the olijfwilg he mentions (14m37) = in English: silverberry or oleaster = Latin: genus Elaeagnus. because of the Dutch climate, I assume they planted Elaeagnus angustifolia = Russian Olive, silver berry, oleaster, Persian olive, or wild olive. also a nitrogen-fixing species.
I find the way how you talk about animal agriculture is very reductionist minded. Everything you say is true, but blaming the animals for being inefficient is not very regenerative nor sustainable. We absolutely need animals, and Lots of them in regenerative systems. What IS inefficient is industrial factory farming of animals ( so is monoculture arable farming for that matter). But we cannot blame the animals for being kept in the wrong system. When you explain it how he does it in this video, what people with no knowledge about (regen) farming hear is “Animals are inefficient, plants are better”. But explaining it like that ignores the vital part that animals play in turning this mess that we are in around. Through providing ecosystem services via rotational grazing on pastures for example, but also as providing us with meat, dairy, leather, wool, plus as the suppliers of blood-, bone- or fishmeal AND organic manure which is all highly useful and needed in arable agriculture. The vast majority of the worlds arable systems use synthetic fertilizer which is made from fossil fuels that are damaging for the planet and are a finite source. So how will we put fertility back in the soil after harvesting annuals ( which is most of what we eat from plants, fruit aside)? We spread animal manure, preferably rough stable manure from deep-bedding systems back on it. So please, PLEASE, don’t villify livestock but recognise their crucial role and large numbers of them, in the right system, to help us fix the planet.
Thank you for your feedback! In general I agree with your comments, however this video is not a general video, it is an interview specifically about our farm and it's context. The context in this case is a river clay soil in a temperate climate in the Netherlands. A lot of environmental challenges in the Netherlands are directly related to livestock farming and even the Dutch government admits we should enter a protein transition. To be efficient in th Netherlands we should only keep cows on land only suitable for grass (river floodplains and sandy soils in the east) and feed chicken and pigs only with waste streams of human food production. As we are on soil perfectly suitable for human food production, we will therefore aim to do this. Currently we get our deep litter manure from an extensive organic pig farmer in the region and we provide him with straw from our fields As stated in the interview, there where there is a niche for animals (also e.g. for manure production) we will start integrating them in the coming years. I honestly feel that nowhere in the interview do I blaim animals as that would be quite strange. I do however express my critical view toward our current, unsustainable food system that builds heavily on intensive livestock farming.
@@howardkoster6247 What may not have become clear is that the Netherlands has by far the highest livestock density in Europe, with 4 x more cattle per hectare of agricultural land than the European average, 6 x more poultry and 6 x more pigs! Taken together, current livestock farming poses risks and harms the health and welfare of people and animals, reduces the resilience of agricultural ecosystems, and thus harms the general interest. We can speak of an ‘unhealthy landscape’. Perhaps this clarifies what you meant!?
![Starting a regenerative farm in the Netherlands 🇳🇱 [Anne Van Leeuwen]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/5UJlwwXPoj8/mqdefault.jpg)
Such a good video! Howard is a great and inspiring guy!
Thank you! Indeed, Howard made my job very easy 😇
Brilliant
The way forward is paved by visionary's like these Folk
Thank you.
Thanks for watching and for the kind words
Howard!! What an inspiring guy 😍
indeed 🥰
Inspiring video. Thank you.
thank you for watching! Have a nice day 🥰
Great interview and overview. Would love to see an update in a couple years :)
I would love to do that! And during the summer months, it will be visually more interesting than december ^^ To be continued
😊
🌿❤️
the olijfwilg he mentions (14m37) = in English: silverberry or oleaster = Latin: genus Elaeagnus.
because of the Dutch climate, I assume they planted Elaeagnus angustifolia = Russian Olive, silver berry, oleaster, Persian olive, or wild olive.
also a nitrogen-fixing species.
thank you very much for these precisions!
I love this! Biodynamic, organic, I live in Oregon, one of the stops on the PCT. Thank you for your passion in farming!
thanks a lot! Happy you found this video interesting. All the best 🌿
Amazing! I have so many warm memories of hiking through Oregon and the Cascades. Never seen such blue water as Crater Lake!! ❤️
Lekker Howard!
🥰
I find the way how you talk about animal agriculture is very reductionist minded. Everything you say is true, but blaming the animals for being inefficient is not very regenerative nor sustainable. We absolutely need animals, and Lots of them in regenerative systems. What IS inefficient is industrial factory farming of animals ( so is monoculture arable farming for that matter). But we cannot blame the animals for being kept in the wrong system. When you explain it how he does it in this video, what people with no knowledge about (regen) farming hear is “Animals are inefficient, plants are better”. But explaining it like that ignores the vital part that animals play in turning this mess that we are in around. Through providing ecosystem services via rotational grazing on pastures for example, but also as providing us with meat, dairy, leather, wool, plus as the suppliers of blood-, bone- or fishmeal AND organic manure which is all highly useful and needed in arable agriculture. The vast majority of the worlds arable systems use synthetic fertilizer which is made from fossil fuels that are damaging for the planet and are a finite source. So how will we put fertility back in the soil after harvesting annuals ( which is most of what we eat from plants, fruit aside)? We spread animal manure, preferably rough stable manure from deep-bedding systems back on it. So please, PLEASE, don’t villify livestock but recognise their crucial role and large numbers of them, in the right system, to help us fix the planet.
Thank you for your feedback! In general I agree with your comments, however this video is not a general video, it is an interview specifically about our farm and it's context. The context in this case is a river clay soil in a temperate climate in the Netherlands. A lot of environmental challenges in the Netherlands are directly related to livestock farming and even the Dutch government admits we should enter a protein transition. To be efficient in th Netherlands we should only keep cows on land only suitable for grass (river floodplains and sandy soils in the east) and feed chicken and pigs only with waste streams of human food production. As we are on soil perfectly suitable for human food production, we will therefore aim to do this. Currently we get our deep litter manure from an extensive organic pig farmer in the region and we provide him with straw from our fields As stated in the interview, there where there is a niche for animals (also e.g. for manure production) we will start integrating them in the coming years. I honestly feel that nowhere in the interview do I blaim animals as that would be quite strange. I do however express my critical view toward our current, unsustainable food system that builds heavily on intensive livestock farming.
@@howardkoster6247 What may not have become clear is that the Netherlands has by far the highest livestock density in Europe, with 4 x more cattle per hectare of agricultural land than the European average, 6 x more poultry and 6 x more pigs!
Taken together, current livestock farming poses risks and harms the health and welfare of people and animals, reduces the resilience of agricultural ecosystems, and thus harms the general interest. We can speak of an ‘unhealthy landscape’. Perhaps this clarifies what you meant!?
Thanks!