THINGS YOU NEVER KNEW ABOUT WORMS! - Is this field any better?

Time to see if the flood meadow is any better. I also get to ask Ben a bit more about regenerative farming and find out his feelings about my rusty gate.
Bens website and the podcast
www.regenben.com
uk-podcasts.co.uk/podcast/far...
Visit our new online DIY Farm shop here - www.diyfarm.co.uk
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#diyfarm #regenerativeagriculture #soilhealth

[@KR155_]

He needs his own channel. I've never been so interested in soil so much.

[@TheCornishpoacher]

Hes has a podcast - Search regenben

[@lukewarm2075]

So true😊

[@C.Hawkshaw]

Yeah man! Let’s see Ben’s farm!

[@felixreali7101]

I could listen to Ben all day long.

[@mattbarber1987]

Same! What a lovely passionate chap

[@TheCornishpoacher]

Hes has a podcast - Search regenben

[@PeterOMep-fm6wl]

I think you’ve found the next big star in Ben! Apart from being very personable, he is a mine of knowledge. I think the videos with Ben are the best and most interesting you have done. Can you get him back once a quarter or so and maybe he can introduce some of the things he covers in his podcasts to your farm? (He could fill his own channel!) Also, can you update us about his book please?

[@diyfarm]

I’m pretty sure Ben was a big star without us. While he might not be much on KZbin, he is well known by the regenerative community and often speaks and consults all around the country. That said, it would be great to meet up with him again, maybe film a few more bits👍

[@FreeSpeechXtremist]

​@@diyfarmcan't honestly believe you have such small knowledge of farming. I was brought up on a smallholding with large veg plots and livestock so it's second nature to me. But honestly can't imagine attempting this with such little knowledge it's a very steep learning curve good luck to you no offence meant.

[@peterwalton1502]

Ben needs his own KZbin channel 😊😊

[@paulsims7161]

Ben ! Very knowledgeable man . All farmers need a BEN great vid .

[@843thebear]

Fascinating topic. What a knowledgable chap.

[@gerrym4377]

What an absolutely fantastic guy Ben is, motivational and passionate! 🙌

[@ThisOldManOfTheSea]

whilst at school in the early 60s we were given OS Field Maps and a set of containers to go out, in groups of 2 with no adult supervision, and collect soil samples from a series of fields. This was part cross-country, part Geography, part Biology and part map reading. I’ll never forget those lessons as I learned so much without realising I was learning. Oh, we also had to write a report of our expedition and soil analysis!

[@kukatahansa]

Could you do a video of Ben's system of 7 pastures? Show how it is managed and what the difference is between the each pasture. I'm sure many of us would be interested of it!

[@hansmuller4338]

That interests me as well.

[@jonb8241]

What a great knowledgeable guy … great video.

[@philipwilson4025]

Very informative article about soil, water, chemicals can’t weight for the next one

[@izebdeh]

I'm just a newbie garden grower. But ive learnt so much from this man in the space of two videos. What a well of knowledge! Many thanks 🧑‍🌾

[@TheOriginal_BigMac]

Love seeing Ben's passion for nature😊

[@JamieBennett09]

More Ben, what a knowledgeable chap who can translate often complex topics into something that is compelling watching.

[@garyonnen7634]

Huge fun to listen to this gentleman.

[@ninemoonplanet]

For farmers, gardeners, anyone trying to get high quality production, there's a Dr. Elaine Ingham who's got lots of videos on compost, soil health, and explains the cycle of the soils. Another one is Geoff Lawton, who explains why the use of swales, especially on sloped areas is essential for retaining soil moisture. Feed the soil, increase the microbiology, and avoid chemicals as much as possible. No fertilizer, herbicides, pesticides, fungicides and end up with far fewer "pests" and weeds. Composting is key to improving soils, as is adding diversity.

[@ninemoonplanet]

Both have KZbin channels.

[@jaymeharl3270]

I loved this video. My parents owned a Pay Lake and we bought worms in bulk to sell, and goldfish (small carp). But we used the leftover soil in our flower beds and watered the flowers with water from the fish tanks. Our flowers were enormous and beautiful! It was oddly satisfying to scoop an entire handful of nightcrawlers over from a flat and watch them try to dig back down to the bottom. Most of our bait worms were adults, with only a few juveniles. I am not sure how they managed that at the farm!

