Network Innovation News - June 2021 by linking-environment-and-farming

JU NE 202 1

NETWORK INNOVATION NEWS Th e Rhizosph ere Issue T HE L ATEST NEWS & I N FO R M ATI O N FO R & F ROM LEA F ’ S DE M O N STR AT I O N FAR M S & I N N OVATI O N C E N TRE S 1

H ELLO Welcome to the June issue of the Network Innovation News, exclusively for and from LEAF Demonstration Farms and LEAF Innovation Centres. This issue focuses on the Rhizosphere, the zone around the roots of plants characterised by microorganisms with populations 10 to 100 times greater than in the surrounding soil, providing a range of essential functions that enable plant growth. This edition contains features from Jackie Stroud on her work on soil and earthworms, on soil management in south-west Scotland at Morriston Farms, and on Rhizosphere biology from our newest LIC, Newcastle University Farms. You will also find key updates from a variety of projects LEAF is involved with and projects occurring at LEAF Innovation Centres. We are very excited to host our next Network Meeting at the Groundswell Agriculture event on Wednesday 23rd June. Alastair Leake from the Allerton Project, Ian Waller from Hampden Bottom Farm and Resilient and Ready Farmer, Andy Bason will be discussing all things IFM and regenerative agriculture in a panel discussion chaired by Caroline Drummond. We will be filming this event for those who aren’t able to attend this year. We look forward to seeing you, please drop into the LEAF stand to say hello!

India Grant-Wood India.grant-wood@leafuk.org Please do get in touch if you have project work or research updates that you would like to share with the LEAF Network. Also, please let me know if you have any thoughts or would like further information on any of the features included in this issue.

CO N TEN TS Jackie Stroud on Soils & Earthworms

Soil Management at Morriston Farms

Digging into Rhizosphere Biology at NU-Farms

News from LEAF and the Network

Project Updates

The LEAF Network

KEY DATES: Groundswell Agriculture

23rd - 24th June

Network Meeting & LEAF Panel Discussion

23rd June 5:30pm

LEAF Open Farm Sunday

27th June

Cereals

30th June - 1st July 3

SOIL AND EARTHWORMS BY JACKIE STROUD, RESEARCH FELLOW/SENIOR LECTURER IN FARMING SYSTEMS AT SRUC (LEAF Innovation Centre) Earthworms are obviously involved in soil biological health, so I wondered why people aren’t already earthworm surveying. What’s stopping them? Worms are common, known for their roles in soil fertility, and associated with good soils management – what are the main obstacles? The answer came back: <60 minutes method and dynamic interpretation support was needed. I continue to focus on removing the obstacles and to date our science-farming partnership has led to 31, 930 worms being studied. This month alone I’ve been helping people from NZ, Australia and the USA who want to know how we’ve had this unprecedented success. It has certainly been a learning curve! Each Spring and Autumn I suggest people try worm sampling It is not a lecture, nor a marketing campaign – the aim is to stimulate small group discussions. Scientists and farmers don’t normally interact much, but the seasonal survey creates opportunities to tackle questions as they arise. To leverage the knowledge of each other then we need to record our observations in the same way (same method, timepoint). It is impossible to be helpful when people know earthworms in terms of bird numbers when ploughing! Digging five holes per field is a small ask, considering that it puts us all on the same page.

The first event (#60minworms) was all about the method – moving away from meaningless worm counts - to checking for the three types of earthworms (earthworms are grouped by feeding and burrowing behaviours) and that worms are found in each soil pit (widespread). We collectively identified the need for midden counting else deep burrowing earthworms (also called anecic worms) would go unreported. Middens are made by Lumbricus terrestris - they are not worm casts - but the piles of surface organic matter collected at night which overly their permanent vertical burrow. The burrows can extend over a metre deep – so this type of worm is not easily captured when digging holes! Their middens are easy to spot, and this year I’ve had reports that they are covering up to 30 % of the soil surface. These middened patches are biological hotspots - with fundamentally different carbon and nitrogen dynamics, water drainage and crop rooting patterns – the survey suggests these patches are present in 4 out of 5 arable fields. From my perspective, it was curious that 1 in 5 fields people found no evidence for the presence of this type of earthworm (or their middens). Unexplained absences have also been detected in no-tillage fields in the USA - which surprised the researchers because this type of worm is tillage sensitive (tillage disturbs their habitat and removes their surface food supply). Therefore, I reviewed the invertebrate pathology literature (spanning 1880 – 1990’s; before earthworm research was replaced by biotechnology) which revealed the vulnerability of these earthworms to castrating parasites – with high infection levels found in earthworms living in soils impacted by air pollution. I published this literature review because it is important to know parasites and pollution are a component of soil health.

