How to get to us . . .

 

We are HERE!

you can also find us by putting GL17 9PA into googlemaps.  If you are using SatNav to get to us - please look at where the arrow is pointing so that you find the right road into the farm.  SatNav users usually take the wrong turning at the last minute . . .

If you are using public transport (well done)

Bus from Gloucester

The bus station is next to the train station. Travel from Gloucester Station to Ruardean Square. Click here for a list of bus timetables.

By Car

By car from the M4 come over the old severn bridge (M48) and take the Chepstow turn off. Go into Chepstow, over the bridge on the A48, and turn left onto the B4228 signposted to Coleford and the Forest of Dean. Follow the signs to Cinderford out of Coleford. Join the A4136 then take a left turning to Lydbrook. Drive through Lydbrook until you reach the River Wye and turn right. After half a mile there is a sharp right hand turn to Ruardean. We are the first right up this road.

By car from Gloucester and M40 Take the A40 from Glos as far as Huntley, then turn left onto A4136. Follow this until you reach Nailbridge (after Mithcheldean). Turn right to Ruardean. Go through Ruardean and come down the hill towards the river Wye. Go past Little Marstow Farm (left) and Great Marstow Farm (right). We are the next left after that.

By car from the M5 Come down the M5, turn onto the M50 and go to Junc 4. Take the ring road (A40) round the top of Ross. Turn left to Goodrich after 3 miles TAKE CARE it comes up fast! Drive past the post office and school, and turn left at the T Junction under the stone bridge, then over Kerne bridge crossing the river Wye. Turn right at T junc at Kerne Bridge onto the B4234 (signed to Lydbrook) then past a garage on your right. The second left fork after the garage is signposted to Ruardean. We are the first right on this road.

Useful telephone numbers:-

Stage Coach Buses (Gloucester) - 01452 783540 click here for website

National Rail Enquiries - 03457 484950 click here for website

National Express Coaches - 0871 781 8181 click here for website

Local Taxi Companies (near the farm) - CDS Taxis 01594 834834 / Crystal Travel 01594 832288 / K&T Taxis 01594 845913 / Road Runner 07778 277752

If you are attending a course or event that finishes on Sunday or late at night please consider arranging your travel home in advance.

Contact your course/event tutor to see if they can arrange a lift share for you.

If you need to get a bus or a train please consider booking a taxi to the bus/train station in advance. Rural bus services are scant in the evenings and on Sunday, and getting a taxi at short notice in this area can be difficult.

 

May 13th 2016 POSTED BY: Ragmans Farm

Aerobic or Anaerobic?

By Juanfran Lopez

Microbes  - Drawn by Miriam, age 4
 
I would like to introduce this thought with a simple and easy question comparing two different well known similar tools, but with different final purposes, just to put this article in context... it would be something like this: What is the right choice If we have to choose between digging a trench or making a swale?

I can think a set of possible answers straight away...but the most important and relevant in here would be: it depends... we can say that both are similar in terms of how to do it, similar shape and both are linked to water; but in the end, the purpose, also the results are quite different; but both are quite important depending on several key factors (climate, landform, purpose,...) and also they are quite opposite.

Therefore, if we follow on with the same philosophy and perspective in the field of brews when we are dealing with microbes, and also the processes to multiply them (here we can mention the most well known ones, such as aerobic and anaerobic processes); which one do you suppose would be the right one to develop and use on our land?
We could think about the answer from the following perspective: what is the final product like and what´s going on in either process.

I think we will understand it better after considering the few points below.

Right!! It is well known that a trench conducts water and a swale stores water, so we are dealing with a kind of “equation” where we already know what we want to achieve for our land and what the effect of doing one or the other will have on the land. We understand the process and the results; but, using again the example of  making brews, what does each process (aerobic/anaerobic) satisfy in the end? What parameters in this equation we will have to think about (cause-ingredients- process-product-effect)?