[@barrydoxseyuk]

Ben makes so much sense! Very interesting the cause for the change in lifestyle.The need to search for answers!❤

[@dalewarren8447]

Brilliant

[@Wornout1]

For job satisfaction a mole plough with a disk in front is best on grassland. Very interesting video thanks 👍

[@philipoconnell9324]

Love Bens gate theory about farms. Walking farm weekly it's so true.

[@FiscalWoofer]

How your gates hang! Totally with you, want them on ball race bearings!

[@chessman483]

Love this, been into some of this stuff for a few years. But learnt so much more.

[@diyfarm]

We are learning so much too!

[@53bigbearhouse]

Wow Ben needs his own channel or a regular spot on here. That’s if he is still talking to you after the state of your gate 😂 Very interesting. Will check out his podcasts.

[@diyfarm]

😂

[@martingale7760]

Great video to watch, and after 18 years in agriculture , plus a level 2 in horticulture, your video brings back a few memories. Here are a few books that may help you understand your field soils. Rushall, The Story of an Organic Farm. Barry Wookey It's worth a good read. Plus, Principal of Horticulture. C. R. Adams. - M. P. Early. These books help me understand my work while working on the farm and as a horticulturalist.

[@robertwilson6020]

That guy is amazing. Could you get him to a similar look at your allotment area a give us all tips and ideas

[@herrangsbiodling9778]

VERY interesting. I have seen Richard Perkins use a Keyline plough on contours to, I think, help move the water through the land instead of the quickest way off the land. You're maybe already aware of it. It seemed like your furrows weren't exactly on contour, but hard to tell from the pics.

[@stevesavage8784]

Nice Boer Bokke!

[@ninemoonplanet]

Red wigglers are amazing for making their own compost. They're native to my area too. All you need are two tubs/bins wide and shallow, one perforated on bottom, around the rim, some shredded paper, leaves, green stuff like vegetable tops and put perforated bin over the other bin and you have vermiculture. These worms produce very good compost, as long as you don't put citrus, animal products and allium plants in. Unfortunately red wigglers will die from dewormer.

[@matthewsmade]

Great info thanks Ben please have him back

[@robertcorradi8573]

Great content. Thank you.

[@54mgtf22]

Hey Tim. Love your work 👍

[@C.Hawkshaw]

Farming may not be rocket science, but it is soil science.

[@k8m883]

Brilliant video he would make a fantastic regular guest and would like to know more about his book.

[@didgeridooblue]

I've been attempting regenerative ag for several years now. The one thing I've noticed and consider a good soil indicator is the increase in fungi fruiting bodies that I'm seeing throughout the growing season.

[@michaeloconnor9809]

Benefits of using a roller? Surely it squeezes the air out of the soil and compacts it to some degree.

[@threeriversforge1997]

I agree with him on the gate issue, though I come at it from a different angle. He's right that if you let the gate go, but I tend to go to the deeper psychological stuff. The gate is an "easy" fix. No matter how hard your week's been, you can fix that gate in a half day's work, without much trouble or expense. That doesn't mean you have to fix every gate on the property. Just fix that one. That's a victory. That stokes you up because you can see positive results right away, and you'll see those results every single time you use that gate. Day in and day out, you're reminded that you are working to a positive end. Those little victories are critical to your mental health. Every other goal you have might see very far off in the future, but that gate can be a victory you have tomorrow. Done and dusted in just one day. Easy as that. And then you move on to the next gate on the list. Sooner than you think, if you do one gate per weekend, or per month, you've got every gate on the land fixed and swinging properly. And what does that accomplish? Easier ingress and egress is nice, but more important is being able to look out over your land and know that things are ship-shape, right and tidy. There's an element of pride in it that you don't even know you're missing. There's a sense of satisfaction that goes bone deep for a job well done. One small task scratched off the list. A victory for you, and maybe some new callouses, too.

