Covering Soils Event – Scotland – 22nd May 24

A first event in Scotland, at Direct Driller’s Farmer Focus writer Neil White’s farm in Berwickshire

Date and time

Wed, 22 May 2024 10:00 – 16:00 BST

Location

Greenknowe Farm Cottages, Duns, TD11 3JA

Description

Gain insights to make the best decision for your farm – Everything starts with soil, it’s the foundation and biggest asset on farm, measure what you have and make informed, practical decisions based on the data. Focus will be on sustainability, holistic practices and practical optimization of land use.

The day is based on Neil’s farm in Berwickshire – encourage.theory.events (what3words)

If you haven’t read Niel’s artilces, they are all on the Direct Driller website here: https://directdriller.com/author/neil-white/

Follow Neil for daily updates on his socials:

X – @GreenknoweFarm

YouTube – @everythingisgreenknowe5094

Instagram – everything_is_greenknowe

What you can learn on the day

During the day you will get the chance to speak to Neil and see his farm.

Neil uses a Mzuri Drill and a Valtra tractor and teams from both will taking a session during the day to explain why they suit the conditions Neil farms in perfectly and the new techology they have coming the market.

During the day you will also hear from Stuart Fensom, SOYL and Ed Jones, Kings talking all things cover crops, soil health and analysis. Thorburn Group who are the main agents for AGREX Grain Dryer’s will also be there. In addition to the demonstration, you will have the opportunity to speak to the team about the best grain stores they have erected over the years, and gain their advice on what the benefits of a farm building investment are.

Sponsors

Frontier (Kings Cover Crops and SOYL)
Mzuri Ltd
Valtra part of the Agco Group
Thorburn Group who re the main agents for AGREX Grain Dryers

The day will run a morning and afternoon session, groups will swap over with lunch in between to keep the sessions small and personal.

A word from Neil’s last Farmer Focus piece:

“I’m not going to dwell on the weather but as it is a major factor in what we do, I will say, despite having constant downpours of around 40-50mm we have fared better than most. My rain gauge filled so many times I must admit I gave up emptying it. Colin McGregor, 4 miles away, didn’t give up, and tells me that we had 45% of our annual rainfall in the last 3 months of 2023. We both agreed that once again we have been very fortunate in this area compared to large parts of the country both North and South.

The SFI scheme has maybe become more appealing in a year with so many challenges, and stories about 27% of ground already being taken out of production is a big concern. I don’t blame anyone for making that judgment based on the prospects short term. We don’t have that scheme north of the border so its more of the same for us, which means very little opportunity to enter any scheme for me.”