Andy Cato, a former DJ who transitioned to farming, emphasizes that business success extends beyond mere financial growth. His regenerative farming brand, Wildfarmed, has gained substantial traction in major retailers including Waitrose, Nando’s, and Tesco.

Following his appearance in the third season of Clarkson’s Farm, where he engaged with a skeptical Kaleb Cooper, Cato witnessed his Wildfarmed brand gain popularity in supermarkets.

Recently, Cato revealed that his company, which adheres to regenerative farming standards, supplies oats to the protein bar company Tribe and barley to the popular fruit beer brand Jubel.

At 52, Cato, one-half of the electronic music duo Groove Armada, expressed concerns that traditional financial metrics do not fully capture the environmental contributions of businesses like his.

“If you’re either enhancing or degrading nature, or affecting water quality, none of those factors appear on the balance sheet. We’re striving to change that narrative,” he stated.

Regenerative farming focuses on enhancing soil health. Wildfarmed tracks various indicators, including insect populations, water contamination, carbon emissions, and grain quality.

“Our focus on nature is crucial; if we fail to develop the above-ground ecosystem alongside the below-ground ecosystem, no species can endure the collapse of the systems they rely on,” he explained.

Cato co-founded Wildfarmed in 2018 alongside former TV presenter George Lamb and Edd Lees, with the intent to cultivate a movement in the UK.

While Cato farms personally on National Trust land he leases close to Swindon, his business model involves collaborating with farmers who practice regenerative methods to grow crops, which are then sold back to Wildfarmed. These grains are sold either whole or processed into flour and bread. Currently, the company partners with 150 farmers.

“We’re continuously expanding. There are individuals eager to join our farming community. The past five years have demonstrated that a future in food and farming can attract the best young talent due to its aspirational nature,” Cato noted.

One potential ally in this movement is Cooper, who plays a pivotal role on Clarkson’s Farm. Cato, who took over one of his fields, joked about Cooper’s skepticism regarding his farming expertise, recalling that his first impression was marked by a question about his band instead of properly operating a tractor. Nonetheless, Cato revealed that they are now implementing regenerative practices on two of the fields at Diddly Squat Farm, which will yield oat and bean crops this year.

Although he declined to speculate on future developments in the upcoming season of Clarkson’s Farm, returning on May 23, Cato mentioned that their exchanges highlight the pressures farmers face in a landscape fixated on yield regardless of the cost, leading many to struggle against various climate and economic pressures.

Cato shared that the regenerative farming network is flourishing, citing the active discussions occurring in his WhatsApp group.

“We’re leveraging cutting-edge technologies currently, from AI sensors that track insect wing beats to satellite assessments that identify crop nutritional needs. Interestingly, the most effective tool has been our WhatsApp group, said to be the most vibrant farming chat in the region,” he remarked.

Cato began his farming journey in 2010, using the proceeds from selling the rights to Groove Armada’s music to purchase a farm in southwestern France—an undertaking he described as a “disaster.”

“It served as a humbling reminder of the difficulties in farming and the challenges of cultivating crops on historically degraded soils. I found myself exhausted and low on funds just three or four years in,” he reflected.

Despite still being active as a DJ, Cato is not the sole musician to embrace rural living. Alex James, bassist for Blur, bought a 200-acre farm in Oxfordshire in 2002, and Roger Daltrey of The Who launched a trout fishery on his estate in East Sussex.