Sustainable Farming in Cambridgeshire: Online Film Premiere and Discussion

This inspiring one hour, online event shares the experience of five commercial farmers from the Cambridgeshire region on how they are adapting their farming practices to help cut carbon and double nature

It will be of interest to farmers, rural landowners, policy makers, other expert participants and those interested in practical solutions to climate change and biodiversity loss.

The event will be introduced and chaired by John Shropshire OBE, Commissioner of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Independent Commission on Climate Change, member of the Advisory panel for National Food Strategy and Chairman of G’s Fresh. He will discuss the national importance of farming more sustainably, and provide a brief update on expectations for the new Environmental Land Management Scheme.

We will then show the premiere of our 20 minute film, ‘From the Ground Up’, featuring 5 Cambridgeshire farmers at different stages of their journey to regenerate their soil health.

The farmers: David White, Matt Redman, Tom Mead, Charles Shropshire and Martin Lines are interviewed “farmer-to-farmer, discussing what they’ve done and why – looking at both the highs and the lows of their experience and their aims for the future.

The film will be followed by a live Q& A and discussion with the 5 featured farmers, concluding with a few words from Councillor Pippa Heylings, Chair of the Climate Change and Environment Committee at South Cambridgeshire District Council, on local policy measures to support sustainable farming.

We would like to thank the farmers who are featured in the film, and who will attend the event, as they have given up lots of their time to produce this feature for free.

We are very grateful for funding and other support from South Cambridgeshire District Council, The Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Independent Commission on Climate Change and Cumberlows.

The film was created by Dragonlight Films, based on research by Carbon Neutral Cambridge.

About the farmers

Martin Lines: Martin is a farmer and contractor in South Cambridgeshire, growing mainly arable crops on his 520 ha family farm and rented land. He uses regenerative practices across the whole farm and also within his contract work without compromising the yields. He is Chair of the Farmer led Nature Friendly Farming Network, and has a special interest in farm conservation management.

David White: David White farms 160ha on light land over chalk between Cambridge and Newmarket. He is passionate and inspirational on how he has been improving the health of his soil for the last 7 years. He is a member of BASE UK and vice chair of Camgrain Stores Ltd.

Matt Redman : 3 years ago Matt took on his first tenancy of nearly 200 ha of Cambridgeshire arable land from Cambridgeshire County. He is also a contractor and the direct drilling has become his speciality. Since taking on the land he has been making changes towards a more sustainable practice but is at the early stages of it.

Tom Mead. Tom farms with his father in South Cambridgeshire on the family farm and on County Council land. He is also working on an AHDB monitor farm project . Tom hosted a virtual LEAF visit on this farm in the summer. He is at the early stages of working with regenerative farming practises, introducing direct drilling, planting hedgerows and developing wildlife corners.

Charles Shropshire: Charles is MD of G’s Cambs Farm Growers Ltd, producing vegetables and energy crops on over 620 ha of black fenland peat near Ely. He will discuss some of the methods they are exploring to protect the peat from erosion, conserve water and protect nature. Also gaining an insight into how to farm more sustainably but still run a profitable business.