Ben Eagle

Agroecology – a third way?

In farming, as in every other way of life, we have made a critical mistake. It is a mistake of language, assigning linguistic labels to denote ‘methods’ of agriculture and thus discouraging innovation and radical thinking. We can point to and fairly accurately describe ‘conventional’, ‘organic’, ‘biodynamic’, ‘integrated’, ‘intensive’ or ‘extensive’ ‘types’ of farming alongContinueContinue reading “Agroecology – a third way?”

Species in the Spotlight: Red and White Clover

If you are talking to an organic farmer and the subject of clover comes up in conversation, prepare to be there for a while. Why are farmers (and especially organic farmers) so interested in clover? Well, both red (trifolium pratense) and white (trifolium repens) varieties (there are about 300 species of clover or trefoil inContinueContinue reading “Species in the Spotlight: Red and White Clover”

Bill Cronon on Environmental History

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=lGAtus2iA7c Whenever anyone asks me about what era or ‘typology’ of history I most enjoy studying I generally respond with two small words: ‘environmental history’. Those of you who regularly read my posts will know that environmental history forms a profound base in my interests and my study and indeed I hope to write manyContinueContinue reading “Bill Cronon on Environmental History”

Update on Bovine TB and the UK Badger Cull

Environment Secretary Owen Paterson (shown above) has described Bovine TB as ‘the most pressing animal health problem facing this country’. It has led to the slaughter of more than 28,000 cattle in England in the last year at a cost to the taxpayer of nearly £100 million and it will cost an estimated £1 billionContinueContinue reading “Update on Bovine TB and the UK Badger Cull”

Summer time is when to spot diseases such as ash dieback

Summer time is when to spot diseases such as ash dieback. Please take a look at this post. One doesn’t have to be an expert to spot a diseased tree but it is vitally important that we all do our bit to report disease cases to allow us to mitigate the problem as much asContinueContinue reading “Summer time is when to spot diseases such as ash dieback”