Soil management

13 June 2009

Six Soil management training events were delivered in 2009. The events were held on 13 May at Newmiln Farm (Perth), 8 June at Oakwood Mill (Selkirk), 13 August at Mid Coul Farms (Inverness), 16 September at Rainton Farm (Castle Douglas), 24 September at Great Glen Cattle Ranch (Spean Bridge), 1 October at Craibstone Estate (Aberdeen).

The programme involves a day long training course looking at how to improve soil structure and fertility, reduce dependence on inputs, and increase carbon sequestration. Techniques covered include nutrient budgeting, use of FYM, and conservation of soil organic matter.

• Soil Association case study on Soil management
• Soil Association case study on Manure management
• Soil Association case study on Grassland and clover management
• Soil Association case study on Ellands Farm
   

Materials from course

On the day, course participants received a pack containing a range of useful technical guides on soil management. Supplementary resources can be viewed online:

• Advisory leaflet: Soil fertility building crops in organic farming [PDF]
• SAC Technical note: Optimising the uptake of bulky organic fertilisers 
• Rural NI webpages on white clover 
• SAC Rural Policy Centre Research Briefing: Carbon footprint reporting for a Scottish livestock farm [PDF] 
• SAC: Visual evaluation of soil structure sheet
• SAC: Assessing your soil
• Quality Meat Scotland grassland management video
• Cotswold Seeds Database: The case for clover
• Cotswold Seeds Database: Practical guide to green manures
• SAOS & CNPA: Climate change and Scottish agriculture Farmers’ guide to reducing greenhouse gas emissions from farms 
• Farming Futures climate change fact sheet 20: Soil Management
• Farming Futures climate change fact sheet 21: Nutrient
• Farming Futures climate change fact sheet 25: Farm carbon accounting

Relevant links

• Planet 4 Farmers website