Groundswell 2025, which ran from 1-3 July, welcomed over 10,000 visitors to the Cherry family’s Lannock Farm near Hitchin in Hertfordshire. The sell-out regenerative agriculture event included over 400 speakers from around the world, including the ‘grandfather’ of regen ag, North Dakotan farmer, Gabe Brown.
In addition to the diversity of topics and speakers on the 10 stages, visitors joined farm-wide practical demonstrations across the mosaic of farmland habitats hearing from hands-on practitioners about mob grazing, birdlife, hedgerow biodiversity, no-till potato growing and some had a magical foray into an audioscape of soil acoustics in the farm’s woodland.
Widely considered as THE immersive ‘regen ag’ event, content centred on principles of regenerative agriculture – minimising soil disturbance, keeping the soil surface covered, maintaining living roots, maximising crop diversity, re-introducing livestock to the farm.
Keynote speaker Gabe Brown, the author of his world-famous book ‘Dirt to Soil’, shared his journey from conventional to regenerative agriculture, emphasising the importance of mimicking nature. He highlighted the significant improvements made to his 6,000-acre farm, including increasing soil organic matter, reducing erosion, and growing higher yielding crops without synthetic inputs since 2007, stressing the need for diversity, living roots, and animal integration.
Praising the spirit of the regenerative community he said: “When we regenerate soils, we regenerate people, communities and natural ecosystems. That’s the kind of thinking that we need to scale. That’s why it’s so exciting to be here at Groundwell and see so many people want to take on this challenge. When we go home and look in the mirror, we have to realise that challenge starts with each and every one of us. That’s the kind of thinking that we need to scale, not more bureaucratic compliance checklists and subsidies.”
Interjecting policy into the collective conversation, Steve Reed, Defra Secretary of State attended the event on 3 July. He repeated the Government’s commitment to its £2.7 billion annual investment, over three years, for sustainable farming and nature’s recovery. Funding for farmers through the Environmental Land Management Schemes increasing by 150% to £2 billion by 2029 and announced a £150 million capital grant round and a reformed SFI scheme due to reopen in early 2026.
Event Director, Alex Cherry said of the event, “It’s been a monumental few days. We are very proud of the whole team for delivering a successful event that brings together thousands of people with a shared mission of building a healthier farming and food system. It was incredibly heartening for all of us who have been involved in regenerative farming for many years now to hear Prince William affirming its importance, and making the connections between farming, food and health. It feels clear Regen Ag is now in the mainstream. Amid the many challenges facing the sector, Groundswell is a wonderfully positive atmosphere, and many people leave the event invigorated with a sense of optimism for the months to come. “
Other Groundswell visitors included Honorary President of Linking Environment and Farming (LEAF), HRH The Duchess of Edinburgh who joined the Cherry family, Yeo Valley and other exhibitors for a tour of the site, meeting speakers, farmers and industry specialists to hear about the growing interest in regenerative farming practices.
It was a delight to welcome HRH, The Prince of Wales, who visited Groundswell for the first time in 2024. HRH dropped in to share a genuine, heartfelt endorsement of the event and the wider regenerative community.
Dates for your diary – Groundswell 2026 will be held 1-2nd July 2026