Reward Net Zero – Save Our Soil

A major international conference - February 2021

About the Conference

The Save Our Soil conference ran over three days from 24-26th February 2021, with 48 speakers discussing diverse topics. The day themes were:

Day 1: Farming, Land Management and Circular Economy

Day 2: Water, Waste and New Income Streams

Day 3: Biodiversity, New Trends and Inspiration

See information below about the individual sessions, and links to watch the session on our Springfield Agri YouTube channel.

Day One

Wednesday 24th February 2021

Conference Opens - Welcome

Gerry Sutcliffe, Chairman of Springfield Agri, and James Mason, CEO of Welcome to Yorkshire, welcome attendees to the inaugural conference.

Watch Day One Open
Message from Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Minister Pow

Rebecca Pow, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), sends a short message of support for the conference attendees.

Watch Ministerial Message
The Challenges Facing Farmers

Alice De Soer, Founding Director, Rural Response, set the scene on Day 1 considering the challenges ahead for farmers with the reduction, and ultimate removal, of direct payments during the Agricultural Transition period. She discusses the potential opportunities available under future government farm support schemes, as well as private funding, and how regenerative agriculture may fit into the picture.

Watch Challenges for Farmers
What is Regenerative farming?

Harry Holden, Director from Springfield Agri, gives a short introduction to the practices of Regenerative Agriculture and how they can support increased carbon sequestration into soil, decrease the risk of flooding, increase drought tolerance and many other benefits.

Watch Regen Ag Intro
Discussion led by Catherine Weetman with a group of farmers

Catherine Weetman, Author of A Circular Economy Handbook, Circular Economy Club, moderates this session with a group of farmers representing mixed, arable, dairy and hill farming communities.
The discussion touches the business case from farmer's perspective as well as the challenges faced, positive experiences and outcomes as a result of changes made in farming practises.

  • David Lord, Farmer, Lord and Hunt, Earls Hall Farm
  • Neil Heseltine, Farmer, Hill Top Farm
  • Adam Driver, Managing Partner, Driver Farms
  • Ian O'Reilly, Farmer, Gazegill Organics (unable to attend)
Watch Farmer Discussion
Robotic Milking?

Rosie Sage, Farmer from Hurdlebrook, gives an account of her experience moving to Robotic Milking on their farm in Somerset.

Watch Robotic Milking
Innovation in Farming

Nick Green, Agricultural Consultant, Newtone, gives a brief introduction to regenerative farming and how to start successfully.

Watch Innovation in Farming
Investment, Uncertainty and Trust

Jan England, Managing Director, England Marketing, discusses a number of challenges facing farmers who are considering embracing a regenerative approach to farming.
In general terms these come under the heading of investment, uncertainty and trust. Jan will examine each of these in more detail and suggest some possible solutions.

Watch Investment, Uncertainty & Trust
Panel session on Regenerative Agriculture moderated by Mark Shayler

Mark Shayler, Innovation, Springfield Agri, moderates this session in which speakers respond to and discuss questions submitted by the audience from the previous sessions.

  • Adam Driver, Managing Partner, Driver Farms
  • David Lord, Farmer, Lord and Hunt, Earls Hall Farm
  • Ian O'Reilly, Farmer, Gazegill Organics
  • Harry Holden, Regenerative Agriculture, Springfield Agri
Watch Farmer Panel
Circular Economy - Global Perspective

Dr Stefanos Fotiou, Director Environment and Development Division, United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific talks about circular economy and the links with regenerative agriculture.
He presents circular economy as a way to address the climate and biodiversity emergencies and focuses on policy tools that can support circularity in the agricultural sector. He also includes a note on how we need to change our perception on understanding and acting upon sustainability.

Watch Global Circular Economy
Circular Economy - UK Perspective

Catherine Weetman, Author of A Circular Economy Handbook, Circular Economy Club, talks about the Circular Economy for Agriculture. The challenges with our planetary boundaries, land use change, soil erosion and loss of mycelium, monocultures etc. and how structural waste takes place. She also discusses the solutions and how they create resilient, sustainable and profitable farming businesses.

