Create a basic whole farm design for your business with sustainable farming advisor, Niels Corfield.

Objectives

• Learn the principles of whole farm planning
• Understand the criteria for selecting appropriate equipment & infrastructure
• Minimise capital expenditure by selecting flexible infrastructure
• Save time and facilitate adaptive pasture management

Topics

• Whole farm planning principles
• Hedge management for function & biodiversity
• Trees on farms & agroforestry
• Surface water capture & redistribution
• Water - Infrastructure & layout
• Fencing - temporary/permanent
• Access - tracks, gates etc
• Yards & materials handling
• Nutrient/manure management - composting, deep bedding etc
• Monitoring & data gathering
• Trials & feedback - exclusion cages, split-field treatments etc
• Designing & design processes
• Maps and mapping tools: field boundaries, field margin, OS, Drones etc
• Surveying & mapping existing: features, vegetation and site conditions
• Microclimates & climate: prevailing winds, seasonal inundation etc
• Thinking tools for selecting best-fit options on your farm
• Setting goals & objectives
• Design portfolio presentation

Topography and Landform

• Contours & mapping principles
• Reading the landscape

Agroforestry systems

• Windbreaks & windbreak theory
• Alleycropping, riparian buffers
• Keyline Agroforestry

Agroforestry Design

• Planting pattern, orientation, spacings
• Tree species selection

What to bring

• Packed lunch
• Notebook, pens etc
• Camera/smartphone (optional)
• Boots & clothing for a farm walk

Who is Niels Corfield?

Niels Corfield has been working to deliver a truly regenerative food system for over 15 years. He is an advisor, researcher, educator, designer & tree nurseryman.

Working to create agroecological landscapes and farms in the UK and Europe he is focused on systems that are low maintenance and productive. He advises and consults on: soil health, planned grazing, agroforestry, and whole farm planning. He helps transition farm operations, through an inclusive/participatory approach.