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 …
Martin Lole of Springfield Farm and Mzuri, reflects on drilling into stubble and his recipe for successful straw management. As farming systems become more productive, arable enterprises are faced with increasing levels of straw to manage post-harvest. For many this provides a valuable secondary income source when baled, but for others, whether through environmental objectives …
Straw management for successful direct drilling Read More »
By Andrea Basche, Assistant Professor in Cropping Systems, Source: University of Nebraska Extension With growing interest in cover crops, it is important to understand how cover crops might impact soil fertility for the following cash crop. Nitrogen (N) provided by cover crop biomass may be used in the short-term by the following crop, and in the …
October 2022 Many farmers have been surprised at their yields this year, the starting point must have been a kind autumn and winter, but it appears that sunlight in June contributes more to yield than we thought and rainfall to the beginning of harvest (6 months), was 207mm, could be of less importance. Like the …
October 2022 Harvest 2022 arrived fast and was completed without a pause. The wheats yielded 8.8t/ha, with only applied 155kg/ha bagged N applied, which was 16% less than 14yr average.  85% of this was direct drilled and we are seeing soil structure continue to improve. The oilseed rape yielded 3.3t/ha, with the highest yielding field …
Have you heard the news? It’s amazing how no-till has captured the imagination of people far removed from farming. Even farmers whose ploughshares still shine with use are beginning to think they need to get better informed. The news is giving no-till the attention it needs. As can be see by the numerous soil events, …