As a general concept in both processes, aerobic and anaerobic brews, we can say that the main goal of both methods is to extract and multiply a set of beneficial microorganisms into a liquid brew to use on the plant tissues and soil to encourage fertility on/in the system (soil-plant-human beings).
I would like to stop here and look in depth into the concept just exposed: what do we mean by beneficial microorganisms? At this point we have to be humble and think how much we know currently about these little friends who are living everywhere, even inside us!! (In a ratio between 90-99: 10-1 (microbes: cells)).

Here there is a possible paradigm within our simplistic way of seeing how nature works. But, do we really know how accurate microbe classification and behaviours are under our limited knowledge and understanding??

At this point if I make a brief overall description about “microbe behaviours” to date, we can split it into innumerable groups depending on several factors beyond aerobic/anaerobic. Some of them would be: nutritional carbons uptake (autotrophs, heterotrophs), energy resource requirements (photoautotrophs, chemoheterotrophs), ways of acting (syntropic, anthropic), also range of temperature (psycrophiles, mesophile, thermophilic), range of pH... among many other groups; we can even identify them by functional group or their niches in nature. Then, so far we can see a classification beyond just aerobic-anaerobic or “beneficial-pathogens”.
I think it is important to add another group to this huge classification; the FACULTATIVE ones. To me this is the most relevant one, and the most important aspect would be how this group is linked with all the groups mentioned above.

Diverse Microbes Growing on a Rice Trap - Ragmans Lane Farm

The facultative group (it could be the most predominant or relevant one playing a key role in our equation) means that they perform their functions depending on what group, behavior, etc (e.g. above) are predominant at that time, conditions, etc., and then are supported by the facultative group. (We can compare this group with the behavior of human beings and we can see similarities between them, which prove again that we are almost made up of a diversity of microbes! And not just structurally speaking, but also regarding our behaviour).

So, after all the points previously mentioned I think we are a bit more ready to discuss brews, processes, final products and their purposes without going into detail or highlighting one or another process.

There are lots of discussions going on about the uses of AACT (Aerated Activated Compost Teas) or biofertilisers (fermented brews), regarding one or another, but well beyond  this debate and looking at their own aspects, to me the right question would be: When, for what purpose, why and how should we use one or the other??

Only If we recognize the proper use and understanding between one or the other, depending on situations, goals, or needs at a specific time, we will be able to reach the proper state of wisdom to choose the right process and product (This exercise will help us to expand the way we think, philosophically speaking.)

How can we dismiss the importance of fermented processes in life? Are we denying the importance and goodness of some microbial fermented processes in the soil? Even its importance in metabolism within the human body or in some products such as wine, yoghurt and cheese or different types of food in our daily diet?

Why do we have to choose between multiple millions of microbes in one way or another? Even knowing that aerated microbes often can replace oxygen in anaerobic conditions and use other nutrients instead; or that anaerated microbes can hide between water molecules?

Just to finish and to show how complex the equation is, we could add a few factors to make it more interesting, like the vitamin  or protein content, or the quality of the ingredients; available minerals, organic acids, salt content, stabilization and pH of the final product; or talking about the energy or different metabolisms taking place in both processes…

Therefore I can simply say that how, why, and which one to choose will depend on several factors, such as origin and quality of ingredients, soil and plant conditions or the goals that we wish to obtain in our system, dealing with the wide range of factors in our equation.

To finish this piece of paper I would like to say that Life was created by the Symbiosis between different types of beings (microorganisms), different behaviour, thoughts and beliefs. So life is just life how it is by itself, self regulating until reaching a state of harmony without excluding any metabolic process or living being in nature. So, why don’t we imitate these patterns of symbiosis, not just to manage the fertility in the land, but also to reach harmony in our minds and society…

Working Together to Reproduce Microbes
“In planet earth there are not good or bad living beings. Each one has his function, which is necessary and has the same value. This is my base to regenerate the landscapes all over the world”
Masanobu Fukuoka, “Sowing seeds in the desert”

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