The Pasture Pod

A blatant misuse of the Pasture Pod platform means I'm plugging this Cows and Effect project again.

Episode 1 dives into the science with an Irish research paper that looks at the yields of multi species pastures (along with the various different plant species that go into them) at several levels of Nitrogen (including zero). Which grasses work best in different systems? Why bother with Plantain and Chicory? Which plants drive yiel...

Many moons and almost an equal amount of suns ago, our anti-hero MC Swardstick set off on his pilgrimage to find a mythical being. A dairy farmer who didn't work 90 hours a week.  He found this creature and he was well cool and interesting. They spoke for almost 3 hours and MC left with his sound recorder full of wisdom.  Unfortuneately, MC was very lazy and no where near committed enough and didn't do anything with the recording f...

A Canadian themed episode to bring "Season 2" to an end. Arron came over to the UK in January 2023 and spoke to loads of people over the course of a week. I went to see him at the AHDB meeting in Northumberland at George Burrell's and it was such a refreshing and positive experience. Even though he has such a different environment to contend with, the principle of system first is such a powerful thing.  He popped into Culteuchar, m...

After 12 years apart, two acquaintences meet. Everything has changed, Michael is even fatter and has less hair; Chris seems to have given Michael his extra body mass - he's lighter and fitter.  Chris is also more self aware and intimidates Michael slightly less than in 2010. They talk for a long time and record some of it.  Michael likes to think he and Chris have become friends whereas Chris doesn't think about Michael at all. The...

It's About Time was not on time this week - not perfect but at least it's definitely done!

This is the last in the series and I want to thank everyone that was involved and everyone that is listened. Thanks to all those that took the trouble to message.  

Special, special thanks to the Frank Parkinson Agricultural Trust. This simply wouldn't exist without their help.

Best book on time ever is Oliver Burkeman's Four Thousand Weeks

If in doubt seek expert help.  My quest gets closer to an inconvenient truth as I speak to coaches, consultants and, big potato grower with normal sized potatoes, Robin Griffiths.  This is the proper time management episode and was a bit of a revelation to me.

Mention is given to the pomodoro technique with insufficient explanation until closer to the end. The pomodoro technique is simply using a timer to spend 25 minuites on a tas...

I spent most of this episode in my pants watching YouTube.  Clips used are for educational purposes. The series up to this point was on a roll with reviews like "I'm enjoying it much more than I thought I would" - but this was a big test to keep the underwhelming momentum up.  Systems is such a monster of a subject but I hope you get something from it.

Additional thanks to James Sills (@JRDSills) off of Twitter for talking about El...

The quest for answers continues.  Is our use of time the invisible handbrake on our lives and businesses that we leave on without realising?  I visit three dairy farms and hear about their experiences and challenges, within them there are parables and wisdom and glimpses of the answer.

Warning: may contain poor analogies.

Books mentioned in this episode:

Yes I Can: Achieve Success with the Life-Planning Toolkit by Con Hurley

The ...

A departure from the normal Pasture Pod, I do my best attempt at being a poundshop Louis Theroux and go on a quest to find answers on how time affects farming and how we can use time to affect our lives and businesses for good.

Episode one contains a record breaking number of metaphors per minute of narration ... so be prepared. Thankfully all is saved by those that were interviewed.

Profound thanks to the Frank Parkinson Agricultu...

Once apon a time soil was less cool than flares (when they weren't trendy) and plastic shoes.  I may have been forced to wear the latter two items of clothing as a young adult but at least I wasn't studying soil science!!  BUT times have changed, a revolution has happened and soil science might be - quite possibly - one of the coolest things going.  Joel Williams is one of the people that have made it cool - a bit like Damon Albarn...

If Nikki is a human being, I am a slug.  By this I mean - we share 80% of our farming DNA but it still seems we see things differently.  This was a theraputic conversation that allowed me to accept the final 20%.  "It is what it is" as they say in Love Island. It's OK not to think exactly the same way and maybe there's wisdom in other opinions.  Now I feel like Jerry Springer.

I mentioned "Scotland the What" and specifically the Ba...

Holly Beckett could possibly change your life. Quietly and without a lot of fuss she has been helping people become more focussed,  less stressed and have a renewed appreciation of life.  She has been introducing mindfulness to the UK farming industry and its making a difference to people.

Keep an open mind.  Even if mindfulness is not for you, I think this interview is full of wisdom and great stories.

If you fancy trying the 5 da...

This is enormous.  Its the biggest and longest.  Don't be scared.

Alex Brewster is a fascinating chap whatever your own farming philosophy.  In my opinion he is one of the best communicators in UK agriculture. A Soil Farmer of the Year, a Nuffield Scholar and someone who stole the show at the Oxford Farming Conference.

You will soon know him as Beanie due to some sort of mystical unexplained force makes you ditch his real name.  Tr...

Daniel has grown a beard that provides more biodiversity habitat than Knepp Estate. He cares for it deeply, sometimes with product.  He has scanned many sheep in his career but his true destiny is to be the biggest sheep nerd in either hemisphere.  He is from a place called New Zealand and if he was on a cruise liner his favourite deck would be deck six.

I honestly know of few people with such strong sheep chat.  I think you'll lik...

With his long torso and teeny, tiny legs Graham Lofthouse and his family own 109.99999999999999 Hectares in Galawater in the Scottish Borders.  A man driven by the knowledge that nothing is ever perfect but there's always hope that one day it might be, we speak about all sorts - sport, psychology, decimal points and obsessive attention to farming detail.  I make a big enough mistake to probably get a Hawick Fatwa issued on me regar...