Soil Health

In the heart of a West Dorset dairy farm, sustainability is at the forefront of farm management philosophy. Adam Holman serves as the dedicated assistant farm manager. Recognising the importance of responsible farming, Adam has taken significant steps to minimise the farm’s environmental impact. One such step is reducing reliance on chemical fertilisers, which can have adverse effects on the environment if not managed carefully.

BASF recently revealed interim results of a five-year project designed to improve soil health and increase carbon storage, keeping land in production while ensuring there’s a home for wildlife and biodiversity.

At a time of much uncertainty in UK agriculture, companies like Yara are taking a long and confident view of the future. With construction of a $150 million production facility about to start in the UK plus the development of new green fertilisers and digital tools, Jari Pentinmäki, managing director of Yara UK, thinks there’s cause for optimism.

The UK’s only two-day on-farm regenerative agriculture conference, Groundswell, sold out for another year, attracting over 6,500 attendees, with 75% either directly farming or involved in a farming enterprise.   

Adding clover and herbs to the mix when reseeding not only reduces the need for bought-in fertiliser, but also provides grassland swards with a boost in dry matter yield, trials by ProCam’s Field Options division have shown.

The principles of redesigning agricultural systems to regenerate soils, biodiversity and the bottom line are the same no matter where you are in the world.  It is how we interpret and apply them which changes, and this is what Groundswell is all about – exploring the nuances of regenerative approaches across the diverse landscapes of the UK.

While financial and environmental pressures mount, so does our dependency on our soil. For those stepping away from conventional approaches, it can be a hard journey. Mark Shaw, UK manager at Gaïago, explains how microbes and natural substances can ease the transition, maintaining yields and building structure.

Farmers and growers can now choose from a variety of wildflower and environmental seed mixtures, launched by the Syngenta Operation Pollinator initiative, to boost payments from environmental schemes and unlock significant ecological and agronomic benefits.

Returning this year following the pandemic, the Lincolnshire Farming Conference welcomed hundreds of farmers from across the industry to discuss topics around soil health and mental well-being in farming.

Understanding soil structure and nutrient content will be key to farmers meeting the new Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) ‘arable soils’ standard and supporting future crop growth, according to David Newton, technical manager at Timac Agro.

Farmers and researchers at the Oxford Real Farming Conference 2023 discussed various practical and cost-effective ways of increasing fertility and nutrient availability in the soil while reducing or eliminating the need for artificial fertilisers.

Speakers at the 2023 Oxford Real Farming Conference (ORFC) opening plenary reflected on the political and economic turmoil of the last few years and spoke of the changes that need to happen to secure the future of food and farming.