Category: News

Building a Low-Input Sheep System at The Pink Pig

Anna Jackson manages a flock of around 70 Romney–Lleyn sheep under the Pasture for Life scheme. Her approach is firmly low-input: no tailing, minimal interventions, and outdoor lambing. The flock is mob-grazed, moving every one to two days depending on conditions, and grazing wheat over winter. A recent fencing grant has enabled the integration of sheep into arable ground, supporting a whole-farm rotational system.

Anna’s sheep enterprise isn’t just about meat production — although quarter lamb boxes, sold through the on-site shop, sell out annually. “I know my customers and my margins,” Anna explains. “I can build those figures directly into the business plan each year.” The flock’s real value lies in what it contributes to the wider farm system: disease control, nutrient cycling, and soil health.

One striking example came when a wheat crop was hit by disease. “We grazed it hard — it didn’t look like a crop anymore,” says Anna. “But it came back clean and healthy. If I can manage the flock  without buying inputs, it makes financial and agronomic sense.”

Rotation, Resilience, and the Role of Grass

The Pink Pig’s six-year rotation — two years of grass for seed, followed by oats, wheat, beans, and wheat — is designed for flexibility. “The grass adds organic matter and provides a rest period for the arable crops,” says Anna. “If a crop needs a break, the sheep can go back in. It’s a balancing act.”

Grass also helps manage blackgrass and other weeds. “If we see a problem field, it goes into grass for two years,” Anna notes. “Grazing sorts it. Soil health is our bigger challenge.”Although the arable enterprise remains the main profit driver, the sheep earn their place by improving crop performance and building resilience into the system. Anna is now exploring self-shedding breeds to further reduce labour demands. “The Romneys have been brilliant — easy lambing, low input. I love working with the flock, and I want to keep it that way: simple and stress-free.”

Integrating Cattle and Pulses: John McArthur’s Experience

Across in another part of the region, John McArthur runs a 500-acre mixed farm with a suckler herd of 40 cows and followers. He is keen to bring cattle into his arable rotation but acknowledges the practical challenges. “In the East of England, we need livestock in our arable systems to maintain soil health and nutrient cycling,” he says, “but making it work practically is difficult.”

John is also part of the NCS project developing low-emission protein feeds for livestock. The trials, now halfway through, have shown impressive results: soya use reduced by 70% in broiler rations, diet carbon footprints cut by 40%, and bird performance maintained. “We need to rebrand faba beans from a mid-level to a low-emission protein,” he suggests. “They have huge potential.”

Currently, only 2–3% of UK rotations include pulses, but John believes that must change. On his own farm, adding beans has improved nitrogen fixation, protein production, and soil structure — demonstrating the broader value of mixed farming.

Overcoming the Barriers to Integration

Both Anna and John acknowledged the financial and structural risks of integrating livestock into existing arable systems. Capital investments in fencing, water, and infrastructure can take years to pay off, and current Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) options offer limited support for mixed-system transition.

Anna’s wheat is sold to Wildfarmed, grown as an 11-way soft blend that earns a premium for low-input management — though weather remains a major variable. “It’s always a risk,” she says, “but layering livestock into the system builds resilience year on year.”

Learning from the Land

Establishing herbal leys on the Pink Pig’s sandy soils has been a process of trial and error. “Our first mix didn’t take at all,” Anna admits. “We’ve learned that shallow disturbance and tailored mixes work better, but some patches still struggle.” Grass, however, thrives, making it an essential tool for soil improvement and grazing flexibility.

Despite the challenges of a Pasture for Life system and a volatile climate, Anna remains committed: “This is my happy place — being with the sheep. They make sense agronomically, environmentally, and personally.”

A Journey Toward Regenerative Practice

Jonathan farms 280 hectares north of the Humber, on heavy clay soils with minimal stone. In 2019, he transitioned from traditional tillage to a strip-till system, initially to reduce establishment costs. “We could see that BPS was ending, and machinery costs were hard to justify,” he explains. “Knowing this led me to really understand soil. It’s been challenging, stressful at times — but completely worthwhile.”

Today, the benefits are clear. “Improving soil isn’t a quick fix,” says Jonathan. “But after a few years, we’re finally seeing the rewards.”

Building Diversity and Soil Structure

The farm’s rotation now includes wheat, oilseed rape, barley, flax, hemp, winter beans, and herbal leys. Grass is being reintroduced for fertility, structure, and weed control. Cover crops play a key role, providing living roots that trap nutrients and feed the soil biology.

“Cover crops are vital to our soil type,” Jonathan notes. “They can be tricky to establish in dry summers, but once they get going, they make a huge difference.” The farm’s early trials with catch crops — supported by Yorkshire Water — demonstrated how living roots improve soil health ahead of the next wheat crop.

Regular applications of gypsum (2 t/ha) have also helped to aerate soils and balance calcium–magnesium ratios. “We’re now seeing natural crumb structure developing, rather than the old blocky profile,” Jonathan reports. “Perseverance has paid off.”

Signs of Progress

The difference is tangible. “In the early days, I’d find only two or three worms per pit. Now there are twenty or more,” says Jonathan. “I keep a spade in the truck and dig holes everywhere — it’s the best way to understand the soil.”

Even in challenging conditions, performance has improved. “Our crops handle drought better than they used to,” he explains. “We’re using far less fuel since we stopped turning soil over. I’m happy to leave it undisturbed until it’s time to drill.”

Integrating Livestock and Companion Crops

Historically, the farm had its own flock of sheep, but it now hosts 300–400 sheep over winter from a neighbouring farmer. Grazing helps recycle nutrients and keeps cover crops in check.

