Online Soil Health Guide

‘WORLD’S MOST COMPREHENSIVE’ ONLINE SOIL

HEALTH GUIDE LAUNCHED An online soil guide aiming to become the world’s most comprehensive resource to help farmers improve soil health and increase the efficiency and profitability of their businesses has been launched. The Good Soil Guide – a collaboration between Yorkshire Water, Yorkshire supply chain consultancy Future Food Solutions and expert soil scientist Neil Fuller – is a free-to-access, online encyclopaedia, specifically designed for use in the field.

The huge database contains extensive information, empirical data and advice on how to improve soil health, increase soil organic matter (SOM), diagnose and treat problems with soil and crops, and help farmers to reduce carbon emissions.

It is a live guide, enabling farmers, agronomists, and other industry professionals from around the world to share their knowledge by adding to the already extensive resource.

The idea for the Good Soil Guide was born when Yorkshire Water Catchment Strategy Manager, Andrew Walker, met with Neil Fuller at an event held by Future Food Solutions.

In 2014, Mr Walker helped initiate a project bringing together landowners and stakeholders in the English uplands to facilitate better environmental outcomes for blanket bog land and was

Matt Parkin using the Good Soil Guide to assess the health of his soil on this farm at Bilton-in-Ainsty, North Yorkshire. keen to try a similar approach in the lowlands.

He said: “The project in the uplands proved that by engaging with landowners and other stakeholders and taking a collaborative approach, you can create outcomes that deliver for all.

“We wanted to take this model and apply it to the lowlands to solve issues around sediment, nutrients and pesticides leaching into the watercourses and having a detrimental effect on water quality.

“We knew that working with farmers to address this would bring them huge benefits in terms of keeping soil and expensive fertilisers and pesticides where they should be – in the field.

“For us, it was a case of improving water quality, so we got our heads together and created the Good Soil Guide to help achieve these aims.”

Mr Walker added the guide was the sum of Mr Fuller’s 40 years of experience in practical soil science compiled into a single resource, which was funded by Yorkshire Water.

“Essentially, it focuses on improving soil health and increasing soil organic matter,” Mr Walker said.

“Doing this gives the soil a more robust structure, meaning far less is lost to sediment, nutrients and pesticides are held on the field, and as the soil flooding are hugely reduced.”

Mr Fuller said the resource had been created to help farmers get the best out of their most valuable asset – soil.

He added that it was a holistic guide, looking at all aspects of soil health, and had been specifically designed for use in the field.

He said: “The Good Soil Guide is full of soil data derived from cover crop trials, different tillage methods, practical experience and much more.

“By using it, farmers can compare soil samples from their fields with pictures in the guide and diagnose issues such as a lack of nutrients or depleted soil organic matter. They can then use the contents of the guide to put that right.

“It is not written in an academic or scientific style. The information is presented simply and clearly and in a mobile-friendly format, so farmers and agronomists can access it whenever and wherever they need it.”

Mr Fuller added that the guide also included advice on carbon management, including sequestering carbon to reduce atmospheric C02, increase soil organic matter and help farmers move towards net zero.

“The key to carbon net zero is good soil health,” he said.

“By managing soil in a way that increases its health, everyone wins. The farmer saves money, increases yields and reduces emissions; there are can absorb more water, incidents of

huge environmental benefits including removing CO2 from the atmosphere, and the consumer benefits from better quality food.

“The Good Soil Guide is a powerful tool in enabling British agricultural to make these changes.”

Food consultancy Future Food Solutions co-ordinated the creation of the Good Soil Guide.

The guide is free to use and has no

The Good Soil Guide homepage. links to agribusiness, meaning all the information and advice contained within it is unbiased.

Future Food Solutions is already running the world’s largest renewable agriculture project – the Sustainable Landscapes Humber Project – in East Yorkshire, in partnership with Yorkshire Water and frozen food specialists Birds Eye.

The Good Soil Guide extends this work, opening up cutting edge soil management practices to farmers across the globe.

Paul Rhodes, director of Future Food Solutions, said the guide was a huge leap forward in helping farmers to grow more sustainably.

He said: “Our understanding of soil has moved on dramatically in the past five years and what we’ve learned is that to get the most out of it, we must treat it as a living bio-system.

“The Good Soil Guide has been developed to help farmers do this and realise a dramatic increase in soil health.

“Making that shift has huge, positive consequences in terms of reducing steel and diesel use, improved yields, better efficiency and better profitability.

“It will also help farmers reduce emissions, and with the target of net zero just 20 years away, that is something we all have to start taking seriously.”

Matt Parkin, who farms at Bilton-inAinsty near Wetherby, North Yorkshire, is taking part in the trials to improve cover crop establishment.

He said: “I am currently participating in some interesting cover crop trials as I think soil management is becoming steadily more important to an integrated farming approach.

“As a dedicated soil tool, the Good Soil Guide can only help with this.”

To access the Good Soil Guide, go to www.soilguide.co.uk and create a free account.

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DRILL MANUFACTURERS IN FOCUS...

DRILLING FLEXIBILITY UNDERPINS PROGRESS TOWARDS GREENER FARMING

Yorkshire arable farmers Julian and Scott Hopwood are taking important steps towards a more sustainable farming future.

With 500 acres of relatively light Vale of York land, growing a rotation including winter and spring cereals, oilseed rape and breaks such as spring beans and peas, they have started using cover crops and non-inversion establishment to improve the farm’s environmental credentials.

Far from a radical change of direction, their approach is a steady evolution, and one that has avoided the need for any major investment in specialist machinery.

