Richard Gantlett

Richard farms beef cattle and cereals biodynamically at Yatesbury House Farm, on the Wiltshire downs near Avebury. In a series of videos, he describes his farming approach and practices being implemented at Yatesbury, all of which focus on the importance of nurturing, and the interrelationship of, the health of the soil, cows, crops and people.

‘Introduction to Yatesbury House Farm’ – see below or click here to watch

Richard gives a brief overview of the farm; he describes his farming approach and rotational system, introducing his pedigree Aberdeen Angus suckler herd and his use of ‘dynamic’ grazing.

‘Aberdeen Angus’ – see below or click here to watch

Richard talks about his suckler herd of pedigree Aberdeen Angus. He explains how they graze ‘dynamically’ and how this benefits the soil.

‘Biodynamic preparations’ – see below or click here to watch

In this video Richard explains his biodynamic approach to farming, the preparations that he uses, and the benefits they bring.

‘Diverse Leys’ – click here to watch

Richard describes using diverse leys in his rotation to build soil fertility and improve soil structure. He lists some of the species he has included in his mix and the benefits that they bring (this includes reference to a useful Cotswold Seeds chart).

‘Even space drilling and weed control’ – click here to watch

Richard no longer ploughs the fields at Yatesbury Farm. In this video, he explains how he uses his innovative machinery to drill his seed evenly and describes his methods of weed control in an organic system. He also describes his technique for destroying diverse leys.

‘High biomass rotation trials’ – click here to watch

Richard has 4 trials plots on the farm and is looking at the impact of a high biomass rotation on weed burden, crop quality and soil quality. In this video, he describes the trials, methods and measurements that he is recording.

Find out more about Yatesbury House Farm here.