Game Changers – John and Paul Cherry, the regenerative farmers

Hertfordshire farmers John and Paul Cherry are at the forefront of UK regenerative farming – helping to propel it from a niche activity into the mainstream.

The annual Groundswell festival which they co-founded less than a decade ago has grown from a fringe two-day event for 450 farmers into a major fixture in the farming calendar – attracting more than 8,000 visitors.

A UK farming festival with soil health at its heart – Groundswell was launched in 2016 after John returned home after attending the similarly themed No-Till on the Plains Conference in Kansas.

“It struck me how hungry American farmers were for information about the soil,” he says. “It showed us what could be done. We thought that if the good people of Kansas were ready for this, we sure as hell ought to be ready in Europe.”

At the same time, Paul had noticed that a ploughed field on a neighbouring farm was suffering from soil erosion, whereas an adjacent stubble field on the Cherrys’ farm had no soil movement at all.

No more dirt

“It made me realise we couldn’t go on treating the soil like dirt,” he says.

The Cherrys had already gone down the no-till route. As no-till farmers, no-one in the UK was putting on a summer show they wanted to attend. So they decided to put on their own event, and Groundswell was born.

It’s very much a family affair – with Paul’s son Alex masterminding much of the festival content, including speakers, overnight camping and musicians, as well as debates and seminars.

Nine years on, Groundswell remains an event run by farmers for farmers. Rather than exhibitors trying to sell things, it is a festival of ideas – new thinking rooted in the underlying principles of regenerative agriculture.

That means ways of conserving and enhancing soil health – and a diverse seminar programme covering topics ranging from big-picture conversations, such as the impact of livestock on global warming, to highly scientific sessions on soil ecology.

Capturing imagination

Food production and working with nature remains at its heart. And while some other shows have faltered or struggled to reinvent themselves as farming has changed, Groundswell has captured the imagination of a growing audience.

“Bringing together some of the most innovative farmers for two days inevitably leads to some fascinating first-hand stories, ideas generation and learning opportunities,” says Paul. “Everyone has benefited.”

In an era of rising costs and tighter margins, Groundswell has proved to be the right event at the right time – examining ways to improve environmental and human health, while challenging the view that farming requires high inputs and low profits.

But it is about more than the festival itself. By creating and hosting a successful event, the Cherrys have spread the regenerative farming message and encouraged new thinking across UK agriculture.