Jonathan is also experimenting with companion cropping, pairing flax and hemp with oats or barley, and oats with beans. “It’s about finding combinations that are cost-effective and easy to harvest,” he says. An understorey of clover under winter beans is another experiment aimed at maintaining living roots through the year.

Reducing Inputs, Increasing Efficiency

The shift in soil management has led to a significant drop in input costs. “We’ve cut fungicide use dramatically without affecting yield or quality,” Jonathan explains. “We’ve stopped using PGRs on wheat altogether.”

Nitrogen is now applied ‘little and often’, with molasses added to support microbial activity. “The crops grow more naturally and evenly,” he says. “It’s about working with biology, not against it.”

Resilient Soils, Resilient Farms

Jonathan’s experience shows that improving soil health takes patience, observation, and persistence — but the benefits are clear: better structure, stronger crops, and lower costs. “The farm performs better now than it ever has,” he reflects. “It’s been a journey, but one that’s absolutely worth it.”

Inspiration and Early Steps

John’s regenerative journey was sparked by Frédéric Thomas, a pioneering French farmer who described no-till farming as “a doorway to a magic kingdom.” “The possibilities are endless,” John reflects. “Agroforestry, companion cropping — there are so many ways to mimic what Mother Nature does. I became obsessed with how to imitate nature while making a living sustainably.”

After university, John initially tried transitioning to organic farming but found the market limited. Conventional methods were easier, but he quickly noticed his soils deteriorating. Discovering no-till farmers opened a new perspective. Early trials on a couple of fields (2009–2011) using a tine drill delivered low costs and consistent yields, encouraging him to adopt regenerative practices farm-wide.

However, John quickly realised that direct drilling alone isn’t enough. “You have to get the rotation, crop diversity, and ground cover right. Bare soil feeds nothing — the life beneath our feet is the real engine of the system.”

Groundswell: Sharing Knowledge

John co-founded Groundswell to foster conversation around regenerative methods. “There wasn’t much discussion about how to do it or share new ideas,” he explains. “Once you adopt the principles of mimicking nature, you can make progress. It doesn’t work perfectly every year, but observing and learning from mistakes is key.”

Highs, Lows, and Resilience

Regenerative farming comes with challenges. “Things can go wrong,” John admits, “but resilience is crucial. In dry years, conventional farmers can lose heavily invested, coated seeds. We simply sow a bit of seed — if it fails, the cost is minimal. Lower risk is better risk.”

Even in difficult seasons, John reports yields comparable to others, but with significantly lower input costs. This low-exposure approach has been fundamental to the farm’s success.

Transforming the Soil

The impact on soil health has been dramatic:

• Increased organic matter: From 1–2% to 5–6%
• Improved soil structure and water retention, providing resilience during dry periods
• Rich soil biology: Soils are full of life, with strong fungal networks.
  

Herbal leys are grazed by cattle, which further contributes to soil fertility. The farm produces compost from cattle bedding and woodchip, reducing reliance on external phosphorus and potassium inputs. “The fungi make nutrients available,” John explains. “I let the plants tell me the health of the system.”

Looking Forward

John emphasises the importance of observation, experimentation, and mimicking natural systems. “Our soils give back what we put in. It’s satisfying, low-risk, and profitable — and it works for the long term.”

The Role of Diagnostics and Nitrogen

Nitrogen (N) Risk: Both farmers noted that excessive Nitrogen application, particularly in large ‘dollops,’ is the biggest cause of disease, often forcing the subsequent use of fungicides. Applying amino acids is used to save the plant energy needed for N uptake.

Sap Testing: Tim performs sap testing every 10 days (costing £26 per sample in bulk) to monitor plant nutrient status by comparing old and new leaves. The results directly inform his application of foliar feeds, which are preferred over granules in dry conditions.

Disease Management: Anthony’s trial confirmed that sheep grazing was the best fungicide, and combining this with diverse genetics and targeted nutrition achieved a 30% reduction in disease compared to a conventional agronomy plan.

Soil Biology and Input Strategies

• Fungi-to-Bacteria Ratio: While many soils are bacteria-dominant, the goal is a balanced 1:1 fungi to bacteria ratio, as fungal networks are key for cereal crops and thrive without tillage. Trichoderma is noted as a strong, pest-eating fungus.
• Composting: Tim makes his own compost, preferring Victorian composting (monitored with a microscope) over the Johnson Su method.
• Nutrient Support: Increasing silicon levels helps strengthen cell walls and wax layers on leaves, proving effective against yellow rust. Fish hydrolysate and molasses are applied via the drill tank, and the farmers noted that Phosphorus (P) does not leach unless allowed to.
• Observation: The system relies on observing nature—for example, docks suggest a Calcium shortage, and fungal soils attract brambles.

Cover Crops and Profit

• Cover Crop Management: Tim likes mixes like Kings Super 10 (ideally seeking a 20-species mix). He manages competition for spring barley by rolling cover crops in cold weather or using a crimper roller in warmer conditions before drilling.
• System Goal: The overarching principle is to farm regeneratively, maximizing profit without taking into account externalities (i.e., achieving a premium return) and restoring the soil.

Experimentation: what will work on my farm?

• Tim emphasized the need to experiment and try new things, stating that he “tried everything in the garden first, and if it worked, I’d do it on the farm”. Anthony added that he would “try things on one field first” to minimise risks.
• FCT’s Hannah Jones highlighted that a lot of agricultural science takes lots of replication across many field sites but that farmers need to decide what evidence they need of something working. For many, with a well-designed field trial, seeing the difference visually between the crop on their own farm can be enough to try something on a bigger scale.