwall not far from Truro. The fields of the farm end abruptly and cliffs plunge into the sea below.

I’m 75 and I’ve been farming my whole life. Most of that time I’ve been what you might call a ‘mainstream’ farmer, using chemical fertilizers and weed-killers. But I made a decision a few years ago to ‘go organic’ and ‘low-carbon’.

I’ve been asked to write a few words about what being an organic farmer is like in the UK and give my perspective on what climate change and the future of farming means to me. I am not really a ‘blogger’; I hope this makes sense to you.

There is a lot of prejudice to overcome in the farming community about organic, low-carbon farming, a lot of negative feeling. Many people feel it simply isn’t a serious proposition in today’s populous world.

I think the biggest limit to this kind of farming is labour. Even here in Cornwall there are plenty of people who could come and work the land but it costs a great deal to do that. Community Supported Agriculture is becoming important in the UK and works because the community helps on the farm and shares out the produce.

Working the land demands a respect for nature. To me and many farmers I know it is the be-all and end-all. Farming is me; it is tied up with my faith. Nature is the ‘ongoing miracle’ of creation. It is great to be close to that.

Farming gives me a sense of solidarity with others. Many millions of people all over the world work the land to feed their families in much the same ways as I do. I feel close to the land, and close to other hardworking farmers eking a living on their small plots.

I’m inspired by the transition movement which aims to produce food locally for local community benefit. More people locally are getting involved in the transition movement around here and we are acting together to rediscover lost principles.

Being carbon-free is almost impossible in today’s world; the machinery used takes carbon to manufacture. But it is possible to be low-carbon if you let nature do as much of the work as possible for you.

It’s harvest next week. Preparing for harvest isn’t something that happens once a year, it’s an ongoing process. By repeatedly cultivating the ground over the winter, the weeds growing in the soil are lifted from the ground and are killed off without using chemicals. It can take two months and you might have to cultivate the whole surface up to five times.

There are many different seeds to choose from; the right one is critical depending on your soil, the equipment used for harvesting, and most of all the end need. In my case I’m trying to grow wheat to make high-protein flour for low-carbon bread.

We use a special binding machine, not a modern combine harvester. That means we harvest the crop before it is totally ripe and it dries in the stook, a collection of 6-12 sheaves tied together. Any later than that and the crop will ‘shatter’, fall to the ground. The weeds in an organic crop catch up and can be difficult to separate.

The work of the harvest can be slow! We use three shire horses to pull the machine normally. The technology has not changed much in 200 years. The sheaves are bound together and left lined up in stooks the direction of the prevailing wind to dry out. Using nature to dry the crop is common around the world.

There’s never much time to put your feet up – there’s always a lot of hard work. Time for holidays can be hard to find. But if your heart and soul is in it, it really is one long holiday. I’m very conscious of the privilege it is to look after the land.

People talk a lot about climate change nowadays. I’ve been farming for 70 years and climate change is evident, even in the UK. There used to be 10-year cycles of colder and then wetter weather but now they are muddled up.

It’s not very noticeable to the city-dwellers, but if you are closer to the land you can definitely see it. I used to put it down to some seasonal variation, but it’s harder to dismiss it these days. And I haven’t seen a cuckoo down here for 5 years and haven’t seen a single swallow this year. That’s a telling sign.

Victor farms at Treloan Coastal Heritage Farm. Anyone can help bring in the harvest with Victor in mid-August. Just visit http://www.treloancoastalheritagefarm.co.uk/ or ring 01872 580 888 for all the information you need.

Read more about Progressio's work in supporting small-scale farmers and others in creating sustainable environments around the world.

Find out about more the realities of small-scale farming around the world by reading Progressio’s report Fertile Ground, available to download here.