Anyone who knows me will know that I hate negativity.

I have always tried to be positive in everything I do. I have had tough times in my life, but I prefer to look on the bright side and be thankful for all the good things.

Endless negativity can wear you down, so recently I decided to step back from some roles I was involved in that had become dominated by negative thinking. It was actually a bit of a relief.

Someone must have heard that I had some free time as I was asked to join another group. This time, it is a group of farmers involved in regenerative agriculture.

I was a little nervous as like many others, I dislike the term ‘regenerative agriculture’. I think it gives the impression that farmers have been doing something wrong and they need to change direction.

In my opinion we farmers have been doing an excellent job given the challenging conditions which we work under. We are doing our best to look after the land that we farm. No farmer I know is trying to damage their land or the environment.

Of course, there are things that we can improve on with the right knowledge and encouragement.

I am never afraid of change, but we need to have the right information to ensure that the change is for the best. Knowledge is key.

Autumn plans

Back to the regenerative farming group. I had a look at who was involved and there were some good farmers that I knew and was happy to work alongside. I decided to go along to the meeting, see what was involved and what they have planned for later in the year.

They were a great bunch and all incredibly positive, which was a good start. The thing that pleased me most was the name that they had chosen for an event this autumn - “Fields Good”.

It will be similar to the Groundswell festival in England, which is now in its eighth year. Fields Good is happening on the 7 September at the Glenarm Estate in Co Antrim. It will be a celebration of everything to do with soil.

There will be nothing for farmers to be afraid of at this event. It will be all about soil health and looking after our soils. Soils in good health can be only be a positive and is something which we should all embrace.

I went home from the meeting feeling incredibly upbeat about farming and the environment. I feel that there is a real and genuine desire by farmers to step up to the mark and do their bit for the greater good of everyone.

Reality

The next day I was out at the roadside cutting some grass at the end of the lane and I got taken back to reality. There were endless amounts of empty bottles, crisp bags and general rubbish. I was shocked. Do people really care about the environment and the countryside that we live in?

We farmers are always getting the blame for polluting the environment and causing global warming, which really annoys me.

Farmers are doing all in their power to look after the environment and the countryside. We are determined to leave it in a better condition than we found it.

The frustrating thing is that so many others, who are not farmers, do not seem to care. They seem to think it’s OK to dump their rubbish out their car window.

Farmers work long hours to produce wonderful food while still protecting the environment we live in – we do not get the credit we deserve.