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Practical advice

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REGENERATIVE AGRICULTURE

Top 5 mistakes when adopting regen farming

Regenerative farming can deliver many benefits to soils and balance sheets, but taking early mis-steps can have the opposite effect. There are stories of yields plummeting when switching to direct-drilling,…

GRASSLAND MANAGEMENT

Trialling pasture management methods to protect soils

Set-stocking is easy, it gives animals choice, and it is cheap because no investment in infrastructure is needed, yet its major downside is constant overgrazing, says LIC consultant Bess Jowsey.…

DRILLING

Oats come out top in heavy land direct drilling trial

Oats gave a higher yield and profit margin when direct drilled compared with minimum tillage in an eight-year trial, due largely to the cereal crop showing a very vigorous growth…

SOILS

How new tech aims to improve soil carbon measurement

Measuring soil organic carbon accurately has always been difficult. But with the rise in interest in carbon trading in agriculture, as well as the other benefits from managing carbon stocks…

SOILS

New Zealanders share soil fungi knowledge to improve crops

Adopting regenerative farming practices can help increase levels of soil fungi, thereby improving soil structure and making nutrients and water more available to crops. Practices such as ploughing, applying di-ammonium…

SOILS

3 steps to take to reduce reliance on artificial fertiliser

Farmers are seeking ways to cut artificial fertiliser rates as prices skyrocket and one Canadian expert has developed a three-step approach to achieve this. Cropping is currently based on classic…

Case studies

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SOILS

Five-year farm trial aims to find ultimate soil rejuvenator

For farming duo William and Andrew Pitts, a five-year trial hopes to pin-point a sustainable farming system which promotes food production, soil health and biodiversity. On a quest to find…

SOILS

How intercropping trial aims to eliminate chemical inputs

After winning a net-zero food and farming competition, Oxfordshire farmer Ben Adams is conducting a field-scale intercropping trial to assess which crop combinations perform best in terms of yield, quality…

REGENERATIVE AGRICULTURE

How a large-scale regen system is working at Dyson Farming

Implementing regenerative agriculture principles across 14,000ha is a central component of Dyson Farming’s long-term circular farming model, as it produces high-quality food with minimal environmental impact. The plan has been…

CROP MANAGEMENT

How Wold Top Brewery barley grower lowered carbon footprint

The Yorkshire farming family behind the successful Wold Top Brewery and Yorkshire’s first single-malt whisky distillery is using the latest precision mapping technology in its drive towards a low-carbon, sustainable…

REGENERATIVE AGRICULTURE

Grower's soils improve and inputs reduce with regen approach

Hampshire grower David Miller has seen the organic matter of his chalky light soils rise by nearly 1% over the past four years by the use of cover crops and…

ARABLE

How a hybrid regenerative system works on Bucks Monitor Farm

A hybrid regenerative system has been put in place at Dollars Grove Farm in North Crawley, as the business takes the steps required to secure its sustainable future and build…

Insights

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SOILS

Can climate change champion biochar match its potential?

Soil improver, waste recycler and atmospheric carbon capturer – there’s a lot of excitement about the potential benefits of biochar. Equally, there are a lot of unknowns about whether that…

AGRICULTURAL TRANSITION

Are wetland crops the future on lowland peat?

England’s lowland peat soils are some of the most valuable when it comes to food production, but they also contribute to greenhouse gas emissions. Draining peatland soils has allowed them…

SOILS

How natural fungi can be encouraged to aid crop production

Mycorrhizal fungi play a valuable role in maximising crop performance, and a team of researchers is on a mission to delve deeper into the world of mycorrhizas to explore how…

CARBON

How fenland farmers are cutting greenhouse gases from peat

High levels of greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) from the drained lowland peat soils in the Fens are threatening to change how they are managed and what they can produce. Finding…

COVER CROPS

Research quantifies role of cover crops in carbon capture

Five years of trial work in Northamptonshire have shown that cover crops in a direct drilling system removed 27t/ha of carbon dioxide equivalents, highlighting their role in reducing a farm’s…

REGENERATIVE AGRICULTURE

Financial rewards of regen farming highlighted at Groundswell

The many ways in which regenerative arable farming practices are starting to be rewarded financially were a feature of this year’s Groundswell event. With supply chains responding to consumer expectations…

SOILS

Why one landowner is opting for a biodiversity net gain scheme

An Essex landowner is likely to take up to 17% of his 400ha of arable out of production in favour of a biodiversity net gain scheme, while potentially producing and…

SOILS

The benefits of applying worm casts to soils for farmers

A group of worm farmers have formed an alliance to offer growers a nutrient-rich soil conditioner derived from high-quality worm casts to promote crop and soil health. Earthworms play a…

Latest soils news

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SOILS

Start-up helps farmers make own biochar for soil benefits

Farmers looking to improve soil organic matter, reduce nutrient losses and increase carbon capture may soon be able to produce their own biochar on farm. Biochar is the lightweight, carbon-rich…

ARABLE

Community and profit earn farm duo top sustainability award

Cambridgeshire farming brothers Matthew and Lloyd Smith have been crowned winners of the 2023 Rawcliffe Bridge Award for sustainability. The award celebrates farming’s essential role in food production and environmental…

LIVESTOCK

25% of soil samples failing on key nutrient targets

Farmers fail to use their soil and manure analysis results to make informed management decisions – often they do not even trust the results. This is according to Dr Sajjad…

SOILS

Israeli tyre tech to help farmers improve soil health

A revolutionary new tyre that is kinder to soils than tracks is set to help farmers further reduce the compaction risk from tractors later this year. Developed in Israel, the…

Video

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MARKET OPPORTUNITIES

Video: UK agroforestry system integrates fruit and arable

First-generation tenant farmer Stephen Briggs planted the UK’s largest agroforestry system, integrating fruit trees and arable cropping to boost land productivity. More than a decade after the 4,500 apple trees…

ARABLE

Video: Why cows and trees are part of Essex arable business

George Young is making big changes to his arable business with nature at its heart. Read the full report and watch the videos for more detail on his tree planting…

ARABLE

Video: Grower undersows with clover to cut fertiliser costs

A regenerative farmer is experimenting with white clover understories to reduce his nitrogen fertiliser bills and provide additional grazing for the ewe flock. The price of natural gas, a key…

POTATOES

Video: How a US potato grower is slashing pesticide use

Growing potatoes on a commercial scale with virtually zero synthetic inputs would seem impossible, but this is exactly what one US farmers has achieved using what he calls “biotic farming”,…