[@diyfarm]

You’re absolutely right. I’m about 8 gates in and bought another 6 at the weekend so I’ll nearly be done by the end of the year. Just love a gate that swings and latches faultlessly. 👍

[@threeriversforge1997]

@@diyfarm One of the many benefits of laying hedges in the traditional way is that you get wood that can be made into beautiful gates. Used to be that the Hedge-Layers of Old would tend the wild patches to make sure they had plenty of rods for weaving a hedge tight, and as they went around coppicing and clearing, they'd use the extra bits they cleaned out to make all sorts of things for the homesteads in the area. We've lost much of our generational knowledge because folks opt for the mass-produced stuff imported from some far off land rather than employing local people using local materials. I know there are a few woodsmen still working at it, and they post regularly on Instagram. Maybe this would be a good opportunity to replace one of the main gates, something that folks see as they drive up to the farmhouse, and a real gem in the crown of your little kingdom. 👑😃

[@pronoia.]

I'm an Australian. NEVER overgraze a paddock down to nothing, you will get weeds. Do try mob grazing. Concentrate a number of livestock into a small paddock. They will eat quickly to get the grass before the animal beside them gets it. They will trample everything and lay it over. Anything they don't eat with a stem should stand back up first (1-2 days) and be the tallest thing in the paddock. You can mow off just the tops off to stop it seeding and might kill off some types of weeds. Or we use a weed wiper, which is basically a brush that wipes herbicide on at a certain height, The last option is to remove by hand. You should always have at least 30%+ ground cover. See Greg Judy's video for a large and quick version of Mob grazing " Isaac puts 800,000 lbs stocking density on Sericea Lespedeza with cow/calf mob with 30-minute moves. "

[@user-yq8ck8yf3u]

When it comes to sand in the soil which can be useful for drainage we also need some sand in your surface soil. If the soil particles are too fine drainage well be a problem. If you lose your dung beetles to poisonous animal treatments the worms will remain, but they well bring a lot of fine material to the surface. Dung beetles bring up large soil particles to the surface for better surface drainage while protecting the water absorbent mineral fines, and organic material from the sun drying out in the summer heat.. We need healthy populations of both animal groups.

[@raydunn3501]

That was great,,, Ben should grow a beard,,, he could be the new David Bellamy,,, I hope you can get him back in a year or two so we can see how what changes you've made has worked out.

[@nathanahern3278]

Could you please put the link to Ben's podcast?

[@diyfarm]

In description, sorry they were only in the first video but now added. 👍

[@dave4728]

Lol. My goats won't touch nettles unless theres nothing else to eat.

[@diyfarm]

Our boer goats won’t and graze more like sheep whereas our dairy boys are all over nettles, brambles and thistles. Funny how they are so different.

[@dave4728]

@@diyfarm We only keep dairy goats and they happily eat the grass. I guess it could be something to do with what minerals each specific plant type brings up. I've heard goats can be quite tuned to what minerals they need.

[@jmybuild]

Our goats won't touch nettles green, but do eat them if I cut and dry them... nice addition during the winter@@dave4728

[@spencersanderson1894]

@@dave4728 I wouldn’t be surprised if goats knew what they needed. My friend told me when he lets the cows out into the fields the first thing they go for is the plantain, which is a really beneficial healing herb and it’s gone within a day. I think there have been studies done on cows that eat from a herb rich swards and they need less vet intervention than cows fed on grain and silage. Really interesting stuff. Take care.

[@Bargalie]

where's the link to the podcast?

[@diyfarm]

In description, sorry they were only in the first video but now added. 👍

[@richardstevenson2727]

👊🫡

[@KarlKarsnark]

Aa "farmer" that doesn't know if soil is "important", or what a worm is, or why they're beneficial, 42:01 even Ben looked like he wanted to shoot himself. LOL! This is going to be funny. Pro Tip: Start with an Herb Garden BEFORE you "Buy the Farm" ;)

[@KarlKarsnark]

These folks are doomed. They want simple, 2 second, one-step answers to their complex and unique circumstances. As Ben said, if you're making money, you're doing it right, if you aren't you aren't. The fact that money didn't occur to the "Farmer" just proves this is his city-boy, Bourgeois, mid-life crisis project. Me thinks this is not going to end well.

[@tesha199]

Thistles are just doing their job, fixing the soil inadequacies

[@steveday4332]

get rid of the pain in the arse dog

[@FiscalWoofer]

Probs need a working dog.

[@bevoberholzer17225]

😀🙂😃🙃🫠🫠😁😉😆