Written by Mark Shaw from Gaiago While financial and environmental pressures mount, so does our dependency on our soil. For those stepping away from conventional approaches, it can be a hard journey. Mark Shaw, UK manager at Gaïago, explains how microbes and natural substances can ease the transition, maintaining yields and building structure. Transitioning soils […]
Easing the Transition Read More »
Written by Steve Holloway from Soil First Farming Soil microbes are tiny, often invisible to the naked eye. Organisms that play a crucial role in maintaining soil health and enhancing crop productivity. These microscopic creatures are responsible for numerous functions, including nutrient cycling, decomposition, and the suppression of plant diseases. They also contribute to soil
Carbon is a hot topic at the moment. Whether it’s transitioning to net zero for the UK or supply chains, opportunities to access carbon markets, or comparing the environmental credentials of different products, you can’t get away from the fact that we are all having to get to grips with new terminology and metrics. Farming
2017 Nuffield on Carbon: Ahead of the Debate Read More »
Written by James Warne from Soil First Farming It seems everyone is doing ‘regen’ these days. There is a lot of confusion and miscommunication around what it means. I was at a meeting recently where I heard someone proclaim that their arable business was carbon neutral even though they were still ploughing, combi-drilling and using
The curious case of disappearing nitrogen Read More »
Inspired by history for the future of farming Using fish in arable farming is not a new phenomenon. The practice can be traced back to the ancient Roman empire on this side of the Atlantic, and there are stories of Native Americans showing the Pilgrims how to grow corn by planting a fish with each
From the Sea to the Soil Read More »
In the final part of our series on sap analysis, Mike Abram talks to a farming business that’s incorporated sap analysis into a wide range of cropping Extensive sap analysis, first in trials, but increasingly in commercial practice is starting to change the way Cambs Farms Growers, part of G’s Growers, is managing its wide
Sap analysis proving valuable for large, diverse farming business Read More »
Written by Emma Adams on behalf of The Farm Carbon Toolkit The second in our series of farm walks was with David Miller in Hampshire. This year’s Arable Soil Farmer of the Year, David is keen to demonstrate how a regenerative system can be both simple and profitable even on challenging soils. Managing 700ha of
Arable Soil Farmer of the Year – A farm walk with David Miller Read More »
Home-made compost, massively reduced tillage and determined cover cropping have been central to the single-minded drive to improve the arable sustainability of the Green Horizons Network farm at Salford Lodge, Pitchill just outside Evesham over the past decade. A combination of challenging silty clay land contract-farmed with heavy kit for many years and lighter sandy
Soil-Centred Worcestershire Sustainability Drive Read More »
Excellent soil health is fundamental for maximum farm productivity With autumn drilling on the Claydon farm completed and crops developing well, Jeff Claydon, inventor of the Opti-Till® direct strip seeding system, discusses the importance of excellent soil health and the role of effective stubble management in achieving it. 30 November 2022 Excellent soil health is a
Drill Manufacturers – Claydon Drills Read More »
Direct Driller Christmas 2022 Well here we are again! It’s the end of November and as I sit down on a wet Sunday afternoon to write this article at 3.35pm its getting dark outside! Yesterday we heard of the very sad loss of Scottish rugby great Doddy Weir to MND after a brave and long
Farmer Focus – Tom Sewell Read More »