Is soil health a commodity? Or is soil health supporting expert behaviours that maintain or enhance the life-sustaining components of the ecosystems that we are dependent upon? To me, soil health is about fostering expertise through dynamic, locally adapted research. For example, the first event revealed a mutual interest in knowing more about deep burrowers, which empowered me to highlight the knowledge gaps in pollution-parasite dynamics. The second event (#30minworms) stimulated a lot of questions about pesticides – enabling me to do some interesting lab and field slug pellet and glyphosate research and resulted in good feedback this was useful to management decisions. The curious anecdote that earthworms eat slug eggs remains on the to do list! The third event (#worldwormweek) addressed the perception that earthworm identification is difficult and unsupported – so I curated an online results portal to make it easier to share/compare results. People took part from all over the world – investing their time in digging 5 soil pits and sharing their observations – including worms living in delightfully exotic banana plantations and rice paddies.

Then I stopped It has been very tough trying to achieve peer acceptance. To better understand the hostility from soil scientists I asked thirty of them based in the UK and Europe: what is the obstacle? There is 100 years of research on earthworms, they are known ecosystem engineers, people freely invest their time in laborious surveys which are revealing information gaps – what is the barrier to developing sciencefarming partnerships? The obstacle is simply negative perceptions about farmland data quality and its usefulness to science. Science management is a publish or perish culture, so concerns about data quality means the data outputs are unpublishable. However, the scientists revealed just one change is needed for peer acceptance: a photograph of the earthworms. Most scientists would be confident in farmland data quality with photo verification, an obstacle which we can easily resolve together using the smartphones in our pockets.

As the saying goes, you only really understand something when you try to change it People are more proficient at earthworm identification, we are leveraging the knowledge of each other and building the capacity for co-ordinated actions in soil biological health. There is decent scientific support now, for example, the dry spring has been largely unsuitable for reliable surveys, so the collective decision is that we should survey within three weeks of a 25 mm/day rainfall event in the Spring and Autumn so I’ll be updating the sampling booklet. The invitation to survey earthworms will open again this Autumn, with a scientific support network now spanning Scotland, England and Wales. To resolve the photography obstacle - I need some help in creative flair - so I’ve written a funding request to a charity in Scotland which would enable young farmers to co-design four photographic templates (soil life, farm life, soil art and monochrome themes) for the upcoming #30minworms in Scotland. If the application is successful, I would very much welcome volunteers to help select the best designs and put them to good use.

Get in touch by email or twitter if you have any questions or comments:

Jacqueline.Stroud@sruc.ac.uk @wormscience

SOIL MANAGEMENT AT MORRISTON FARMS, LEAF DEMONSTRATION FARM WITH CHRIS SAVAGE ESTATE FACTOR Morriston Farms is a large arable farm extending to approximately 620 hectares in South Ayrshire. Crops are grown for specific markets or customers, and mostly for the local livestock feeding market and anaerobic digester. Current cropping includes hybrid rye, triticale, spring barley, spring beans, maize and fodder beet. The farm is fairly unique in being an arable operation in the heart of livestock country and in the practice of minimum (strip) tillage. Lord David Kennedy has run Morriston Farms for almost 40 years and in this time has introduced a multitude of measures to improve the soil and biodiversity on farm. Chris Savage, Estate Factor for Cassillis & Culzean Estates, which incorporates Morriston Farms, provides an overview of the integrated management techniques that have been adopted in the continued ambition to improve soil health.

