Learning From Nature

It started with trees. In 2006, Wenzel Lobkowicz’s parents began transforming the family’s 950-hectare forestry operation an hour south of Prague towards regenerative forestry. They moved away from clear-felling and plantation-style management towards an approach that followed nature’s own logic. Instead of forcing nature to fit their system, they took time to observe it, persistently asking, “How would nature solve this?”

When Wenzel, his wife and their four children took over the family farm, Lobkowicz Drahenice Panství, in 2013, they inherited both the family farm and this philosophy. As Wenzel explains, “My parents showed me how nature does everything for us. We aim to be stewards and interfere as little as possible.”

For Wenzel Lobkowicz, looking to nature to solve problems isn’t just a farming technique, but a philosophy that guides the farm’s transition to regenerative agriculture as they continue the journey of phasing out chemicals and synthetic fertilisers.

Healing the Land

In 2017, Wenzel brought Aberdeen Angus cattle onto 40 hectares of pasture. The results were not what he expected. The pastures were producing less than one tonne of grass per hectare, far below their potential.

A consultant advised him to plough the fields, reseed them, enjoy four or five productive years, and then repeat the cycle. Instead, Wenzel began searching for a solution on YouTube and discovered Gabe Brown and Joel Salatin, becoming fascinated with holistic management. As Wenzel recalls, “These teachers didn’t give me an IKEA manual. They gave me universal principles and challenged me to apply them in my own context.”

After attending a Joel Salatin masterclass in 2018, Wenzel changed his grazing system within a week. “It consistently feels like we are on a journey of healing the land,” he exclaims. “Every day we’re learning something new. We’re trying out things that fail. We’re trying things that succeed. It’s a fascinating process.”

One Philosophy Across Three Landscapes

“We see how the soils come back to life, how nature finds us, how birds find our farm, how insects find our farm.” Standing on pastures that once produced less than one tonne per hectare, now yielding five to seven, Wenzel describes the transformation as something close to a reconciliation with nature: “It feels like we are on the journey of healing the land.”

Today, the 90 hectares of certified organic pasture support grazing from early spring into winter, while practices such as mobile water, shade, and bale grazing help distribute nutrients and build soil without relying on heavy machinery.

In 2023, this same philosophy expanded into 130 hectares of arable land. Through no-till farming, cover crops, and grazing cattle directly on crop fields, Wenzel is working to reunite animals, plants, and soil.

“We apply the same approach to forestry, arable land and pastures like no other individual in the Czech Republic,” declares Wenzel. His vision is to show what is possible when an entire landscape is managed as one connected system.

The Rural Revival

Wenzel believes that the future of farming is partly about restoring soil, but ultimately about creating a path for families to return to the countryside.

“If a 120-hectare farm can be fully profitable again and support a family, we can motivate more people to move back to the countryside, strengthen our communities, and enjoy the riches that come with being a farmer,” Wenzel shares.

Through annual farm days, public talks, podcasts, and collaborations with other organisations, he shares both the successes and setbacks of his journey with other farmers. He thinks this openness is important in Central Europe, where practical examples of regenerative agriculture are still difficult to come by.

“I need to show that this works to motivate others to follow along. Role models are a path to healing the land. If I can do it, you can do it. It also strengthens communities where there has been tragic loss due to modern large-scale farming practices.”

Joining Top 50 Farmers is another step towards that ambition. “We wanted to connect with other farmers across Europe who are doing something similar to us and share this path,” he explains. “Farming gives us a great chance to co-create with our Creator and use our talents to make the most of the abundance we have been given.”

Written by Top 50 Farmers and Linh Pham