Written by Mike Donovan I have some sympathy for the new Defra Secretary Ranil Jayawardena. He got the job on Sept 6 and before the month was out was facing questions over ELMS – the greatest change in UK farming since the 1947 Agriculture Act. Ranil’s knowledge of farming is scant and he was surely …
Written by Chris Fellows We have recently taken part in an Innovate UK competition to try and encourage farmers to read from formal material. Trial results, papers, research, on-farm projects and so forth. The assumption being that farmers who are better informed, make better decisions and thus become more profitable or sustainable (or both hopefully). …
Farm Facts245 Ha plus 40 Ha WoodlandArable, Sheep and DiversificationCrops: Wheat OSR Oats Maize Spring Beans MiscanthusRainfall: 850-900mm average. Last 3 years 1200mm.Soils: Sandy Loam, “Hungry” Soil, Low CEC and Low OM In the time I have been a reader of Direct Driller Magazine, I have learnt a lot from the magazine’s content. While at …
By Brian O’Connor originally published by No-Till Farming Wisconsin no-till dairyman Chris Conley thwarts heavy rain and hills with no-till, covers and planting green. No-tiller Chris Conley took two big steps where other farmers might take one. Conley farms 120 acres for feed (silages, dry hay and high-moisture corn) for his 52-cow dairy, located down …
The KUHN Performer is a deep cultivator, available in working widths from 3 to 7 metres, designed to prepare the soil for minimum tillage drilling. The Performer fulfils four cultivation tasks in one, by chopping, mixing, loosening, and levelling the soil in just one pass. At the front of the machine there are two rows …
Kuhn’s Performer offers four levels of cultivation Read More »
Wye oh Wye…? The River Wye intertwines the border of England and-Wales. Once the nations “favourite” river it now probably has more designations than actual fish and continues to regularly feature in the media as the poster girl for agricultural pollution. In this article I hope to provide some insights in the complexities behind the …
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 »
In the third part of our series on sap analysis, Mike Abram learns how to interpret the results. You’ve taken your leaf sample, packaged it up and sent it to the Netherlands, and now the results have landed in your inbox. There’s a whole ray of bars and numbers for just about every nutrient you …
I ended my previous article noting the challenges ahead, but with some optimism for the season, and the forthcoming harvest. However, I had underestimated how exciting it was to get, and how much volatility we would come to enjoy! Our crops continued to look well through the spring and early summer. The spring beans established …
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 »