ADDRESSING THE PROBLEM Although mainly sandy loams, soil types at Morriston Farms vary. Obvious pockets of heavier ground and steep slopes factor into farming decisions and why certain management techniques have been adopted. We operate in the wet west of Scotland where annual rainfall is typically 33-36 inches. Perception is that this is slowly rising, as borne out by rainfall records. However, one thing that absolutely does seem to be changing is the incidence of high rainfall events. The combination of steeper ground and high rainfall incidents was giving rise to concerns over erosion and diffuse pollution. For many years the local burns, and in turn harbour bay, would often turn brown as soil was eroded off freshly cultivated ground, carrying nutrients and chemicals with it. Out of concern for the environment and his farming future, Lord David recognised that there was extensive damage being done by total inversion systems, which were in turn followed by powered cultivation, not to mention the machinery and power requirements which this necessitated. This led the initial venture into minimum cultivation system in the mid 1990’s since which time the system has been constantly tweaked and changed. The business is now using a Claydon Strip till drill, with 24m tramlines for the application of fertilisers, manures and pesticides.

MINIMISING SOIL DISTURBANCE Strip tillage is now the mainstay of arable operations, with the same drill being used to sow all of the grain, legumes, maize and biodiversity crops. Biodiversity crops change from one year to the next including dedicated insect meadows, phacelia, barley with brassicas and reed canary grass. Strip tillage has continued the trend in improving soil structure and reducing erosion which began with the transition into minimum tillage. The burns and sea no longer turn brown as a result and fertility levels are maintained as diffuse pollution and leaching does not deplete the soil as quickly. Wider row spacing cropping additionally permits more air and optimal light into the crop.

continued on next page >

SOIL FERTILITY Soil health is of paramount importance at Morriston. By cultivating only the top 2-3 inches, mycorrhizal fungi around the roots are left undisturbed in the soil from previous harvests, and any weeds or volunteers are reduced by exhausting the weed seed bank. Routine soil analysis has been used over many years and aims to keep the pH in the optimal range consistent with the field rotations being adopted. There are no livestock on Morriston Farms and we have been conscious for many years of the role organic matter plays in soil fertility. As a consequence, we have sought off-farm sources to cost effectively apply to the soils. This has included sewage sludge (in various forms), digestate, cattle slurry, FYM and Hen Pen. Organic matter levels have improved with the application of organic based manures, which in turn has improved the general health of the soil and earthworm population. Fertiliser use has also been reduced by maximising the benefits available from manure applications. For a number of years, we have been carrying out worm counts, initially as part of World Worm Week and more recently, simply to keep an eye of soil health using another dynamic. 40-50 earthworms were recorded in each 8” cube sample for the 2019 World Worm Week. We don’t sample every field as all fields are effectively managed in the same way but we will certainly count a cross section of fields each year.

REDUCING COMPACTION Tractor and trailer access to the fields is restricted, keeping heavyweights to the headlands or better still, out of the field altogether, and tramlines are used to limit compaction. Overwinter when soil conditions are less than perfect, no vehicles of any description are used in the fields to avoid creating ruts which are very difficult to eradicate using strip tillage. Tracks and ruts also form channels for water to travel along which in turn can cause erosion, further scouring out such tracks and ruts, and causing the situation to mushroom. The Claydon system with its shallow sub soil leg helps get water down into the soil profile quickly. This increases the speed with which field operations can resume after wet weather and we can typically travel a day or two before neighbours on conventional systems. The fact that we have only cultivated alternate strips in the soil means machines are being carried on 50% uncultivated ground and 50% cultivated.

RESOURCE OPTIMISATION The soil management decisions taken at Morriston Farms means we cover more ground in a day using limited resources and a much smaller power requirement compared to our neighbours using traditional inversion systems. There are no full-time members of staff employed at Morriston, so with around 300ha of arable crops, time available for field operations is critical. Spray days are few and far between- if it is dry, it is probably windyso optimising field working days is a key consideration and how the soil is managed can help with this. The use of fallow land around fields has allowed some of the variable land to be left uncropped, optimising operation of application equipment and time spent on the field. This also benefits farmland biodiversity by providing habitat for beneficial predatory species. The use of insecticides has, as a result, largely been avoided for over 25 years.

