Verwill Farm is a prototype for a new kind of livestock agriculture that applies new insights into agroecology, such as soil science, and combines it with ancient practices of landscape management and pastoralism. We select rare and primitive breeds, some of them the rarest in the world, to best match different browsing behaviours with the local ecology. Rotational grazing systems, revival of ancient coppice, restoration of hedgerows and wetlands are all part of a system-level reimagining of how an upland hill farm can be transformed. The goal reaches beyond sustainability, towards a process of healing for soils, trees, wildlife and water. For too long UK farming has run an ecological overdraft, ‘breaking even’ will not be enough, we need to start rebuilding the balance.
