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SOILS

How to make a comprehensive soil profile on-farm

Understanding the health and characteristics of soils by conducting a soil profile helps growers identify key issues, such as compaction, nutrient deficiencies, and drainage problems. It leads to informed decisions…

SOILS

Expert advice to improve soil fertility post-harvest

As harvest wraps up across the country, farmers are turning their attention to autumn crop nutrition and soil organic matter levels, where the use of a soil conditioner could help…

CROP MANAGEMENT

How to companion crop successfully in winter wheat

Companion cropping is an emerging practice that is recognised in the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) with an action that attracts a payment of £55/ha. In its most common form, it…

GRASSLAND MANAGEMENT

How to minimise soil compaction without steel and diesel

Increased occurrence of extreme rainfall events should prompt farmers to remind themselves of the dangers of compacted soils. However, plenty can be done to reduce the risk of declining productivity…

ARABLE

How to plan crop and soil management after a washout season

Soils, rotations and cashflows were all impacted by the 2023-24 growing season washout, meaning there are important decisions to be made ahead of the new cropping year. The smallest wheat…

SOILS

Growers advised to test soils immediately post harvest

As combines begin to roll across the UK, growers are advised to carry out soil tests immediately post-harvest to calculate optimum fertiliser requirements ahead of planting this autumn. Soil health…

Case studies

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ARABLE

No-till provides zero cost way into support scheme

Kent grower Richard Day is set to use his adoption of direct drilling and precision fertiliser techniques under new environment schemes to gain more than 40% of his old direct…

ARABLE

Soil health pivotal for new Arable Insights farmers

A new season, a new farmer panel for Arable Insights. Meet eight farmers who all prioritise soil health to varying degrees within their business. See also: Harvest highs and lows…

CARBON

Pioneering arable farm sells carbon credits to top F1 team

A pioneering arable farm in Leicestershire has become the first farm in the UK to sell measured carbon credits to a range of buyers on the open market, including the…

CROP MANAGEMENT

How farmer uses biodynamic approach to establish crops

For the past two decades, Wiltshire mixed farmer Richard Gantlett has been using the power of biodynamic farming to grow crops completely free of chemicals and without the plough. With…

SOILS

Organic farm takes a break to build up soil fertility

Hampshire organic grower Tim May is putting three-quarters of his arable land into new environmental schemes to boost soil fertility and improve his busy work-life balance. Tim is allocating just…

SOILS

How a Suffolk Breckland farm has transformed soil health

With cereal yields dropping by 50% in some cases compared with 2003, James Bucher made the decision to completely change the way he was farming the family’s 600ha on the…

Insights

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SOILS

New reports reveal arable's impact on the environment

Two new reports are being said to provide a clear roadmap for improving soil health, reducing carbon emissions and supporting biodiversity, while also enabling farm businesses to continue operating profitably.…

SOILS

How different forms of organic matter affect soil health

Building soil organic matter in arable soils is increasingly recognised as important for improving soil structure and water holding capacity, reducing nutrient leaching and providing greater resilience. It is also…

COVER CROPS

How winter cover crops affect soil nitrogen supply

Drilling a winter cover crop mix can increase soil nitrogen supply by up to 35kg N/ha and reduce nitrate leaching by 90% compared with a weedy stubble. This is according…

SOILS

SFI 2024 changes: What they mean for arable farmers

Arable farmers considering the expanded Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) 2024 scheme are being reminded that changes to actions and agreements were introduced in early August. The Defra update provided some…

BLACKGRASS

Why low disturbance subsoiling raised yields in trial

Cracking soil with a low-disturbance subsoiler has been the springboard to help raise yields in the direct drilling plots of Agrii’s Stow Longa long-term blackgrass trial. The silt-rich soils at…

REGENERATIVE AGRICULTURE

Somerset grower reaches direct-drilling 25-year milestone

Early adopters of zero tillage, the Quick family have been regen farming for the past two-and-a-half decades, having refined their system by adding cover crops, widening the rotation and slashing…

ARABLE

Trial reveals cost of unnecessary soil cultivations

Running low disturbance legs through areas of fields that don’t need it could be costing farmers in reduced crop yields, as well as the extra diesel to carry out the…

NUTRITION AND FERTILISER

How managing crop nutrition can avoid insect and disease

Insect and disease attacks do not occur at random. Instead, they show up in specific places in response to specific environmental cues, according to US regen expert John Kempf. Farmers…

Latest soils news

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SOILS

AHDB to study environmental benefits of British agriculture

The AHDB has set up a new carbon baselining pilot to help farmers deliver on environmental targets by demonstrating the scale and potential of natural carbon stocks across British agriculture.…

CARBON

Arable farmers advised to baseline their emissions now

Arable farmers are advised to baseline their carbon emissions to start the process of meeting government net-zero targets, with experts estimating that so far less than 50% of producers have…

SOILS

How root systems are damaged by surface compaction

Compaction is the hidden killer of root systems, and that can have a profound effect on soil health as well as crop performance, an audience at Groundswell heard. Surface compaction…

SOILS

Groundswell: Research projects add to regen farming insights

Three regenerative farming research projects which have been co-designed with farmers are starting to produce results, visitors to Groundswell were told. All are addressing how to balance food production with…

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”,…