THE FUTURE Managing for soil organic matter and soil biodiversity requires a long-term view. A soil balance sheet of sorts helps inform longer term decision-making - where we are today and what needs to happen- but more support and encouragement is needed for increased uptake of soil management practices. At Morriston, we have invested in machinery which is capable of variable rate application utilising the results from grid sampling and analysis of soils. Using GPS guidance systems we have been exploring variable sowing rates with the aim of establishing a more even crop. We also continue to explore using less power and reducing pressure of vehicle tyres in the quest to further reduce compaction and look after the soil.

DIGGING INTO RHIZOPHERE BIOLOGY AT NEWCASTLE UNIVERSITY FARMS BY JULIA COOPER SENIOR LECTURER IN SOIL SCIENCE (NEWCASTLE UNIVERSITY) Since the early 2000s, NU Farms has been involved with rhizosphere research. NU Farms is Newcastle University’s Research and Demonstration Facility that comprises some 800ha of mixed arable and livestock production across three separate holdings in Northumberland. The enterprise is managed commercially as a single unit, used extensively to support teaching and outreach activities, and is also home to multiple research platforms - including some that have been running since the late 1800’s.

Our long-term QLIF (‘Quality Low Input Food’) trial platform was originally set up in 2002 to compare organic and conventional systems of production, particularly their effects on crop nutritional quality. But the platform has provided much more than this, allowing us to conduct in-depth studies on rhizosphere biology to better understand how three key management factors (rotation, crop protection method and fertility inputs) individually, and in combination, affect the rhizosphere. The take home message from this trial so far confirms the old organic farming adage: feed the soil, not the plant. Treatments that have received regular applications of composted farmyard manure have higher levels of microbial activity, regardless of whether they are sprayed with herbicides and fungicides or not. But we have not found any clear patterns about the effects of management practices on the composition of those microbial communities or their functions. Soil microbial communities have an incredibly high degree of what is known as “functional redundancy”; that is, there are usually many species present that perform the same function in the rhizosphere. So the essential jobs in the rhizosphere tend to get done even if some species are missing, as long as there is enough fuel to feed the organisms present. That fuel is carbon, and it comes from the plant roots themselves, as sugary root exudates, and from the organic matter added to the soil in farmyard manure and crop residues. Rhizosphere management practices that provide a plentiful and diverse supply of carbon for soil organisms to consume, should promote active and healthy populations of organisms in the rhizosphere.

In other experiments we have looked at practices to promote associations with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) in the roots of crop plants like spelt and potatoes. AMF can help plants to access soil nutrients, particularly phosphates, and can improve drought tolerance. We always find a high degree of colonisation by the existing “native” population of AMF with no additions of AMF inoculants. This gives us no reason to believe that most agricultural soils in the UK don’t already have healthy and active populations of AMF.

Our trials across NU Farms, as also demonstrated by numerous past studies, support that soils that have a low P supply tend to have higher degrees of root colonisation by AMF. It is thought that plants release hormones into the rhizosphere when they are short of P and this stimulates nearby AMF to infect the plant roots and establish an extensive network of thread-like hyphae. This can dramatically expand the volume of soil the plant can access, allowing the plant to compensate for low available P in the rhizosphere. Systems that maintain a lower P index are therefore more likely to have active AMF associations in their crop roots, but more research still needs to be done to optimise these systems so that an economic yield can be maintained at lower levels of P fertilisation. More

recently,

have

tested

experimental

inoculants in our own fields and with farmers as part of the European H2020 SolACE project1 (https:// www.solace-eu.net/). So far, we don’t have strong evidence to suggest that these inoculants are necessary for AMF colonisation, so farmers should think carefully before applying them. As with any new product or innovation, we encourage farmers to do their own comparisons, by using the product on only part of their field in the first year, so that they can make a side-by-side comparison and come to their own conclusions about its value. There is a tendency for all of us to hope we will find a magic bullet that builds soil health, increases crop yields and minimises negative effects of farming on the environment. Our research at NU Farms suggests that there is no single magic bullet. We aim to keep looking at combinations of management practices that include reduced tillage, diversification of crop rotations, and targeted applications of organic matter, so that we can learn how to optimise management for a healthy and active rhizosphere community.

1This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement N°727247”.

