Joel Williams, Integrated Soils In part 1 of this article, we highlighted that both urease and nitrification inhibitors have a minor impact on soil biology but there remains some concern over the negative impact of urease inhibitors on the plants ability to take up and metabolise the urea form of nitrogen [N] – a favourable …
Last week I was at an event where inspiring farmers – in this case Nick Down, David Miller, and Nik Renison – showcased, with the pictures to prove it, some of the brilliant innovations they have pioneered on their farms. And they really were inspiring, with a palpable buzz in the full-house audience as they …
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 »
By Laura Nolan and Cliona Howie, Foundation Earth With sustainability being placed higher and higher on consumers’ agendas, people are turning to high-emitting industries to ask how they are playing their part in reducing environmental impacts on the planet. The food industry alone accounts for one third of emissions globally – and with population rising, …
Sustainable food: how can ecolabels help transform entire value chains? 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. …
Written by Thomas Gent It’s no secret that employing regenerative farming techniques – minimal soil disturbance, the use of cover crops and organic manures, applying carbon-rich fertilisers – both reduce the amount of farm-generated greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and add to the amount of carbon stored in the soil. These GHG reductions and carbon storage …
Always start with why…? Four years ago, John Cherry and I were having an enlightened conversation while seated around his kitchen table discussing the future of agronomy. This was several years after John and his brother Paul along with Paul’s son Alex, had founded the Groundswell Conference in Hertfordshire. Attending Groundswell, meeting Frederic Thomas, being …
Transitioning to more regenerative regimes hasn’t been entirely plain sailing for three growers with very different soils and situations who shared their experiences at a packed Agrii Green Horizons seminar at this year’s Groundswell. However, they have all found their journey over the past 6-8 years very positive and are increasingly profiting from moving less …
Transition Experiences Give Groundswell Guidance Read More »
October 2022 The build up to harvest is always mixed with a bit of trepidation and excitement, this year was no exception, Harvest 2022 was our first harvest following direct drilling with the Opico Sky Easy Drill. After the hard work and cost of growing a crop, there’s always a bit of uncertainty of how …
