Meet Mandy Stoker, one of our Journey to Net Zero competition winners
School of Sustainable Food and Farming Journey to Net Zero competition winner, Mandy Stoker, tells us how she plans to use the funding to create a more sustainable water heating system and how this contributes to the journey of sustainability for her dairy farm.
Trinity AgTech is proud to sponsor the School of Sustainable Food and Farming’s Journey to Net Zero competition. The competition seeks to support farmers as they research systems or processes which can positively affect the way that farmers produce food while protecting the environment.
We speak to Mandy Stoker, one of the four winners who are using Trinity AgTech’s Sandy to measure the effect of their projects on their farm’s natural capital.
Converting manure to hot water to reduce energy requirements
With a background in environmental science, reducing the farm’s impact on the environment was at the forefront of mind when the family converted her 230ha mixed farm, J.R. & H.J. Jones & Sons on the flood plain of the Rivers Severn and Vyrnwy, to a dairy enterprise.
Dr Stoker applied for the School of Sustainable Food and Farming’s Journey to Net Zero Award to finance the creation of an innovative system to heat hot water using decomposing farm manure to reduce energy use.
Manure and straw from the cow sheds will be placed into a composting vessel containing water-tight, water-filled tanks to protect against contamination. The microbes in the vessel break down the organic material, creating heat. This energy heats the water in the tanks, which will be drawn off twice a day to feed calves and contribute to cleaning the milking parlour. In effect, this creates a low-cost, low-carbon heating solution for these needs on the farm.
Reducing agriculture’s carbon emissions to reach Net Zero
During the pandemic, Shropshire residents came together to discuss how to reduce carbon emissions in the county, which ultimately led to the Council pledging to become Net Zero by 2030. As a rural county, the residents rightly concluded that agriculture was the biggest emitter of carbon, but the related conversations on the matter in the community led to some farmers feeling disengaged, when in-fact the industry is part of the solution.
“The war of words really fired me up and made me think ‘how sustainable can farming become? What can we do to educate consumers and reduce our impacts on the balance of carbon?’ I think farmers can be unfairly targeted, so this is me doing my bit to change things,” says Dr Stoker.
Her passion for wanting to make a difference, led Dr Stoker to conduct research into methods of reducing carbon emissions while maintaining productivity, which led to her innovative heating project which became her entry for the competition. It was entitled ‘hot stuff’.
How will Sandy help the project?
The most important piece of data in relation to her project is the reduction in the amount of electricity used to heat the water for calf feeding and cleaning. Dr Stoker aims to increase efficiency and save costs to mitigate against rising electricity prices, which were on track to cost the business up to £75 a day just for heating water. She’s also hoping that Sandy will enable her to monitor and assess her carbon emissions reductions as a result of not using electricity to heat the water.
Having previously used first generation tools, she’s hoping that Trinity AgTech’s next generation natural capital navigator, Sandy, which offers the most credible analytics and robust scientific reporting standards, will provide a better user experience.
“You can clearly see the difference between some agricultural software and Sandy. You can tell that it’s made by people who know how to create robust, easy to use IT solutions, rather than making a glorified spreadsheet.
“Having a scientific background, I understand the value of having credible data, rather than just using a ‘points’ system which lacks accuracy and does not present you with options to increase efficiency or help with decision-making,” says Dr Stoker.
Sandy uses the latest IPCC 2019 methodology, including a sector-leading Tier 2 soil carbon model and provides powerful greenhouse gas modelling. Sandy’s scenario planning modules are also of particular interest to the farm so that Dr Stoker can test and optimise on-farm management strategies to plan how future projects will affect both emissions and the farm’s bottom line.
“It’s difficult to get away from the constraints of finances on carbon planning. How can you balance the need to reduce your carbon footprint with your need to stay financially viable? I’m looking forward to seeing how Sandy’s carbon module can help me reach net zero while maintaining productivity.” says Dr Stoker.
Follow the winner’s journeys
Trinity Global Farm Pioneers is the knowledge exchange provider for the competition, and we have created a dedicated public Caravel on the platform to follow the winners’ journeys.
To join the Caravel, users will first need to register for a free account with Global Farm Pioneers. From here you will be able to interact with the winners, ask them questions, and stay updated as they share their on-farm experiences.