Written by Tim Stephens NSch, Catchment Management Specialist, Wessex Water A vital element Phosphorus (P) is essential for life in all its forms, but many UK rivers, lakes and wetlands suffer from an excess of this critical element. Too much P causes growth of algae and duckweed, which smothers aquatic life and starves the water …
As I embarked on my Nuffield scholarship in 2022, I held soil carbon markets (SCMs) in very high regard. The media buzz portrayed them as a transformative solution for promoting regenerative farming in UK agriculture. Sceptics of SCMs were dismissed as ‘killjoys’ and those likening it to the ‘wild west’ considered ‘spoilsports’. Soil carbon dynamics …
Can how you grow crops impact on the nutrient and health value of food? It’s what farmer and doctor Hannah Fraser is trying to find out on a Nuffield Scholarship By Mike Abram For a long time there has been a suspicion that how you grow food will determine its nutrient status and ultimately impact …
Is regen farming producing more nutritious food? Read More »
Written by Harry Barnett I never dreamt that a soil disturbing potato farmer like myself would be writing an article for the Direct Driller magazine but I feel privileged to share some of my findings and views. I am based on the Holkham Estate in North Norfolk, where I run a potato growing enterprise growing …
My name is Andrew Sincock and I grew up on my grandparents mixed Dairy, Beef and Arable Farm in Cornwall. My first job on the farm was mucking out an old stable that served as a temporary home for new mothers and their calves. The stable was 3 meters wide, roughly 6 meters long and …
Farming carbon or farming better? – A Nuffield Perspective Read More »
Written by Ranald Angus Ranald Angus NSch 2021 Before my Nuffield Farming Scholarship journey, I was fortunate enough to be given the chance to visit Argentina in 2014 on a Young Farmer’s study tour as part of a group of 15 enthusiastic young Scots. We gained a unique insight into an agricultural colossus on a …
By Toby Simpson NSch @tjsimpson Cast your mind back to January 2021, that particularly cold, dark, and dreary month made infinitely worse by the fact we were in a third lockdown with no end in sight. For me this was the background to an epiphany, while sat by the fire reading through old Nuffield papers, …
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 …
The Nuffield Farming Scholarships Trust announced their newest cohort of Scholars in October, and many of their studies will be focused on topics like market challenges, soil improvement, vertical farming, cut flowers and energy production. “Over the past 75 years, Nuffield Farming Scholars have contributed immensely to the food and farming industry, leading the way …
Wye oh Wye…? The River Wye intertwines the border of England and-Wales. Once the nations “favourite” river it now probably has more designations than actual fish and continues to regularly feature in the media as the poster girl for agricultural pollution. In this article I hope to provide some insights in the complexities behind the …
