Groundswell Musings - from Em Genr's who went along...
- Em Genr's
- Jul 15
- 6 min read
Updated: Jul 16
After another inspiring year at Groundswell 2025, we asked some Emergent Generation members to share their thoughts. From first-time experiences to panel discussions, beetle safaris to bold ideas for the future - here are a few personal reflections from the event.
Emma:
I attended Groundswell this week for the second time. I first went in 2022 when I was still studying for my MSc in Agroforestry and Food Security, and it was amazing to return this year with a 'Regenerative Farming Officer' lanyard around my neck. A few of us from Emergent Generation attended, and it was lovely to meet up with everyone in the evening and have a boogie to Andy Cato.
There were lots of talks and workshops to attend - on agricultural policy updates, practical management tips, and case studies - as well as plenty of stalls hosted by charities, consultants, tree nurseries, and machinery suppliers working across the sector. It was inspiring to be in a field full of people doing incredible work on their farms.
My highlight was definitely the dung beetle safari. Did you know there are 60 species in the UK, 30 of which are critically endangered or nationally scarce? We don’t have any rollers in the UK, but we do have dwellers and tunnellers - not to be confused with predatory beetles, which can look very similar to the untrained eye!
Without these poo munchers, we’d face serious issues with pollution and parasitic flies, which in turn affect invertebrate populations. A single cow can support up to 2 million insects in its lifetime, which is a powerful reminder of the role livestock play in functioning ecosystems and the importance of overwintering them. For more info, check out Dung Beetles for Farmers.
I also went to Tim Lang’s talk on civil food resilience, which was incredibly sobering. It’s worth looking up his Just in Case report - a vital reminder of the importance of community organising and solidarity in building a more resilient food system.
There was a lot of excitement around agroforestry, with a dedicated tent and even an agroforestry clinic. I joined the silvoarable farm walk with a couple of my colleagues from Earth Trust, which felt especially relevant since we’ll be planting 127 fruit trees and 47 nut trees this winter!
Nick:
A fascinating session with Beatrice Forshall taught me that ancient plankton, which once thrived in the prehistoric ocean covering the Sahara, have decayed into dust that is now carried across the Atlantic by winds. This dust helps fertilise the Amazon Basin today, replenishing nutrients lost through rainfall and even nourishing modern plankton.
She also explained that plankton release chemicals that influence cloud formation - and possibly the climate itself. It’s incredibly motivating to learn that even the smallest creatures can have such a profound impact. I now strive not to be outdone by a microorganism.
Mitch:
It was an incredible experience to attend Groundswell as a speaker this year, with EmGen giving me the opportunity to chair their panel session on Youth Voice in Regenerative Agriculture. Here, four fellow members shared their stories and pathways into the industry before discussing some challenges and solutions facing young people in the sector. This went really well, offering lots of hope and optimism, as well as advice for other young people in the audience.
My standout session at Groundswell was Landscape Approaches, hosted by Commonland. This session powerfully demonstrated the potential of community-led, holistic, landscape-scale regeneration. By taking an integrated approach that connects nature recovery with socio-economic development, the session showed how nature-based solutions can offer resilience to both businesses and communities - while also creating funding streams and adding value to natural resources. This really resonated with me, as I’m currently transitioning from my role as a stockman to return to my hometown and pursue a career in rural facilitation and community building. Since the event, I’ve started reading Commonland’s 4 Returns Framework Guidebook and hope to implement this approach in my own landscape.
I also found FFCC’s session on storytelling and how to communicate your message to different audiences extremely useful. As always, it was great to catch up with familiar faces, with Em Gen giving me a sense of community and belonging at these events.
Clare:
These are my notes from Gabe Brown's talk 'What's all this talk about regenerative agriculture?'
‘I knew I needed to become a student again, a student of how natural ecosystems function'
‘Regeneration isn’t a practice, it’s a mindset!’
Moving beyond sustainability:
The importance of observing and adapting
Get away from yield per acre to profit per acre
We have been sacrificing profit for yield
Gabe used to wake up thinking about what he was going to kill each day (weeds, fungi etc.) and now he is waking up thinking about how he can get more life on his farm!
