Clarkson tests regenerative approach at Diddly Squat

Jeremy Clarkson has said he is testing regenerative farming techniques in one of his fields, despite objections from his key adviser, Kaleb Cooper.

In a piece for The Times, Mr Clarkson explained how he was now growing wheat and beans in a single field simultaneously after meeting Andy Cato, who used to be in electronic music act Groove Armada but has since pioneered an agri-environmental project called Wildfarmed.

The scheme offers support to farmers who want to move towards a pasture-cropping system, where seeds are sown directly into grass and nutrients are recycled by bringing grazing animals into fields.

Mr Clarkson explained he was doing the regenerative trial, which ‘on paper makes no sense at all’, because he had been unable to afford the fertiliser he would normally use on his crops.

“With regenerative farming, however, you think about pounds () rather than pounds (lb),” he wrote.

“You accept that you grow less, but recognise because you are using less fertiliser, insecticide and diesel, your profit margins are higher.”

He was also struck by a simple soil test he carried out on Diddly Squat Farm, Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire, with Mr Cato, which showed the soil by a hedge at the side of one of his fields was much healthier than it was in the centre.

“It may yet turn out to be a disaster,” he wrote. “But what if it is not? What if I get a reasonable crop that has cost less to grow than usual, and that I can sell for a good price?

“And what if it really is helping to repair all that damage I have done to the soil over the years?"