Suffolk arable farmer, Andrew Maddever and his family, have been running a pretty conventional system until fairly recently, through their 2,000ha operation and contracting business. But a trip to a regenerative farm in Argentina a few years ago got Andrew thinking. Since then he's been using parts of his land to experiment with no till, catch crops, and cover crops, as he edges his way to a more regenerative/ agro-ecological way of farming. Key for him is doing this gradually, to protect his and his clients' finances. He talks candidly to Jez Fredenburgh about the challenges and wins, what his neighbours think, not being a typically 'neat' farmer anymore, and the buzz of seeing his soils come back to life.