Watch UK Circular Economy
Circular Economy - Regional Perspective

Wallace Sampson OBE, Chief Executive, Harrogate Borough Council, highlights the challenge and scale of change required in achieving ambitions to be a carbon negative region. He also outlines how he sees the circular economy playing a key role in tackling a multitude of systemic problems.

Watch Regional Circular Economy
Panel session on Agricultural Circular Economy moderated by Mark Shayler

Mark Shayler, Innovation, Springfield Agri, moderates this session in which speakers respond to and discuss questions submitted by the audience from the previous sessions.

  • Wallace Sampson OBE, Chief Executive, Harrogate Borough Council
  • Winnie May Chan, Research Scientist
  • Catherine Weetman, Author of A Circular Economy Handbook, Circular Economy Club
  • Ben Stocking, Director, Green Circle Nature Regeneration CIC
Watch Circular Economy Panel
Robert Goodwill MP for Scarborough and Whitby

Robert Goodwill MP, Environment Audit Committee, in this final keynote for Day One, discusses his background and experience as an MP.

Watch Robert Goodwill MP
Day One Close

Gerry Sutcliffe, Chairman, Springfield Agri, closes the first day of the conference with some reflections on the day's content, and a look forward to tomorrow.

Watch Day One Close

Day Two

Thursday 25th February 2021

Conference Re-opens - Welcome

Gerry Sutcliffe, Chairman of Springfield Agri, says a few words to open Day Two of the conference.

Watch Day Two Opening
Flood Innovation Centre - Flood Resilience

Pip Betts, Project Manager, shares how the Flood Innovation Centre are supporting SMEs to innovate and develop flood resilience solutions.

Watch Flood Resilience
Waste Management and Bio Materials

David Newman Founder, Bio-based and Biodegradable Industries Foundation (BBIA), discusses waste management, composting and the role of biomaterials.

Watch Waste Mgmt
How not to waste your soil but grow it

Holly Whitelaw, Founder, Cornwall Gleaning Network, Regenerative Food & Farming and Cornwall Climate Action Network, shares tips on how not to waste your soil but grow it and expands the topic further.

Watch Grow Soil
Give your surplus food purpose with FareShare

Shula Granville, Commercial Manager from FareShare speaks about their work as the UK's food waste distribution charity. Shula focuses on how the organisation supports the food industry in tackling food waste and how they can help the farming community in reducing waste and reaching their sustainability goals.
The presentation also highlights FareShare's work to combat food poverty across the UK, identifying the social and environmental impact of their work with the food industry, particularly in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic

Watch FareShare
Energy efficiencies for Farming

Mark Walton-Hayfield, Director, Envision Digital - Using examples from recent client projects Mark explains how two of the many use cases which the Envision Digital EnOSTM platform supports enable farming, farmers, and land owners to be more profitable, efficient, and increasingly Net Zero in the way they farm their land.

Watch Energy Efficiencies
Waste & Energy Panel session moderated by Mark Shayler

Mark Shayler, Innovation, Springfield Agri, moderates this session in which speakers respond to and discuss questions submitted by the audience from the previous sessions.

  • Shula Granville, Commercial Manager, FareShare
  • Mark Walton-Hayfield, Director, Envision Digital
  • David Newman, Founder, Bio-based and Biodegradable Industries Association (BBIA)
  • Holly Whitelaw, Founder, Cornwall Gleaning Network, Regenerative Food & Farming and Cornwall Climate Action Network
Watch Waste & Energy Panel
Farming Regeneratively – how to start

Clare Hill, Director of Regenerative Agriculture, FAI farms leads an interactive session, sharing experiences of her transition to farming regeneratively on FAI’s 1200 acre beef, sheep and laying hen farm. Highs, lows and difficult decisions are all be discussed. Delegates are left with their own worksheet to enable more regenerative journeys to begin.

Watch Farming Regen
The Farmer's perspective - Agricultural Finance

Martin Lines, UK Chair, Nature Friendly Farming Network, discusses how agricultural rents and finance can truly reflect the assets held and the benefits to improve future returns on its value. Why soil organic levels, soil health, natural capital and farming practices should matter in its valuation.

