Young Farmer Focus: Louise Penn - 'We can develop new regenerative systems'

Louise Penn, 24, Denton Northamptonshire Castle Ashby estate 
Agronomist and Farming Consultant 

I grew up surrounded by farming on our 263-hectare mixed farm in Northamptonshire. I was always involved on the farm but never really saw a career in it, until I started to learn more about the science behind growing crops – then I really took an interest. I knew, even before I went to university, that I wanted to be an agronomist. 

Upon leaving university, I started working for Hutchinsons, where I trained doing my BASIS and FACTS qualifications. In my second year as an agronomist, I began to take an interest in soil health and regenerative agriculture.

It is difficult to pinpoint what sparked this interest, but I think a lot of it was purely through observations, such as when a direct drilled field walked better than a ploughed one, or when trash disappeared quicker on farms that were prioritising soil health. 

From here, I started reading around the subject, visiting farms and talking to other farmers who were using regenerative farming practices.

Books such as Dirt to Soil and For the Love of Soil very quickly filled my bookshelf. It was at this point that I began to feel a bit disillusioned with my job; I was recommending chemical inputs but all the while learning more about the soil.  

I was very lucky to be offered a job by Ceres Rural, where I am now working with progressive farmers to develop more sustainable farming systems. I am very aware that we need some chemical inputs to produce the volume of food needed for our growing population.

However, I believe that we can develop new regenerative farming systems that are less reliant on these inputs and put a greater emphasis on improving soil health, while also creating sustainable and resilient farming businesses. 

Farmers implementing these practices have seen the evidence of this. The biggest challenge is getting consumers on board; it is already a big enough task to get people to buy British, but we need consumers to understand where their food is coming from and place a bigger value on it.

Farmers are not in business to subsidise cheap food. We should be getting the right value for locally, sustainably produced food that is supporting the environment. 

This is why I started posting on my Instagram (@louisepennagronomy_) showing my day-to-day life as an agronomist. I explain to the public where their food comes from and how it is grown, as well as sharing knowledge and observations on farm between farmers. 

This really is such an exciting time for British agriculture, with new ideas and farming systems just waiting to be embraced.