This episode was produced in association with Nethergill Associates, a farm consultancy based in Devon.
For more information on Nethergill Associates visit nethergillassociates.co.uk
For further description and definition of ‘Maximum Sustainable Output’ click here.
Timestamps
00:27 Ben introduces the show.
03:02 Chris Clark introduces himself.
03:47 Brian Scanlon introduces himself.
04:19 Chris introduces Nethergill Associates as a consultancy.
05:44 ‘The problem’ – struggling farm profitability and declining nature value – why did Chris want to focus on tackling these big problems.
07:42 Does the farming sector perhaps not look outside (to other sectors) enough? Brian comments.
08:25 Is it possible to put a figure on the maximum profit potential of a farm business? What does profit mean?
10:19 Brian explains how the size of the farm is the critical limiting factor in profitability currently.
10:40 Energy – why do we need to focus on this?
12:34 Farmers as energy producers.
12:55 Mindset shift – seeing nature as a stakeholder in your farm business.
16:02 Natural capital and how maximum sustainable output interacts with it.
16:20 Free issue energy.
17:20 Brian explains productive variable costs and corrective variable costs.
19:15 What are Chris and Brian doing on the ground on a farm in calculating MSO?
24:31 Going beyond farming – does MSO have wider applicability?
25:54 ”The energy that goes into other inputs cannot be recovered” says Chris.
26:28 Profitability – the culture in farming behind it.
28:18 ”Profitability is fundamental for food security” says Brian.
29:00 The Less is More Report and where Nethergill Associates has come from.
31:32 MSO is about all farms, not just upland farms, but how does this relate to the uplands? Does this approach offer a more democratic approach?
32:29 The concept of the managed landscape.
33:42 The maths on how variable MSO is. Can it be improved over time?
34:30 Food security.
37:50 Brian discusses yield. Husbandry v additives.
38:48 Contract farming and profit shares. How does MSO work with this?
42:36 The direction of profitability.
43:10 Wider benefit in terms of economy, ecology and community. What are the benefits for everyone else? What is the relevance for policy makers?
46:58 Message for the public and message for farmers.
48:56 Ben rounds up.