FEATURE ARTICLE: Press release 25th May, 2021

Using Precision Farming to make clover living mulches yield for growers There has been much recent and widespread interest in both soil health management and the techniques which growers can use to protect their soil. Research has shown that clover living mulch understories have the potential to be a multifunctional component capable of addressing some of the key challenges faced by the arable sector today. With future arable production expected to focus on sustainable intensification and environmental responsibility, it is likely that the adoption of such multifunction solutions will be an important tool for industry in achieving policy- and marketdriven competitiveness while maintaining yield. Despite benefits demonstrated by research, commercial uptake of in-crop clover living mulches in the UK has been limited by production conflicts and practical management challenges. The RPA-funded ‘Living Mulches’ project, a 3.5-year project now in its final stages, saw Stockbridge Technology Centre and Manterra Ltd collaborate to validate and demonstrate the use of PAT-assisted strip tillage, using commercially available machinery and technology, as a tool towards overcoming some of the restrictions and challenges that have prevented commercial uptake in the UK, while still providing benefits that would be expected from soil conservation tillage approaches. The findings have shown that clover living mulches can achieve benefits in arable production, but that Press release 25 May, 2021and depends on both how the crop and understory is managed, and on this can be tricky to achieve what the end goal is for the grower. Yield gains were consistently made when using minimum input Using Precision Farming to make clover living mulches yield for growers approaches, although still reduced to a fully conventional, full-input approach. Therethey has beenwere much recent and widespread interestcompared in both soil health management and the techniques which growers Some of this was can mitigated bysoil. the performance of the clover itself. In well-established, highly use to protect their Research has shown that clover living mulch understories have the potential to be a competitive clover understories, crop often to produce as highly, although excellent weed multifunctional componentthe capable of addressing some failed of the key challenges faced by the arable sector today. With future control was achieved the clover understory was younger, did not cover the arablewithout production inputs. expected to Where focus on sustainable intensification and environmental responsibility, it is likely that ground as well and compete strip will tillage the adoption ofas suchstrongly, multifunction solutions be an allowed the crop to get away in early development important tool for industry in achieving policy- and marketandcompetitiveness yield better by theyield. endDespite of the driven while maintaining benefitsgrowing demonstrated season, by research, though there were also more weeds to contend commercial uptake of in-crop clover living mulches in the UK has been limited by production conflicts with, and the soil health and environmental benefits were not quite as strong. Some soil health and practical management challenges. The RPA-funded ‘Living Mulches’ project, a 3.5-year project now in its final stages, benefits took time to build up, while others weresawgained within a growing season, and there was a Stockbridge Technology Centre and Manterra Ltd collaborate to validate and demonstrate the use of PAT-assisted tillage, using commercially available machinery and technology, as a toolbees towards flocked to it during flowering. definitestripbuzz in well-established clover, when overcoming some of the restrictions and challenges that have prevented commercial uptake in the th

UK, while still providing benefits that would be expected from soil conservation tillage approaches. The findings have shown that clover living mulches can achieve benefits in arable production, but that this can be tricky to achieve and depends on both how the crop and understory is managed, and on what the end goal is for the grower. Yield gains were consistently made when using minimum input approaches, although they were still reduced compared to a fully conventional, full-input approach. Some of this was mitigated by the performance of the clover itself. In well-established, highly competitive clover understories, the crop often failed to produce as highly, although excellent weed control was achieved without inputs. Where the clover understory was younger, did not cover the ground as well and compete as strongly, strip tillage allowed the crop to get away in early development and yield better by the end of the growing season, though there were also more weeds to contend with, and the soil health and environmental benefits were not quite as strong. Some soil health benefits took time to build up, while others were gained within a growing season, and there was a definite buzz in well-established clover, when bees flocked to it during flowering.