A key driver for change has been Julian and Scott’s active participation in the Sustainable Landscapes programme. This is an initiative that is being delivered by a range of supply chain partners with the aim of delivering innovative food production solutions for the benefit of the environment, consumers and farmers.

“Involvement in Sustainable Landscapes has encouraged us to take a fresh look at the way we farm and is introducing new ideas that we’re keen to adopt,” says Julian. “With the changes in farm support policy coming with ELMS, it’s very clear what direction we need to go. Factors such as carbon capture, water quality and soil health are going to be increasingly important and will impact on the way we

Whilst the plough continues to play a significant part in cultivations at Grimston Grange, the combination drill that works so effectively on ploughed ground is now also performing well in minimum tillage conditions.

farm in the future.”

In many ways Julian and Scott are ahead of the game, having been farming for some time at Grimston Grange with soil health in mind.

“We’re farming land that’s typical of the Vale of York, ranging from blow-away sand to medium loams at the heaviest, so we’ve always been conscious of the need to incorporate fibre to maintain soil organic matter,” he explains. “We’ve always swapped straw for farmyard manure, spreading that as much as we can, and more recently we’ve been using sewage sludge as an additional way to import nutrients.

“Cover crops are another way to improve the soil but are still a relatively new venture for us. Nevertheless, we’re already seeing benefits and I can see them being a significant part of our future farming policy.”

It’s a future that Julian expects will also involve increasing amounts of noninversion establishment, something he’s been able to achieve using the same power harrow/drill combination that works so well after the plough.

“We have a Kuhn Venta 4030 pneumatic drill mounted on a Kuhn HR power harrow and this combination has been a real game-changer when it comes to establishment flexibility,” he adds. “With the disc coulter system on the drill, we can operate in a wide range of conditions, from minimum tilled to ploughed ground, with great control of seeding depth from the tractor cab. The quality of the establishment is very visible, with crop covers being complete and very even.

Julian (right) and Scott Hopwood have introduced cover crops to improve carbon capture, soil health and water quality.

“We always use it in conjunction with the power harrow, which has a tine spacing design that helps to avoid jamming and a rubber packer roller. The power harrow has additional benefits such as quick-fit tines and is also fully controlled from the

The Venta drill uses Kuhn’s Seedflex double disc coulter system, which operates with a downward pressure of 35-40kg. This feature, together with the reduced soil contact resulting from the coulter design, is key to the drills ground penetration capability. Consistent sowing depth is achieved as each unit is mounted on its own independently moving parallelogram system. touch-screen in the cab.

“The combination has transformed our drilling capabilities and allowed us to introduce non-inversion establishment without having to invest in different machinery.”

To date, non-inversion techniques have been used to establish winter wheat following oilseed rape and have also been used in establishing rape when conditions allow. Where rape is following wheat, the usual practice is to apply sewage sludge, with being disced in with stubble before sub-soiling and then going straight in with the Venta drill/power harrow combination. Cover crops

Cover crops have been introduced with carbon capture, soil health and water quality very much in mind, with some varied mixtures now being grown ahead of spring cropping. Typical mixes include species such as fodder radish, vetches, black oats, clover and phacealia, offering a range of rooting depths and leaf architecture to maximise the benefits for soil health. Julian is also growing oil radish, which has additional benefits in reducing the impact of harmful free-living nematodes.

All cover crops are flailed before being ploughed in ahead of spring crops, adding substantial organic matter and nutrients to the soil.

“It’s still early days for us with cover crops, but we followed them with spring peas and spring beans last year and did see benefits,” says Julian. “Most notable was the way these crops came through the drought conditions so much better than we’d normally expect.”

Incorporating cover crop residues is just one of the jobs for the plough at Grimston Grange, which remains the primary tool for cultivation despite the increasing use of non-inversion techniques. As with the

The Hopwood’s power harrow/drill combination offers the versatility needed to introduce a minimum tillage approach to their farm in the Vale of York. The Kuhn Venta can also be used in combination with the CD 3020 disc cultivator. power harrow/drill combination, Julian and Scott have opted for strength and good structural design with a Kuhn MultiMaster 183.

“The plough is still an important part of our cultivations and we’ve chosen this machine for its build quality and its balance,” adds Julian. “We use it with a 16 inch furrow width and usually with a packer roller, and can switch between using it on-land or in-furrow depending upon conditions. If we’re going to plough, as we plan to continue doing where required, it’s important we do as good a job as possible, so a machine that is well designed and adaptable is critical.”

Winter wheat at Grimston Grange typically achieves around 3.5 tonnes/acre, mostly grown for the feed market though some does go for milling. Winter barley also yields well, averaging in the region of 3 tonnes/acre, though this can be lower in a poor season and higher when everything comes right. Oilseed rape can be a challenge, with the threat of flea beetle ever-present, so the strategy is to drill early, and never later than the end of August. Spring cropping is generally aimed at the premium markets, with barley usually achieving malting grade and peas and beans grown for seed.

Flexible drilling capability

Key to drilling flexibility at Grimston Grange is the Kuhn Venta pneumatic drill with its Seedflex coulter system.

The Seedflex coulter bar ensures precision seed placement, with widely offset double discs mounted on a parallelogram to enable fast and accurate seeding. These maintenance free coulters perform well in all soil conditions, from ploughed to mintilled land. Following press wheels control seeding depth and ensure good soil-to-seed contact for consistent germination.

With the Venta drill in combination with Kuhn’s HR power harrow, tillage and seeding are carried out independently thanks to a roller frame design which effectively separates the two functions. This patented design allows for a more compact unit and enables the two elements to be uncoupled in less than 10 minutes, though at Grimston Grange the machine is always operated in combination.