Six years ago, Tom Fairfax faced a crossroads at his Northumberland farm, Mindrum; his conventional model was failing, biodiversity had vanished, and he feared there would be no viable business to leave to his “farming-mad” ten-year-old son.
With a “thin spreadsheet” and production costs rising against plateauing yields, Tom realised that decades of intensive management had silenced the land’s natural systems. He decided to shift from a management relationship to a conversation with his soil, spending four years deep-diving into regenerative practices to reclaim his farm’s health and his own agency as a producer.
The results of this shift have been both environmental and financial; the farm’s soil is now more resilient to extreme weather, and the business has returned to consistent profitability.
In this episode of the Regenerative Soils Series, Abby Rose and Tom Fairfax cover: Tom’s framework for observation & recording in his farm context, how observation & responsive management led to returned farm profitability, and key mindset-changing moments for Tom on his farm.
“Because we’re trying to harness natural systems, we’ve got to communicate with them. We need to listen to them; every time we do something, or when we don’t do something, there’s an impact, and that impact can be useful, and sometimes it can tell us we’ve got it right, or it might tell us we’re getting it wrong. So suddenly, with the ground, it almost became a conversation rather than a management relationship.”
Key Takeaways
Tom’s framework for observation
Tom advises that experimentation is the best way to discover what is useful information for your decision making model. This is your initial objective – actually working out what information you need to collect! These are the metrics Tom has landed on that work in his specific context:
- Soil Temperature Thresholds:
- 4°C: The point where cereals and grasses begin to function.
- 8°C: The “magic number” where forbs and clovers kick in. By monitoring these, Tom knows exactly when the biology is ready to support grazing or growth, rather than forcing the land.
- The Rhizosheath Check:
- When Tom pulls up a plant, he looks for ‘dreadlocks’ of soil sticking to the roots. These are rhizosheaths, a sign of active biological liquid carbon pumping. “If I see bare roots, I know the biology isn’t talking to the plant,” he explains. Read more about rhizosheath testing.
- Brix Testing for Weed Management:
- Tom uses a refractometer to measure the sugar content (Brix) of his crops versus the weeds. If the weeds have a higher Brix than the crop, it’s a signal that the soil environment is currently optimised for weeds. Learn more about how to do a Brix test.
- Tom uses a refractometer to measure the sugar content (Brix) of his crops versus the weeds. If the weeds have a higher Brix than the crop, it’s a signal that the soil environment is currently optimised for weeds. Learn more about how to do a Brix test.
- The ‘Fence Post’ Test:
- While some use expensive penetrometers to check for compaction, Tom uses an electric fence post or a spade. “If you can’t get the spade in, you’ve got a problem,” he says. It’s about repeatable, ground-level observations that any farmer can do without a laboratory.
Remember: In Tom’s words, “be aware that you can get it wrong, and the ground will allow you to get it wrong. In a way, if you’re not getting it wrong occasionally, then you’re not really pushing the ground hard enough”.
A new perspective on weeds
Tom used to see weeds as troublesome on his farm; now he understands that a weed grows to fulfil a purpose in soil recovery, and that it can tell you about what your soil is lacking. For instance, Tom used to spray his thistles with herbicide when he saw them on the farm, now he sees them as part of a nutrient pumping system, instead running a flail mower over them to accelerate their role; releasing nutrients from deeper layers of soil and breaking up compacted areas.
“10 years ago, I used to look at my field and feel disappointed if I didn’t only see wheat growing in it, now I look at the same field and want to see at least 30 things growing in it.”
How observation improved farm profitability & resilience
“We would be out of business if we were still farming in the same way that we were.”
Tom’s mother still lives on the farm and she told Tom recently that the farm feels different under foot; a major indicator of improved health and resilience. Now, they’re able to absorb excess rainfall, and they’re able to retain that water when they have a dry patch. In Tom’s case, improved soil health and resilience led to improved profitability.
When Tom began to make management shifts on his farm, they started by reducing the numbers of livestock by about a third. They’re now building that back up because they’re finding that the ground is much more resilient and able to carry more than it could before.
This means that they have a margin now, when for many years they didn’t have a consistent margin at all, “from an operational, sustainability point of view, the business is much more resilient”.
Ready to start your own conversation with the land? Soilmentor helps you track the key indicators of soil health and build an “observation mindset”. Discover how our toolbox can help you monitor your farm’s transition and make more informed, confident decisions. Contact us on info@vidacycle.com.