Watch Farmer's Finance
Changing the narrative

Zoe Fairley, Founder, Green Keep, talks about the challenges facing the farming community, the changes coming in over the next few years, and the need for change with regard to the way the industry is viewed. Change can be positive. We need to change the narrative.

Watch Changing the Narrative
Carbon - funding for farmers

Thomas Gent, Founder of Gentle Farming, talks about the opportunities farmers have in providing environmental services, such as carbon offsetting, biodiversity and water quality which have the potential to create new income streams in the very near future.

Watch Carbon Funding
Farm Carbon Toolkit

Becky Wilson, Business Development & Technical Director, Farm Carbon Toolkit talks about the opportunities available for the farming community to establish their carbon footprint, learn how to make changes and benefit from carbon sequestration.

Watch Carbon Toolkit
Finance is Changing

Oliver McEntyre, National Agricultural Strategy Director, Barclays talks about the bank's view of the Agriculture sector, the future of finance and the wider opportunities offered which will benefit everyone.

Watch Finance is Changing
New Ways to Finance

Joanne Marlowe, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, UFT Commercial Finance talks about a new type of financial instrument which will revolutionise the allocation and trading of carbon credits, opening the market to wider adoption.

New Ways to Finance
Financial Collaborations: A Pay Off In Spades

Martin Allen Morales, Consultant, Be The Earth Investments talks about the potential to grow by nurturing partnerships with investors like Be The Earth Investments & Foundation and business support providers like 2N Management which can help bring expertise and values-aligned finance for impact. He also proposes to form the Regenerative Entrepreneurs and Investors Network (REIN) and seeks to find those wishing to co-create it at SOS Conference 2021.

Watch Financial Collaborations
Finance Panel session moderated by Mark Shayler

Mark Shayler, Innovation, Springfield Agri, moderates this session in which speakers respond to and discuss questions submitted by the audience from the previous sessions.

  • Oliver McEntyre, National Agricultural Strategy Director, Barclays
  • Thomas Gent, Founder, Gentle Farming
  • Martin Lines, UK Chair, Nature Friendly Farming Network
  • Joanne Marlowe, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, UFT Commercial Finance
Watch Finance Panel
Day Two Close

Gerry Sutcliffe, Chairman, Springfield Agri, closes the second day of the conference with some reflections on the day's content, and a look forward to tomorrow.

Watch Day Two Close

Day Three

Friday 26th February 2021

Conference Re-opens - Welcome

Gerry Sutcliffe, Chairman of Springfield Agri, says a few words to open the third and final day of the conference.

Watch Day Three Opening
The need for systems change and climate stewardship

Patrick Holden, CEO, Sustainable Food Trust, talks to Mark Shayler, Innovation, Springfield Agri about the need to change the system of farming and in- particular the importance of farmers becoming climate stewards and biodiversity stewards. Farmers are the essential elect in the battle to reverse climate change. Patrick looks at the split between the land sparers and the land sharers. How can we all work together to meet a shared this shared goal? This is an insightful and wide ranging talk that highlights Patrick’s role in leading this debate. Patrick argues that we have 10 years, at most, to sort this out.

Watch Climate Stewardship
Good food for all

Lindsay Graham Vice Chair, Poverty and Inequality Commission Scotland, shares her thoughts on the challenges we are facing with food poverty and inequality of access to good food here in the UK.

Watch Good food for all
Is soil health important to human health?

Dr Tony Butler, Researcher into Regenerative Agriculture, briefly describes some of the known, and possible, ways that human health benefits from a vibrant living soil.

Watch Soil Health
When Kirsty met Tony

A discussion between Kirsty Henshaw, Managing Director, Kirsty's Thoughtful Food and Tony Mulgrew, Chef, Ravenscliffe School, on why healthy nutritious food doesn't have to be expensive and the positive impact nutritious meals have on the children's performance at school - whilst Tony cooks up a delicious dish!

