After five seasons of testing regenerative and conventional farming systems side by side, we remain strongly committed to continuing the work. The trial has given us valuable insight, and we believe there is still an important role for robust, practical on-farm research in the regenerative space.

That said, we have decided to adjust the way the trial is structured.

The original design relied on two broadly equivalent herds, allowing us to compare regenerative and conventional outcomes at a very granular level — including milk solids, farm working expenses, animal performance and whole-system economics. Over time, that structure has become increasingly restrictive from a commercial farming perspective. It has limited our ability to manage animals in the way that best supports their age, condition and productive potential, and therefore has not always delivered the best overall outcome for the farm business.

From this season, we will continue to operate two distinct herds and continue to manage one regeneratively and one conventionally. However, the herd groups will no longer be directly comparable in the same way. The regenerative herd and conventional herd will be made up of animals with different age and condition profiles — for example, younger and lighter cows in one group, and older or better-conditioned cows in the other — so that management decisions can better reflect what is appropriate for the animals and the commercial operation.

As a result, we will no longer present the trial as a like-for-like comparison of milk production, farm working expenses, profitability or per-cow performance between the regenerative and conventional systems. Without two equivalent herds, those comparisons would not be sufficiently robust or meaningful.

What will remain:

The core purpose of the work remains unchanged: to test, learn and contribute useful evidence to the wider conversation about regenerative farming.

We will continue to observe and document how the two systems are managed, including differences in grazing approach, pasture utilisation and animal-management decisions.

The regenerative system will continue to focus on practices such as:
• Longer grazing rotations.
• Higher pre-grazing covers.
• Higher residuals where appropriate.
• Diverse pasture species.
• A strong focus on soil condition, soil biology and pasture resilience.
• Management decisions designed to support pasture recovery and long-term system health.

The conventional system will continue to reflect the approach used across our conventional farming operation, including:
• Higher stocking rates.
• More conventional grazing rotations.
• Lower pre- and post-grazing covers.
• Management focused on efficient pasture utilisation and production within a conventional dairy model.

The major shift is that we will significantly increase our focus on the pasture and soil component of the trial.

As always, if you have any feedback, recommendations, or useful insights, please reach out to Rhys or Clare.