The gross margins, and the soil health and biodiversity benefits gained, made this a ‘win’ for Andrew Manfield, the project’s applied farming research partner, and a supplier of PAT technology and agronomy expertise: “Clover understories are a ‘work in progress’, but they are truly worthwhile work. To see a field with a substantial clover cover buzzing with bees in August after a profitable crop of oilseed rape gives great encouragement for the future”. Additional farmers were also engaged through a series of in-person and remote workshops, with Dr David George (speaker from Newcastle University) noting that, “It was a pleasure to see good and growing farmer interest in clover living The gross margins, and the soil health and biodiversity benefits gained, made this a ‘win’ for Andrew Manfield, the project’s applied farming research partner, and a supplier of PAT technology mulches at the two events I attended at the start and end of the project. Projects like this one can help and agronomy expertise: “Clover understories are a ‘work in progress’, but they are truly worthwhile work. To see a field with a substantial clover cover buzzing with bees in August after a profitable crop a great deal in driving uptake of new approaches on-farm, especially when results are communicated of oilseed rape gives great encouragement for the future”. Additional farmers were also engaged through a series of in-person and remote workshops, with Dr David George (speaker from Newcastle and discussed over the course of the work, as has been the case here”. University) noting that, “It was a pleasure to see good and growing farmer interest in clover living mulches at the two events I attended at the start and end of the project. Projects like this one can help a great deal in driving uptake of new approaches on-farm, especially when results are communicated and discussed over the course of the work, as has been the case here”.

The project has received funding from the Rural Payments Agency and EIPAGRI to demonstrate and validate clover living mulches as a viable, Press release achievable, and profitable option for UK arable agriculture. 25th May, 2021

The project has received funding from the Rural Payments Agency and EIPAGRI to demonstrate and validate clover living mulches as a viable, achievable, and profitable option for UK arable agriculture.

Press r 25th Ma

Using Precision Farming to make clover living mulches yield for growers

Using Precision Farming to make clo

There has been much recent and widespread interest in both soil health management and the techniques which growers can use to protect their soil. Research has shown that clover

There15 has soil health

NEWS FROM LEAF & THE NETWORK 16

Duncan Farrington awarded a Queen’s Award for Enterprise for Sustainable Development Huge congratulations to Duncan Farrington and all the team at Bottom Farm, a LEAF Demonstration Farm, for being awarded a Queen’s Award for Enterprise for Sustainable Development in April. His LEAF Marque business, Farrington Oils, is one of 205 organisations nationally to be granted this prestigious award. Farrington Oils was set up in 2005 by Duncan Farrington as the UK’s first seed-to-bottle producer of cold pressed rapeseed oil and last year, became the world’s first food brand to be certified as both carbon & plastic neutral. This really is such a well-deserved achievement and reflects all the hard work that Duncan has been doing and we look forward to seeing what’s in store for the future. Read more here and if you haven’t already, you can listen to Duncan talking on Radio 4 here.

Network Innovation Meeting at Groundswell Agriculture event The next Network Innovation Meeting will be held at Groundswell Agriculture Event this month to make the most

New LEAF Innovation Centre! We are delighted to announce that Newcastle University Farms will be joining the LEAF Network as a LEAF Innovation Centre. NU Farms is a diverse enterprise consisting of dairy, arable and pigs and the University has a long history of engagement with LEAF. NU Farms offers particular expertise in carbon sequestration and soil and broadens the Innovation Centre’s presence into the north of

of an opportunity to have face-to-face discussion. This will involve a panel of speakers exploring LEAF's 30 year journey developing and demonstrating Integrated Farm Management, and how this aligns with regenerative agriculture. LEAF Demonstration Farmer Ian Waller, Alastair Leake from GWCT, and Resilient and Ready project farmer Andy Bason, will be talking with Caroline Drummond on bringing LEAF's new 10 year strategy to life with renewed vision and building on experience of working regeneratively since 1991. The panel discussion will be at 5:30pm

England. Details on a launch later this

Wednesday 23rd June. Several of the LEAF

year will be released in the coming

team will be supporting the event and you

months and more information can be

can also find us on our stand, and we look

found on their activities and facilities

forward to seeing many of you there. More

here.

information and tickets can be found here.

We are also currently in conversation

For those of you who won’t be attending

with other potential LEAF Innovation

Groundswell, we will be filming the panel

Centres and LEAF Demonstration Farms, so watch this space!

discussion and be making this available to you at a later date.

