The UK’s largest independent regenerative agricultural event, run by a farming family, has announced over 200 different speakers.

Groundswell Festival provides a forum for farmers, growers and anyone interested in food production and the environment to learn about the theory and practical applications of regenerative farming systems.

Now in its eighth year, the event will bring together over 200 speakers from across the world. As well as sessions curated by the Groundswell team, organisations and individuals were invited to put forward topics and session ideas, with applications nearly double the number of spaces available.

New this year, the event which takes place on June 28 and 29, at Lannock Manor Farming Hertfordshire, will include “advanced sessions”. These longer presentations and discussions will provide more depth on a topic, allowing those already on their regenerative agriculture journey the opportunity to further expand their knowledge.

This year will also have a strong focus on pasture-fed livestock, with Groundswell integrating cattle into their rotation to improve soil health. During the event, visitors will have the opportunity to follow the full supply chain: hearing from Pasture for Life about 100% grass-fed cattle and sheep; seeing mob grazing in action; viewing a mobile abattoir while discussing the infrastructure needed to ensure sustainability for the future; as well as enjoying beef-cooked over a fire.

Organised by the Cherry family, the programme has been designed to cover all aspects of farming from livestock and agroforestry to machinery, crops, and finance.

Event director Alex Cherry, feels this is what makes Groundswell so unique.

He said: “Last year we welcomed over 5500 delegates to Groundswell from farmers to policymakers, all with a similar objective – to understand more about regenerative agriculture. Regardless of your farming operation or scale, everyone has a role to play in ensuring we protect our soil, look after the land and produce food in a safe and nutritious way.

“We use the five principals of regenerative agriculture to help guide our farming decisions. This includes protecting the soil surface, increasing diversity, integrating livestock, maintaining living roots and minimising soil disturbance. Despite the barriers to defining regenerative agriculture, we want to ensure Groundswell remains an inclusive space for everyone to share their own thoughts, practical ideas and experiences to help make farming part of the solution, to many of the issues we face today.”

Other speakers include Frédéric Thomas who specialises in minimum tillage and conservation agriculture and supported the creation of the French network BASE (Biodiversity, Agriculture, Soil and Environment) which now has over 1200 members.

Joel Williams, an independent plant and soil health consultant with a strong interest in microbial ecology and mineral nutrition.

Grammy-nominated musician Andy Cato who co-founded Wildfarmed, an award-winning regenerative farming business.

Dr Emily Bull who manages the Regen Dairy project, run by FAI Farms and looks to understand what regenerative dairy looks like from the bottom up and throughout the supply chains.

Biochemist and nutritionist Judith Batchelor OBE who has worked in food and drink for over 35 years, most recently as Director of Sainsbury’s Brand. She is also Deputy Chair of The Environment Agency and Honorary President of the British Nutrition Foundation

Groundswell Festival includes evening entertainment in the form of live music, comedy, the “Earthworm Arms” bar, hot and cold food, and on-site camping.

Tickets are now on sale at www.groundswellag.com and are on a first-come basis with the event selling out for the last two years consecutively.