In this second part of the Dairy Diaries we travelled to New York State to chat to Tom McGrath at Family Farmstead Dairy. We would like to have had him round the table for part one but the time differences didn’t work and it turns out Dairy Farmers work really hard!!

The farm is nestled in the rolling hills of central New York, where Tom and his family currently milk 45 cows on their 158 acre farm. They both come from farming backgrounds and it has taught them to appreciate the land, animals and instilled good work ethics.

Along with their own farm, they also support six other small family farms in their region. All the farms are certified organic, and all cows are 100% grass-fed and have been tested to carry the A2/A2-casein protein gene.

In this episode of Six Inches of Soil, Tom McGrath, founder of Family Farmstead Dairy, discusses the journey of transforming a conventional dairy farm into a certified regenerative and organic operation. He highlights the importance of nutrient density in dairy products, the impact of pasteurization on milk quality, and the significance of A2 milk for consumer health. Tom shares insights into the challenges faced by small family farms in the dairy industry, the mission-driven approach of his business, and the importance of animal welfare and sustainable practices. He emphasizes the need for consumer education and the role of informed purchasing decisions in supporting regenerative agriculture.

Website: https://www.familyfarmsteaddairy.com/

Insta: @familyfarmsteaddairy

Certified with:

https://regenified.com/

https://organicfarmersassociation.org/

https://www.usda.gov/farming-and-ranching/organic-farming

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EPISODE 7 PART 1

UNCURDLED

This is the first time we have featured the dairy industry. We decided to start with two family farms in the UK, one producing for their local community and the other running a highly successful yoghurt business. They both have a deep connection to their soils and are caring for their land and communities.

James Robinson:

James farms at Strickley Farm, a 300-acre organic dairy farm that has been free from artificial fertilisers or pesticides for the past 16 years. James’ approach to supporting nature includes planting woodland, leaving areas of grassland ungrazed, maintaining sensitive hedgerow management and fencing off watercourses to improve water quality, so there is less silt and soil from his cattle on the banks. His farm’s hedgerows are seven miles long, some 20-22ft tall.

Website: https://www.strickleydairy.co.uk/

Instagram:

@jrfromstrickley

@nffnuk

L’in: https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-robinson-7a2816273/

Tim Mead:

Tim was born into a dairy-farming family in 1963. He lives with his wife Sarah on the original farm in the Yeo Valley on the edge of Blagdon Lake, Somerset. After qualifying as a chartered accountant in London, Tim joined the Yeo Valley business in 1987, Yeo Valley Organic is the UK’s largest organic brand and celebrates its 30th anniversary in 2024.The business is still family controlled, with 20% held by an employee benefit trust. In 2017 after 30 years as a yogurt maker, Tim turned his attention to the farming side of the business and is still learning…..

Website: https://www.yeovalley.co.uk/

Instagram:

@yeovalley

Sponsored by Fielden:

The discount code is SOIL10 and gives 10% off all whisky on fielden.com.

Six Inches of Soil film - find links here to watch it: https://www.sixinchesofsoil.org/

Six Inches of Soil book: https://www.sixinchesofsoil.org/book

Finally if you have enjoyed listening to this podcast please do rate it - many thanks!

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Episode 6 - Unearthed

Host, producer: Richard Tufton

Co-host, producer: Claire Mackenzie

Editor: Meg Chatham

In the episode we are finally bringing us all back down to earth

ANDY NEAL :

Andy is a Soil Microbiologist at Rothamsted Research. He is interested in understanding the feedback between plant primary productivity, soil structure and soil microbial metabolism

Twitter @microbass1

Research papers:

Andrew Neal on Google Scholar

ANDIE MARSH is a soil health specialist, science communicator, and founder of Rhizos LLC - a Soil Food Web certified lab. More than that, she is a human building relationship with land in a suburban context.

Website:

https://www.rhizos.science/

@soilissexy insta

Soil is Sexy is the newsletter Carefully crafted accounts of the wonders beneath our feet, plus insights from a woman building a career in soil health - that’s me, Andie!

RAY ARCHULETA - Ray’s mission is to teach a framework of ecological and spiritual renewal

Ray the soil Guy

Film: https://kissthegroundmovie.com/

KAREN JOHNSON is a professor in the Department of Engineering, University of Durham

She is all about rebuilding soils for climate change mitigation and adaptation.

Resources/Papers:

Smart Soils Video:

Royal Society Rosalind Franklin lecture on soil health and the Embracing our wastes video. Xiao, K-Q, et al. (2023) Introducing the soil mineral carbon pump. Nature Reviews Earth & Environment. You can also watch our animations about soil exploring the links between soil degradation and flooding +links between soil health (SDG15) and climate change (SDG13)

A nation that rebuilds its soils rebuilds itself - an engineer's perspective and watch our COP26 video https://vimeo.com/639855822

Sponsored by Fielden:

The discount code is SOIL10 and gives 10% off all whisky on fielden.com.

Six Inches of Soil film - find links here to watch it: https://www.sixinchesofsoil.org/

Six Inches of Soil book: https://www.sixinchesofsoil.org/book

Finally if you have enjoyed listening to this podcast please do rate it - many thanks!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.