I FEEL farmers are being unfairly criticised by some outspoken commentators who know very little, if anything at all, about farming.

Much of the land in Herefordshire is farmed as family farms, with many of the farms having been farmed by the same families for generations.

ALSO READ:

But the way the county’s farming families run their farms, they do not need to change to farming re-generatively. That is the way they have always farmed, where grassland and livestock are an important integral part of their balanced farming system.

Their grass-based cattle and sheep enterprises build up soil organic matter by sequesting carbon through the soil profile as organic matter in the soil biome.

What are your thoughts?

You can send a letter to the editor to have your say by clicking here.

Letters should not exceed 250 words and local issues take precedence.

This build-up of carbon in the soil as organic matter is essential in maintaining healthy soils, producing healthy crops and healthy livestock and the grassland has a vital role in reducing the emissions of GHGs, mitigating the problems associated with climate change.

Farmers farming in a way which takes account of their environmental footprint need to be recognised for the important role they play, not only as food producers, but for the way they are preserving and enhancing their soils by farming in a benign way, concentrating on margin rather than yield.

IAN HOWIE

Wormbridge