NEEDED: Beacons for a new Regenerative Agriculture & Agroecology initiative LEAF has recently received funding from the Ashden Trust for an exciting new project to develop and support a new part of our work the Beacons of Excellence. The funding is specifically for developing the initiative with a focus on Regenerative Agriculture and Agroecology. This programme builds on the recent mapping of key areas of expertise in the LEAF Network and will be the first of a series of Beacons of Excellence. The cut of the Beacons of Excellence provides a deep dive into particular issues and will highlight the benefits of and recognise success in a particular focus area in the delivery of more sustainable farming. It is a key part of our commitment as part of LEAF’s 10 year strategy 2021 - 2031. We would love to hear from you if you would like to join us on this journey, exploring and championing Regenerative Agriculture and Agroecology, as a Beacon of Excellence. We are still in the early stages of this project and will involve some experimentation on both sides, but you will be working closely with LEAF for an initial period of around a year. Other themes for the Beacons of Excellence will be developed over the next few years but if there are any specific areas that you may be interested in please do not hesitate to let me know. Further details will be established after the busy summer period but please do get in touch with india.grant-wood@leafuk.org to

express your initial interest.

LEAF Network Annual Report 2020 We are delighted to share with you the LEAF Network Annual Report highlighting some of the activities the LEAF Network in 2020. Despite restrictions to many activities, the Network continued to demonstrate IFM to a wide range of groups and contribute to LEAF resources, helping spread technical IFM expertise. This report highlights the activities of the LEAF Network in 2020 and their contributions to LEAF as a whole.

View it here

Send us your photos! A huge thank you to those who have sent photos and videos of spring operations over the last few months. We have some absolutely brilliant shots from a range of diverse enterprises. Any great snaps, especially as summer gets into full swing, please do send to india.grant-wood@leafuk.org with credits as needed.

Photo: Bangor University - Dan Struthers

PROJECT UPDATES LEAF is involved in a variety of projects with our farmers, industry partners and researchers in the UK and across Europe through the EU H2020 programme. Regular updates on our projects are also shared in the IFM Quarterly, members E-news and our events. If you would like to know more about a particular project or be involved in any capacity, please contact india.grant-wood@leafuk.org.

Nature-based Solutions to Climate Change The ‘Nature-based Solutions to Climate Change’ project focuses on creating opportunities for nature-based solutions to climate change through farming operations and landscapes. Funded by The Linder Foundation, 10 farms across England are committed to championing climate change mitigation by enhancing the nature that encompasses the land they manage. In collaboration with science and industry experts, LEAF is providing support and advice to achieve this. Farmers are currently using the carbon footprint tool, Agrecalc, developed by SAC Consulting and researchers at Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC). LEAF collaborates with SRUC through various initiatives, including SRUC farms supporting LEAF as Innovation Centres. Agrecalc is a whole-farm carbon and resource efficiency tool that calculates carbon, methane and nitrous oxide greenhouse gases at the whole-farm level, and at per product or enterprise. It features carbon and KPI benchmarking, soil carbon sequestration and ‘What-if?’ scenarios. The purpose of this exercise is to create a baseline measurement for the farmers to understand their own impact on climate change, presenting an opportunity for measuring further improvement. Through collaboration with industry and science experts, the participating farmers will receive advice on particular areas that they will develop on their farms, facilitating action and solutions for climate-positive change. Farmers will receive support and guidance on a range of areas including soil biology, habitat creation and enhancement, grassland management and cover cropping. Follow @LEAF_Farming on Twitter for all the latest project updates.

SolACE

SHOWCASE

This H2020 project is in its final year

LEAF and the University of Reading

journey of finding solutions for improved

are working with a group of 18

agroecosystem and crop efficiency for

intervention farms, including many

water and nutrient use. The project is

LEAF Demonstration Farms, in this

designing solutions that combine novel

H2020 project to co-develop novel ideas

genotypes and crop innovations on a range

that benefit both farmers and wildlife.

of crops including Durham wheat and

The first co-design workshop was held

potatoes across climatic regions of Europe.

last month where scientific evidence

LEAF alongside the University of Newcastle

was presented for various biodiversity

is leading the UK farmer network, trialling

interventions and initial interest and

the use of microbial inoculants on their

feasibility discussed. These discussions

effectiveness to water and nutrient stress.

will continue throughout the summer

Further details on our 2020 trial findings

and culminate in the implementation of a

and plans for 2021 can be found in the April

biodiversity intervention, or combination

edition of the IFM Quarterly.

of interventions, in late 2021/early 2022.

