Mark got interested in regenerative agriculture a decade ago and started experimenting with different grazing techniques. Now the system has settled into the cattle and sheep being moved regularly and the broiler chickens and laying hens follow them. This mimics natural systems where many bird species are associated with grazing animals. The chickens eat all the grubs that appear in the dung, which greatly helps reduce the fly population. The chickens thrive on this fresh wild protein, grass and herbs, and then of course they are fertilising the land. The pigs are also used to follow the cattle and sheep when they graze the herbal lays on the part of the farm planted in crop rotation. The pigs basically plough up the land, which Mark then goes over with a harrow, to even out the soil, before sowing with cereals, beans or peas. Amy and Mark use these crops to make their own feed for the pigs, chickens and hens.

It is not easy to find soya free chicken and pork because it is very difficult to find feed that is soya-free.

“Somebody asked us if we could produce soya-free chicken and in my naivety I thought, yes, why not? Everybody else had told them no.”

The family were motivated to try no less because they wanted to create a food system that depended on local suppliers, not feed bought in from other countries or regions. The people seeking soya-free meat were those with severe allergies to soya which occurred even when they ate the meat of animals fed on soya.

The feed that Amy and Mark create for the chickens and pigs contains barley, maize, rapeseed, peas and beans all from their own farm or other producers that are as local as possible. Amy is really keen that they get as self-sufficient with their animal feed.

How soils change in regenerative farming systems
Mark has noticed an improvement in the water holding capacity of the land. Even in very wet weather the cows don’t make a muddy mess because the soils have become a living sponge. The multi-species grazing adds greatly to the fertility and well being of the soils.

“The regrowth of the grass and herbs where the chickens have followed the cows is very stark. It’s impressive to see”

Wildlife on Redwood Farm
Amy and her parents have seen an increase in wild creatures on the farm. Dung beetles, ladybirds, hares (one of their favourites), kestrels, rabbits, red and roe deer and foxes. They luckily don’t have any problems with the foxes taking piglets, lambs or hens. Perhaps because they have plenty to eat in the way of rabbits and hares!

Creating more complexity in food production is often the best way to eradicate problems. Pigs are wildlife engineers because they disrupt the land and create new niches. The grass develops more tufts, which creates habitat for mice and voles which raptors and owls can hunt.

The Pigs

Amy has settled on a cross between a Large-Black and a Gloucestershire Old Spot. They are delicious to eat with a nice marbling and they are hardy beasts. They are black in colour so don’t suffer sunburn or heat-stroke in the way other pigs do, this is also because they are on pasture rather than bare soil so the land keeps them cool. They also adapt very well to the cold of winter. Amy has had various teething problems with the pigs, they’re good at burying fences, which is not popular with her father as they escape onto other parts of the farm, but she’s got things pretty figured out now.

Amy loves working with these intelligent animals who are fond of a scratch behind the ears. She says that this helps tame them, making them easier to handle. Amy is really keen on high welfare standards. She takes care to train the pigs to be used to the trailer from a young age by feeding them in there. This means when the day comes to go to slaughter, it is as stress free as possible. The Chapple family work with an award winning abattoir with the best welfare standards around.

The Chickens

Mark has chosen a Hubbard chicken that grows slower than most commercial breeds. These are best suited to the soya-free diet and the fact that they are outside all day foraging on fresh pasture for plants and grubs.

“When you push animals to their limit in terms of production and growth rates, then we end up compensating in all sorts of other ways, and we just get further and further away from a natural system.”

The wide variety of feed these chickens have access to of course contributes to their excellent flavour and nutritional profile.”We are only really beginning to learn about the whole gut microbiome thing and how that relates to the soil microbiome. The more we divorce our food production from natural ways, the more we mess it up further down the line. It just seems logical to me that the more natural we can keep things the better.”