Watch Kirsty Met Tony
"Healthy" food dichotomy

Ben Taylor-Davies, Bioagriecologist, Regenben, discusses the impact 5 A Day has on our environment and our planet.

Watch Healthy Food
Harnessing digital technology to transform agri-food systems

Hermione Dace, Policy Analyst, Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, discusses discuss the opportunities presented by digital technology to transform our food system and the policy issues governments must address to help scale agri-food technologies and create a food system fit for the 21st century.

Watch Agri-Food Systems
Positive Disruption

Mark Shayler, Innovation, Springfield Agri, talks about how disruption for its own sake is unhelpful and how it needs aligning to purpose. He talks about disruption in food and farming drawing on family history and the music of the 70s and 80s.

Watch Positive Disruption
Net Zero - Challenges and Opportunities

Alex Sobel, Chair of the All Party Group on Net Zero, Labour Party, discusses the importance of planning for land use and taking the biodiversity net gain into account. He highlights the challenges our governments, local authorities and the different organisations are facing in keeping the wellbeing of our climate and environment at the top of the agendas. He also shares some of the findings from the inquiry into UK progress in reducing nitrate pollution by the Environment Audit Committee. Full report here.

Watch Net Zero Challenges
Panel discussion moderated by Mark Shayler

Mark Shayler, Innovation, Springfield Agri, moderates this session in which speakers respond to and discuss questions submitted by the audience from the previous sessions.

  • Lindsay Graham, Vice Chair, Poverty and Inequality Commission Scotland
  • Dr Tony Butler, Researcher into Regenerative Agriculture
  • Ben Taylor-Davies, Bioagriecologist, Regenben
Watch Panel Discussion
Re-generation Earth

Doug Wanstall, Co-Founder Re-generation Earth, discusses the introduction of a novel, fast growing sterile hybrid tree that produces high value hardwood timber, sequesters large amounts of CO2 and that delivers a range of other eco system services. At Re-Generation Earth we place People, Planet and Profit on an equal footing and believe that well designed land based projects will become the answer (along with emission reductions) to anthropological climate change.

Watch Re-generation Earth
Safeguarding biodiversity by converting organic

Emma Robinson & Ian O'Reilly, from Gazegill Organics talk about the increase in biodiversity following their move to organic and regenerative practises on their farm.

Watch Organic Biodiversity
Woodland Trust

John Tucker, Director of Woodland Outreach, Woodland Trust discusses the very important role trees play in soil management reducing soil loss, improving soil structure and the many other perhaps surprising benefits trees have to offer.

Watch Woodland Trust
Biodiversity Panel discussion moderated by Mark Shayler

Mark Shayler, Innovation, Springfield Agri, moderates this session in which speakers respond to and discuss questions submitted by the audience from the previous sessions.

  • Doug Wanstall, Co-Founder, Re-generation Earth
  • John Tucker, Director of Woodland Outreach, Woodland Trust
  • Emma Robinson, Farmer, Gazegill Organics
  • Ian O'Reilly, Farmer, Gazegill Organics
Watch Biodiversity Panel
Kiss The Ground

Finian Makepeace, Co-Founder, Policy Director and Lead Educator, Kiss the Ground, shares his thoughts on the discussions that have taken place during our conference and why we need to defragment and take action.

Watch Kiss The Ground
Soil and the security of water, food and climate

Professor John Crawford, Chair of the Adam Smith Business School, Glasgow University, presents some of the latest insights into what is known about the link between carbon and the soil functions that are important to us, including water storage, nutrient dynamics, and greenhouse gas emissions. Finally, he presents a perspective on how we can (and must) deliver better soil health on a global scale in partnership with farmers.

Watch Soil Security
UN Assistant Secretary General Message

Satya S. Tripathi, Assistant Secretary-General, United Nations talks about how regenerative farming increases carbon capture and also about the resulting holistic benefits on a global scale.

Watch UN Message
Main Outcomes & Conference Close

Gerry Sutcliffe, Chairman, Springfield Agri, closes the final day of the conference with some reflections on the whole event, and a look forward to how we can all make a difference going forward.

Watch Conference Close