05/06/2026
I’ve just spent three days up in Shropshire on the Roots to Regeneration programme with Caroline Grindrod and Claire Hill, and it really was an exceptional few days.
I’ve been on a lot of courses over the years, but this one stood out. The pacing was really good, with a thoughtful mix of indoor sessions, time outside, a fantastic farm walk, soil sampling, discussion, observation, great company and proper time to think.
One of the most interesting parts for me was the way the course reframed how we think about “weeds” and land management problems. Rather than jumping straight to the usual tools, whether that is herbicide, pharmaceuticals, topping, strimming, digging or whatever else, it asked us to look at what the problem might be telling us.
- What is happening in the soil?
- What is the history of that piece of land?
- What is the land trying to become?
- What is actually achievable in that particular place?
For example, if nettles are being driven by nitrate run-off from a neighbouring field, you probably won’t solve the nettle problem without addressing that source or creating some kind of buffer. If docks are thriving, they may be telling you something about compaction, with those deep roots trying to open up the soil.
It is a very different way of thinking. It is also quite challenging, because sometimes the solution is not immediate action.
Sometimes it involves observation, patience, and allowing processes to unfold. That can be hard when we are used to wanting land to look “sorted” quickly. Land often has a lot more patience than we do.
It was also extraordinary to see Claire’s farm after only four years of regenerative farming. She uses mob grazing, moving her cattle every few days, and the results were genuinely striking. The density of the grass, the diversity, the flowers within the sward and the sheer thickness of everything were amazing to see. I would have guessed it would take much longer to achieve that from short-grazed sheep fields.
Of course, Shropshire has more water than we do here, and probably very different soils, so I’m not pretending there are any simple answers. But it was a real education to see what well-planned, carefully managed regenerative grazing can do.
All in all, it was a wonderful few days with some truly amazing people. I came away with a lot to think about and a very strong reminder that, as land managers, we have a real opportunity to manage for the best possible grazing and hay, while also creating rich and diverse wildlife habitats within our land.
I can’t wait for the next module in the Lake District in the autumn.
