A north Norfolk farmer says his regenerative approach to agriculture has helped soils to cope better with this winter's heavy rainfall and floods.

Jimmy Goodley started his journey to regenerative agriculture about eight years ago on his family farm in the Stiffkey valley, where he has introduced a zero-tillage system.

He also established Goodley Farm Services to support others to make a similar transition.

He uses cover crops to ensure no fields are left brown during the winter, preventing the soil from being exposed to the elements, while the roots improve drainage.

This green cover also provides an indication of underlying soil issues, such as nutritional deficiency or compaction from heavy machinery, he said.

And he believes this approach has helped the soils to cope better with extreme rainfall, and recover more quickly - although mechanical drainage infrastructure has also been "vital".

"What we are endeavouring to do is to produce food as sensitively and as profitably as possible," he said. "If you want to reduce the chemistry you use, that must be substituted with soil biology.

“We have had fields that have had no till for seven years, with no compaction. But the extreme weight of water this winter has had an impact on the top two-to-three inches of my soil.

"I am hoping that the root mass will fix the problem, but where it can’t, there will always be a need for a mechanical solution.

“However, I would argue that by using cover crops and increasing the soil biology, the microorganism activity has allowed air pockets to remain in my soil that wouldn’t be there otherwise, and that is going to aid recovery substantially.

"So many unstructured, bare soils this year have simply collapsed. From that comes the flooding.

“A heavily cultivated field without any botany on it is unable to cycle the water.

"Whatever approach you adopt, the fundamentals remain the same; this year especially the drainage infrastructure is absolutely vital. You can drive as much soil biology as you like but without maintained ditches and pipes, that water isn’t going anywhere, regardless of your farming system."