Ben Williams on LinkedIn: Soil is undoubtedly the great trump card livestock agriculture is yet to… (2024)

Sat in West Wales ready for another farm visit, to an amazingly talented and hardworking farmer, this can’t help but resonate.The farm has built an amazing and profitable business, from tenancy to ownership. The farm has grown and expanded, it produces amazing, nutritious milk and yet as a supply chain we’re still suggesting that it becomes ever more efficient.As a supply chain it’s rare to then demonstrate to a farmer who works hard to be as efficient as they can be every single day, exactly how to find that next level. Some even expect that this can be done with no additional cost. Any step change in a system requires an input and they have a cost associated with them. In this case it’s time and people resource to support and develop lean management skills on farms. Now with two new cohorts we’re on track to replicate the significant returns from last year a 3% - 10% year on year reduction in carbon footprint. It turns out, if you invest in people, the world becomes a little bit of a better place! Neil Fedden David Crowfoot Dan Humphries - the amazing lean team#lean #leanmanagement #dairy #farming #sustainability #efficiency #agriculture

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Episode III : Revenge of the feed efficiencyFrom feed efficiency to magic beans, what else can we do to lower the feed impact of ruminant diets? 15% - 25% of a dairy farms emissions are from feed, one of the largest contributors to emissions from dairy. 1. Lower impact ingredients2. Efficient use of feed3. More milk from forage 4. Less purchased fertiliser for producing homegrown forageJust a few ways of lowering emissions from feed.

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A wee chat in a tent with some top folks. From GHG calculators to actions on farm. My thoughts: 1. Data has no value, its information that supports change. If anything we have too much data and not enough information.2. No farmer wakes up and seeks to be inefficient. If we want to support further on farm efficiency it takes investment.3. Technology doesn’t drive change, people drive change. If we want change at pace we need to invest in people.Great to chat with Rachael Brown , Megan Powell & Dan Smith

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I’m not sure how bright the person who had the ideas was (for reference it was me), but in light of looming EUDR and some of the challenges still faced in implementing that legislation the idea is looking less daft.We have targeted a total removal of soy from the milking herd by 2027 (a target set before EUDR was ratified). Through collaboration and engagement with some incredible farmers and feed suppliers we have 25% of contracted farmers in GB soy free and 35% of total contracted volume soy free.This means some of our largest, highest yielding farms have transitioned away from soy. It is worth noting that soy can be and is produced in a highly sustainable system of production and is not a product to be demonised, but like everything it’s how it’s produced. For our dairy system it isn’t essential and removal saved 6% of the total farm footprint for a dairy farm. Fancy listening to farmers and supply chain experience? See below.#EUDR #deforestation #UKFRC #soy #soymanifesto #dairy #agriculture

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In case you missed it the first time, we produced a series of chats in podcast form with farmers, vets, advisors and supply chain teams across food and retail. The goal? To look at what is driving the move to sustainable food systems, what farmers are doing now, may be doing in the future, the barriers and importantly - the opportunities change will bring. Episode 1 sets the scene with Heart with Smart Group (Pizza Hut Restuarants) and Domino's Pizza Enterprises Limited discussing what is driving them to support a sustainable supply chain alongside Kate Cawley of Future Food Movement discussing the drivers in more broad terms.Follow along for tales and topics from soils to ‘efficiency’ (my least favourite word) and on to animal feeds and amino acids. I like to think there is something for everyone.#sustainability #foodsystems #food #agriculture #farming

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As we go to vote, I'm already looking forward to discussing what the future holds. With a diverse panel I am sure we will have differing views on priorities and ways of doing, but I am sure we will be united in the same goal of a sustainable, healthy food system.It's been interesting to see some of the more extremist views being aired across various groups on social media, there seems to be a lot of fear, a worrying amount of anger and an unhealthy lack of confidence that whichever party takes us forward through the next 5 years will deliver particularly at the farm level.It's also been interesting to see some of the blatant miss information that sees its roots in specific party manifesto's.Whatever the outcome, once the dust settles, the incoming ministers within DEFRA and across the devolved nations will have one heck of a job and they'll need to demonstrate some strong and decisive leadership from day one.

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We love sharing our supply chain with customers, from farm to fork. In fact that's really the only way to appreciate the complexity and wonder that goes into producing the food on peoples plate.

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This is a fascinating piece of work and raises some serious questions around future agriculture policy and funding structures. Farms with a high reliance on Environmental Mangement Schemes tend to underperform financially compared to those that don’t.Specialisation and an eye to detail, pushing for marginal gains (not just ‘efficiency’) leads to higher margins than more diversified farms. And there is a whole host more. What we need to ask is, in a world in which we need all farms to be managing the environment and we need farms to diversify the ‘value’ they offer society, how can we do this whilst safeguarding a farmers ability to do so profitably?#farming #sustainability #agriculture #supplychain

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Always amazing to see talented, hard working farms being shortlisted for awards. Have to say I have a little bias towards a couple of the names on the list. Who I’ve been so lucky to work alongside through thick and thin. My fingers are crossed and looking forward to cheering everyone on. Farmers Weekly awards shortlist - very exciting. #celebrate #success #dairy #advisors

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