'Soil carbon is how dairy gets to net zero'

A 5-year EU Horizon 2020-funded research project - Pathways - has been running since 2021. It aims to reduce environmental impacts while addressing societal demands for safe, nutritious and affordable meat and dairy products. Over the next two or three months we'll investigate the project and its outcomes across six episodes, and meet some of the academics leading the research.In this programme we'll find out more about the origins of the Pathways project - its objectives and chief priorities.ffinlo Costain is joined by Dr Laurence Smith, Associate Professor in Agricultural Systems at the University of Reading - by Dr Jessica Stokes, Associate Professor in Farm Animal Welfare Science and Policy at the Royal Agricultural University - by Dr Catherine Pfeifer, lead researcher in the FiBL Switzerland Agri-Food Systems Group - and by Dr Nikki Yoxall, the Technical Director at Pasture for Life.

'Regenerative agriculture...? It'll never work on my farm!' The truth is - it will work - and most successful regen farmers have gone through the tunnel of doubt only to emerge happier, more resilient and more profitable than before.In this programme we'll find out how two farmers have made regen work for them - and we'll discuss the challenge of regenerative cereals... is no-till enough? ffinlo Costain is joined by Tom Edmondson from Cranley Barn Farm near Milton Keynes - and James Johnson from Mallard Grange, near Rippon in North Yorkshire.This programme has been kindly supported by Regenerate Outcomes.

The early results from one of the largest soil carbon measurement programmes in UK dairy show measurable increases in soil carbon stocks on farms adopting regenerative practices.British farmer-owned dairy co-operative, First Milk, working with soil carbon measurement specialist, Agricarbon, has undertaken interim re-sampling on three member farms nearly four years after establishing a large-scale soil carbon baseline.The early findings show soil carbon stocks increased on all three farms, with average gains of 8.9tC/ha (8.2T CO2e/ha/year). And importantly, a positive relationship was observed between the level of regenerative farming activity and the degree of carbon increase observed.ffinlo Costain is joined by Lee Truelove, the Head of Regenerative Agriculture at First Milk, and Mark Brooking, their former Chief Impact Officer, who's continuing to work with the company on carbon removals.

ffinlo Costain meets David R Montgomery, the author of Dirt: The Erosion of Civilisations. In a warm conversation, they discuss worms, the plough, soil bank accounts, regenerative farming, human nutrition and much more. ffinlo also finds out why human health improved in the UK during the Second World War. Montgomery is also co-author (with Anne Biklé) of What Your Food Ate and The Hidden Half of Nature. His new book, ReGen: A New Future for Farming, Food and Health, is out later in 2026.

In this episode of Farm Gate Leaders, ffinlo Costain speaks to Lieutenant General Richard Nugee.Nugee is a retired British Army officer who served in senior roles, including Chief of Defence People. He's also a Soil Star - a member of a group of scientists and experts, each a pioneer in their respective field, who share a commitment to soil as a lever to deliver action on climate change.

ffinlo Costain (8point9.com) and Martin Lines (Nature Friendly Farming Network) discuss what's happening on Papley Grove farm in the coming month of April. They also turn their attention to English farm policy - and then to the Welsh and Scottish Government elections, coming this May. ffinlo and Martin are joined by Rhys Evans (NFFN Cymru) and Nim Kibbler (NFFN Scotland).

New pests and diseases are threatening UK livestock, crops and forests. They're coming to the UK in the wind, with birds, on people and in imported soils. Why are these pests and diseases migrating? Can we prevent them from coming? And what do we need to do to mitigate the risks?ffinlo Costain is joined by Catherine Harries, Senior Crop Protection Scientist at AHDB - by Kate Palmer, the Technical and Industry Support Manager at Confor - and by Yoav Alony-Gilboa, livestock vet and director of Friars Moor Livestock Health.

Cattle in regenerative farm systems deliver remarkable ecological value at the same time as producing food and fibre. In this programme, we focus on methane and hydroxyl radicals - the highly reactive molecules that wash methane out of the sky, dismantling it back into its constituent parts of carbon and hydrogen.We talk about where hydroxyl radicals come from, and why, in well-hydrated regenerative pastures there are more of them - meaning that they can work more rapidly to break down the methane produced by the grazing cattle present in those managed ecosystems.To take us through the science, I'm joined by the blogger known on X as @Regenetarianism. Stephen shuns the spotlight and speaks publicly only extremely rarely. He isn't an academic, but he is someone that high level academics turn to for insight on these subjects, because his knowledge is so deep and broad following a great many years of research, synthesising knowledge from hundreds of peer-reviewed papers that address methane's physical and chemical processes, and working to understand them in the context of ruminant agriculture. Stephen has kindly written a referenced blog to accompany this podcast. It's called - On hydroxyl radicals and increasing the atmospheric oxidation capacity: key points and an outline. The blog can be found at lachefs.net.Direct link: https://lachefnet.wordpress.com/2026/02/15/on-hydroxyl-radicals-increasing-the-atmospheric-oxidation-capacity-key-points-an-outline/

The government has published England’s first ever Land Use Framework. What does it all mean?ffinlo Costain (8point9.com) is joined by Sue Pritchard (Food, Farming and Countryside Commission) and by Phil Stocker (Chief Executive of the National Sheep Association and Chair of the Dartmoor Land Use Management Group).

Which of our farms will exist in 20 years? Can they survive a breakdown in global supply chains? Do we need to change our stocking rates, our breeds, cropping and soil health? These are not academic questions - they're real, immediate and practical - and to discuss them ffinlo Costain is joined by a fantastic panel of southwest farmers and rural professionals.Helen Rogers is a farmer, a vet and a director of Friars Moor Livestock Health. Dan Gammon is a new entrant organic dairy farmer from Oakvale Farms. Hugh Morrison is a tenant farmer producing cereals, sheep and beef, both at Stonehenge and Amesbury. Ollie Blackburn is Farm Manager at the Dillington Estate in South Somerset. Greg Ridout is a partner and the head of agricultural auctions at Symonds and Sampsom estate agents.