Agri Capture CO2 This H2020 project is focused around promoting regenerative agriculture and developing markets for carbon credits. LEAF Demonstration Farmer, Duncan Farrington and LEAF Innovation Centre, The Allerton Project are also partners in this project. We will be involved in developing an engagement strategy for farmers and businesses, offering training opportunities within regenerative agriculture, and assessing the potential of a carbon standard for assurance schemes. You can find out more here.

LEAF is currently working with the University of Reading on two research projects looking to develop innovative solutions to support sustainable farming. The researchers are keen to speak to a range of farmers at this stage; 1. The ENVISION project is co-designing Earth Observation based monitoring tools for sustainable agriculture. We would like to speak to any farmer about their opinions on the use of remote monitoring and farm inspections. Please contact Georgios Pexas g.pexas@reading.ac.uk 2. The SHOWCASE project is co-designing biodiversity interventions with farmers. We are keen to speak to any farmer who uses precision agricultural technologies to understand their impact on the environmental performance of their farm. Please contact Alice Mauchline a.l.mauchline@reading.ac.uk Please get in touch with them by the end of June if you have a 30 minute window to spare.

INVITATION:

PUBLIC MONEY FOR PUBLIC GOODS? DO YOU WANT TO MEET THE CHALLENGES OF CLEAN AIR? What’s it about? • DEFRA’s Clean Air Strategy • The grants available for this What do you get? • Working demonstrations on slurry and digestate management systems • Introductions to exhibitors who have the equipment, knowledge, and skills to guide you • A tour around the University’s new AD plant and slurry tower

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LEAF DEMONSTRATION LEAF Demonstration Farms FARMS AJ & CI Snell

Anthony

Snell

Herefordshire

Addicott Partners

Robert

Addicott

Somerset

Barfoots of Botley

Keston

Williams

West Sussex

Bottom Farm

Duncan

Farrington

Northants

Bowhill Farming

Sion

Williams

Selkirk

Carroll's Heritage Potatoes

Anthony and Lucy

Carroll

Northumberland

Church Farm

Jeremy

Padfield

Somerset

Crowmarsh Battle Farms Ltd

Charlie and Tim

Chamberlain

Oxfordshire

E Dunning & Son

Paul

Hayward

East Yorkshire

E J Barker & Sons

Brian and Patrick

Barker

Suffolk

Elveden Farms Ltd

Andrew

Francis

Norfolk

E W Davies Farms Ltd

Jeremy

Durrant

Essex

Frogmary Green Farm

Nick and Claire

Bragg

Somerset

Great Wollaston

Robert

Kynaston

Shropshire

G's Marketing (Cambs Farm Growers)

Charles

Shropshire

Cambridgeshire

The Green House Sussex Lt

William

Pitts

West Sussex

Hampden Bottom Farm Ltd

Ian

Waller

Buckinghamshire

J W Pigott & Son

Ian

Pigott

Hertfordshire

JSR Farms Ltd

Charlie

Parker

East Yorkshire

The Jersey Royal Company

Mike

Renouard

Jersey

Leckford Estate Ltd

Andrew

Ferguson

Hampshire

Lockerley Estate

Craig

Livingstone

Hampshire

Morriston Farms

Lord David

Kennedy

Ayrshire

New Forest Fruit Company

Sandy

Booth

Hampshire

Nonington Farms

James

Loder-Symonds

Kent

Overbury Enterprises

Jake

Freestone

Gloucestershire

P N Broad & Son

Hugh

Broad

East Lothian

Ragley Hall Farms

Hamish

Stewart

Warwickshire

R P Tilt & Son

Nicholas

Tilt

Shropshire

R. C. Felce & Son

David

Felce

Cambridgeshire

Renner Farming

John and Helen

Renner

Northumberland

Russell Smith Farms Ltd

Ralph

Grindling

Cambridgeshire

Silton Manor Farming

Keith

Harris

Dorset

Sir Richard Sutton Estates Ltd

Chris

Baylis

Lincolnshire

Tangmere Airfield Nurseries Ltd

Mark

Knight

West Sussex

Worth Farms

Duncan

Worth

Lincolnshire

Wantisden Hall Farms

Tim

Pratt

Suffolk

Wilkin & Sons Ltd

Chris

Newenham

Essex

LEAF INNOVATION CENTRES

Front Cover Photo: Bangor University - Dan Struthers