Regen:
It's not prescriptive, or a recipe - It's not one size fits all - It's not always easy
Diversity grows resiliency:
Increase water infiltration, increase water holding capacity, drought resilience, increase profitability, increase nutrient cycling.
Infiltration:
At Gabe's farm water was infiltrating at ½ an inch each hour in 1994, then two years ago 30 inches/hour. Do we create our own droughts?
Sum up inspiration:
- We need to make the most of our regenerative opportunity, we can’t wait for tomorrow
- Gabe challenged everyone to think about their legacy
- We are effectively borrowing this land from our future generations
James:
Another few days of sun, soil and socialising at Groundswell, after a year off. My second year going, I felt more prepared for the breadth of things to do, with opportunity for me to go to fascinating talks about topics such as British wool revival, farmings glyphosate dependency, and the importance of oral history in agroecology. The broad mix of talks at Groundswell is one of the highlights, allowing me to find more about topics I’m less familiar with, and sparking some fascinating conversations with friends.
For me, a knowledge of landscape history is essential when approaching regenerative agriculture, or restoration ecology, and I would always seek to explore an areas context to know what would work there now. Hearing from Mary Stewart from the British Library talk about “The power of oral histories of agriculture and ecology” showed me how essential stories from the past are in influencing how we approaching farming and nature now. The excerpts from “Whole life stories” bought to life how farmers, advisors and scientists can work, and have worked, together, and what they remember in the landscape. This knowledge is crucial in helping us imagine new futures for farming and wider society, using what the past can teach us.
Meeting up with other Em Genr's another big plus at Groundswell, and we’re often found hanging out by the Earthworm Bar. The bits between (and after) the talks are a hugely important time for catching up with people, and processing what you have learned. If nothing else, GS is a really fun, uplifting few days!
Tristan:
It’s always exciting going to farm events and conferences, even if it can feel slightly nerve-wracking as a young person still finding their feet in this scene. Groundswell is a huge event, but spotting familiar faces (especially fellow Emergent Generation members!) is always reassuring.
Before going, I looked through the programme and was excited to see several familiar names listed as speakers this year! There were eight speakers on the programme and many other Emergent Generation members in attendance, including a fantastic concluding session on Thursday chaired by Mitch Green. Our presence was bigger than ever this year!
Aside from bumping into people throughout the event, lots of Em Gen members gathered at the Pasture For Life tent for free drinks - and to see who would win the Russ Carrington Award, following Jonty, who won it last year. There was a huge cheer as Claire Whittle was announced as the winner - congratulations, Claire!
I also really enjoyed seeing Quentin, who had been co-leading the Proctor Bros farm walk with fellow Em Gen member Melissa. It was his first time at Groundswell, and it’s wonderful to see a young person flourishing both at the event and in his new role. Here are his reflections:
“Not having visited Groundswell before, I had heard so much about it from friends and colleagues, and it certainly lived up to expectations. Over the two days I met, talked to, and listened to fascinating people whose company I enjoyed and learned so much from. A highlight was listening to Gabe Brown speak in the Big Top, and Andy Cato’s Wednesday night entertainment was an absolute blast. As I left this fantastic event, I felt more motivated than ever about regen ag, and I can't wait for next year. (Quentin Watson, Arable Farmer, Proctor Bros)
The final session I attended was run by Emergent Generation - a fantastic way to conclude what is always a whirlwind of an event. It provided the perfect moment to step back and reflect on the past two days.
Hearing the progression of fellow members Mitch, Amy, Grace, Jake, and Melissa is always inspiring. Their journeys feel modest and accessible, making the path ahead seem all the more achievable. It was the perfect way to think about turning thoughts into actions after this event.
It also gave me the chance to catch up with those I hadn’t yet seen, and to say farewell until the next meet-up. Before we know it, another year will pass and Groundswell 2026 will be upon us. I’m already looking forward to seeing what presence Emergent Generation will have then!
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