Episode 2: The faces of environmental sustainability in agriculture

SAPPO farmer Stephen Butt (Butt Farming) is leading the way in making farming more environmentally friendly.

Being a farmer is a lifestyle. It’s about living in harmony with nature. Farmers are first and foremost custodians of the land. “In many cases, farmers are also the best and first protectors of the wildlife that lives on their farms,” says Stephen Butt, a diversified farmer who farms with pigs, dairy cows, and crops. He believes that the best business philosophy is looking after his animals. Stephen is one example of many farmers who embrace regenerative agriculture and practice circular farming by feeding their pigs by-products of food grown for human consumption that would otherwise end up in a landfill, which decreases environmental waste. At the same time, by using pig manure on his crops he builds the soil health and improves its water-holding capacity. Through using better farming techniques, coupled with technology and a deep understanding of the land and what it needs, farmers have the ability to produce more with less in an increasingly environmentally sustainable way.