Written 1st June 2023 Trials and learnings of livestock integration at BHF. So, calving happened, with a few more issues than we expected. Through our breeding choices we have managed to significantly reduce the level of human intervention at calving over the last 5 years. However, we hit a small bump in the road this …
Atwood et al, 2022 The paper discusses the importance of soil health in crop protection research and development. The authors argue that soil health should be given greater attention in crop protection research as healthy soils can lead to healthier crops and better yields. It highlights the challenges faced by farmers in maintaining soil health, …
Soil Health: New Opportunities to Innovate in Crop Protection Research and Development Read More »
Steve Holloway puts the case for biology and foliar KSM – potassium solubilising microbes – for a more natural supply of phosphate and a way of reducing the fertiliser bill. For a generation, farmers have taken their most valuable resource for granted, often considering it to be simple dirt. The focus has been on force-feeding …
Written by Steve Hollaway, Soil Fertility Services Ask anyone to define healthy soil and you will get a multitude of varying replies that will probably include having a good number of worms; friable soil with a texture that’s similar to chocolate cake; unhindered vigorous crop rooting and so on… But, have you considered what must …
January 2023 What livestock means at BHF? Balbirnie Home Farms in hand farming operation comprises some 1200ha, two thirds of which is in an arable rotation, the remainder is permanent grass. Additionally, there is 380ha woodland and commercial forestry. The arable rotation currently consists of winter wheat, winter and spring beans, winter and spring oats, …
Written by Andrew Voysey, Chief Impact Officer, Soil Capital UK agriculture could benefit from payments worth as much as £500m every year if myths around carbon markets are corrected. But the industry must work harder to ensure farmers are presented with the best information about the opportunities on offer. This was the conclusion of an …
January 2023 French Style Harvest Since my last article in May harvest has been and gone (very quickly) and all the winter crops have been established and are looking well. This harvest it felt like we were farming in France. Most was done by the end of the first week in August and due to …
Farm Facts: January 2023 140Ha Home farm plus 60Ha Share farming arrangement Arable, Beef & Sheep Crops: Wheat, Oats, Barley, Spring Beans, Clover/Herbal leys & Permanent Pasture. In some parts of the country getting livestock back out onto farms after decades of their absence has been the cause for much excitement of late, this is …
In the first week of August a range of farmers and industry professionals met at Moor Farm in south west Wales to hear the 2022 Runner-up to the Soil Farmer of the Year competition, Andrew Rees, explain how he has developed a dairy system with soil health at the centre. Moor farm is a 160 hectare grassland …
Farm walk with 2022 Soil Farmer of the Year Runner-up Andrew Rees Read More »
Written by Tony Gent It doesn’t work if just removing some elements of what you are doing now and leave others in is “OK I’m doing less”. A couple of articles caught my interest in the July additional of this magazine, first What’s Your Colour written by James Warne and Farmer Focus by Andrew Ward. …
