soil test

When it comes to cover crops and nutrient management, a lot of the focus is on what cover crops can do for soil fertility. Depending on the species being used, they can prevent leftover nutrients from running off into waterways or even produce some fertilizer for future crop use. But how...

This is a thread for those who feel guilty about cluttering up dear old GUTH’s beloved price tracker with the chit chat that stop us all being that miserable our families would throw us all out to sit with the dog in the porch. All are welcome, you can even post prices if you want. The only rule...

Hi all, Looking for recommendations on the best way to get some totally unproductive very weed laden ( thistle, dock & general rubbish) ground into an arable rotation. It's useless to me in its current state after years of the previous owners ring feeding cattle on it 365 days a year. Not sure...

When we pick up a handful of soil, it is hard to imagine all the activity that is happening at a microscopic scale within it and the powerful impacts this has. The web of life in a healthy soil is a weird and wonderful world of interactions that scientists are only just beginning to understand...

Written by Charlotte Cunningham from CPM Magazine Arable growers are being advised to test soil mineral levels for available phosphorus post-harvest to prevent deficiencies that could impact crop growth this winter. According to David Harrod, arable business manager at Timac Agro UK, a P...

Helping growers improve their soil health is an important part of the role we play at Truterra. While carbon and carbon programs seem to be stealing the spotlight in the media, it is not lost on us that increasing carbon sequestration leads to better soil health, which can lead to higher...

Before applying fertilizers, many farmers conduct a soil nutrient analysis. Doing so helps identify soil acidity, its humus content, as well as micro- and macroelements. It also helps determine how much fertilizer to apply and in which part of the field. It seems pretty straightforward. But most...

The main advantage of reseeding grassland is it increases both the quantity and quality of grass grown, by somewhere in the region of 20- 40%, mostly in spring and autumn. At the cost it must be done right. Michael Donoghue, Dairy Advisor, Teagasc Tuam, covers all of the additional benefits here...

It combines the most comprehensive soil analysis with the most accurate soil mapping, and will be launched at the Groundswell Event in June. “TerraMap Gold is a premium service of TerraMap that will interest growers who want an even better understanding of why the soil behaves like it does and...

NFU Vice President David Exwood talks about the ways he is working to increase SOM (soil organic matter) and the water holding capacity of the silt-clay soil on his mixed farm in West Sussex. David manages a mixed-farming business, located south of Horsham, West Sussex. The first generation farm...

It’s no news that recent months have seen fertiliser prices skyrocketing to wholly unprecedented levels, propelling a need to reduce fertiliser dependency in both the near and slightly longer term. This development has made an already difficult situation for farmers significantly worse. We must...

We’ve had a very late planting season with many crops a month and a half behind. My earlier planted wheat looked very good in the good growing conditions of late. I’ve been gone from the uk for over twenty years and have list touch with many things. My question is what product is better for...

Grassland Index Guide Farmers seeking productivity from their grassland, whether increased yields, fewer inputs or increased biodiversity and soil health, need to know how to make the most of this sustainable, beneficial crop. A new ‘Grassland Index’, developed by grass breeder Barenbrug...

2015 was declared the International Year of the Soils and December 5th has become our annual World Soils Day to raise awareness amongst us all of the importance of soils in our daily lives: from agriculture to food to mitigating climate change. ‘Soil’ has become a very fashionable topic but, as...

For a chance to win a free ticket to Groundswell 2023, please fill out the full survey here: https://qfreeaccountssjc1.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3Wbxbve0vCCArHg?Q_CHL=social&Q_SocialSource=TFF takes less than 5 minutes does NOT require any soil test data This survey is being undertaken as...

Got some tired PRG in the grazing rotation. Will be going into GS4 next year. Wondering about a brassica break crop. After the next round of grazing, I am wondering if a brassica crop could be direct drilled into this grass (roundup first) to provide an autumn bite? Drilled mid July, would...

Having waded through some of the thread on SFI, can someone please tell me how much it is going to cost me to do these Organic Matter and other Tests that will be needed to comply. The tests we have done at the moment work out at around £40 a land parcel but that won't include Organic Matter...

Good afternoon all, I wanted to let you know that we've opened the Sustainable Farming Incentive for applications today. You can find a summary of what's available in this initial rollout here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/a-summary-of-the-sfi-in-2022 - we'll be expanding the scheme to cover...

Hi, inexperienced small land owner here with a few acres of pasture. Normally I would have my pasture mown for hay once a year and grazed by sheep later in the year, which keeps the grass under control but the soil organic matter is 4% and I want to get it higher. I have quite quite a bit of...

Written by Agriland Team from Agriland On many beef and sheep farms, in particular where ground is rented, farmers can be reluctant to spend money on soil pH and nutrient tests and consequently fail to act accordingly with the soil-test results. With rising input costs a hot topic currently...