directdriller

Groundswell 2025: A Regenerative Festival That Goes Beyond the Soil

Shows, Soils Farmer / By

I know I’m biased as I was involved in the first Groundswell, but the event proved once again why it is the UK’s flagship event for regenerative agriculture. As always, held at Lannock Manor Farm in Hertfordshire, this year’s festival brought together farmers, scientists, environmentalists, entrepreneurs, and policymakers for a celebration of soil, food, sustainability …

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Report suggests regenerative farming pioneers are outperforming conventional approaches

Biodiversity, Cover Crops, Soils Farmer / By

A new benchmarking report comparing 78 regenerative farms across Europe provides evidence of how regenerative farming can outperform the average conventional system Written by Mike Abram Pioneering regenerative farms across Europe are delivering 20% higher gross margins than the average conventional farm, while using 61% less synthetic nitrogen and 75% less pesticide. Yields were only …

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Farmer Focus – Tom Sewell

Farmer Focus, Soils Farmer / By

Since last harvest:• Oats bales• Rain• Budget and consequences• Our values• Winter• Concrete and tanks• Poor prices• From wet to four very dry months• Reunion and cereals• Purchase of a bowser• Where we are today• Harvest planning• Future outlook, basics good limecompost balance soil indices• Do less better! Assess priorities,given past week and budget.• Other …

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Growing flavour

Research, Soils Farmer / By

Jamie Stokes – 2024 Nuffield Farming Scholar Getting an invite to write about what I have learnt from the last 18 months travelling for my Nuffield Scholarship is always welcome. I am a farmer from Cambridgeshire, running my family’s 1000ha ‘high-input, high-output’ arable farm, where we grow both target site and enhanced metabolism resistant blackgrass. …

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New Agrii trials put the focus on drilling and cultivation choices to manage blackgrass efficiently

Agronomist Focus, Soils Farmer / By

A comprehensive Agrii trial focusing on different combinations of drilling date, cultivation technique and drill options is delivering vital insight into the best management strategies for achieving the most effective blackgrass control while encouraging strongly early crop growth. Delaying drilling to give the best options for blackgrass control or simply because of challenging autumn conditions …

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