Farming is part of #thesolution - Series

[holwellcourtfarm]

View attachment 796064 With regards to the carbon absorption in grassland stat, where did you get your info from?
It’s just that at 388 tonnes per 150 acres, that’s a lot lower than many of the stars I’ve seen, including the top one on google, which would indicate that 1 acre of grass absorbs 4kg per day of CO2 or 1400kg per year.
Does anyone have a link to an accurate absorption stat?
Thanks

Is every square metre of grass growth the same then?

Genuine question.

Having recent read Grass Productivity (Andre Voisin) grass growth per square metre can vary enormously depending on how it's managed. That's before you factor in any inputs (surely if you are applying 250kg of manufactured N per hectare you have to allow for the fossil C released in the process)?

That's like saying every square metre of woodland absorbs the same amount irrespective of whether it is newly planted oak seedlings or mature rainforest.

 

[Hampton]

Is every square metre of grass growth the same then?

Genuine question.

Having recent read Grass Productivity (Andre Voisin) grass growth per square metre can vary enormously depending on how it's managed. That's before you factor in any inputs (surely if you are applying 250kg of manufactured N per hectare you have to allow for the fossil C released in the process)?

That's like saying every square metre of woodland absorbs the same amount irrespective of whether it is newly planted oak seedlings or mature rainforest.

I get what you are saying, but what is the average, because there is a massive range between the two.
With regard to fert, surely if the grass is growing faster, it is absorbing more CO2, so the release is offset

 

[holwellcourtfarm]

I get what you are saying, but what is the average, because there is a massive range between the two.
With regard to fert, surely if the grass is growing faster, it is absorbing more CO2, so the release is offset

Agreed. So quote the range.

But it can grow equally fast in healthy soil with no manufactured fertiliser.

Nothing is simple in nature and we all look for simple answers.

It would be like googling the top speed of a car. I'm sure there is a mathematically correct figure at any precise time but it tells you nothing whilst purporting to tell you something.

This is where all the published research on carbon sequestration gets it wrong. It over simplifies incredible complexity.

Note: Sorry @Chris F , @Clive and others for taking this excellent thread and initiative off topic a bit. I am doing my bit to get these memes out there.

 

[Chris F]

Surely not our industry?

There is a lot of politics at play unfortunately. It amazing to look at who won't re-tweet or share these message of supprt for the industry.

 

[Hampton]

Agreed. So quote the range.

But it can grow equally fast in healthy soil with no manufactured fertiliser.

Nothing is simple in nature and we all look for simple answers.

It would be like googling the top speed of a car. I'm sure there is a mathematically correct figure at any precise time but it tells you nothing whilst purporting to tell you something.

This is where all the published research on carbon sequestration gets it wrong. It over simplifies incredible complexity.

Note: Sorry @Chris F , @Clive and others for taking this excellent thread and initiative off topic a bit. I am doing my bit to get these memes out there.

But what is the range and where is the (true) data?
Loads of stuff out there, but is it valid, or is it made up?

 

[Blaithin]

I get what you are saying, but what is the average, because there is a massive range between the two.
With regard to fert, surely if the grass is growing faster, it is absorbing more CO2, so the release is offset

Fertilizer is a huge source of - I believe the right one, is Nitrous Oxide. Nitrous oxide is a lot like methane in that’s it’s a “worse” GHG than carbon.

Don’t get so stuck on lowering carbon that you forget about other GHGs that could use lowering/managing. Increasing the N2O production in an effort to try and get grass to sequester more C would pretty much mean you’re accomplishing nothing.

Plus it’s the soil that holds the C, not the grass. If you’ve killed a large portion of the soil with N2O then it’s not going to have the holding capacity of C, even if the grass has the population to absorb amounts.

 

[Clive]

There is a lot of politics at play unfortunately. It amazing to look at who won't re-tweet or share these message of supprt for the industry.

yes some are VERY conspicuous by absence right now ........... and its no longer the weekend even

 

[Hampton]

https://www.bbc.com/food/diets/vegan_vs_flexitarian

Drip, drip, drip

 

[Wolds Beef]

@Chris F @Clive Yes, I did mean 8x3 Banners. May I suggest! you issue 1 of the series every 4 to 6 weeks so that they are seen over a long period. You could also offer them to county shows and the like for display. Or maybe forum members could offer them to organisations, for example we are coming into YFC Rally season.
WB

 

[holwellcourtfarm]

https://www.bbc.com/food/diets/vegan_vs_flexitarian
Drip, drip, drip

BBC still quoting the Eat-Lancet report (although, interestingly, not actually naming it) in the vegan case for support despite it having been roundly criticised and shown to be biased by the heavily vested interests of its backers.

https://www.bbc.com/food/diets/vegan_vs_flexitarian

 

[n.w]

https://www.bbc.com/food/diets/vegan_vs_flexitarian

Drip, drip, drip

Hmm veganism = no farm animals of any type, vast tracts of rain forest put into soy production, no use for marginal land . loss of bio-diversity, mono culture, and huge increase in wind emitting vegans.. what could possibly go wrong

 

[Clive]

@Chris F @Clive Yes, I did mean 8x3 Banners. May I suggest! you issue 1 of the series every 4 to 6 weeks so that they are seen over a long period. You could also offer them to county shows and the like for display. Or maybe forum members could offer them to organisations, for example we are coming into YFC Rally season.
WB

1 per week is the plan now for the next 9 we have done to keep some degree of momentum going

However it doesn’t have to end there ! If successful we will just keep producing them ....... I look forward to infographic 100 of 11 !


We can’t afford to get banners made or print distribute them really (we are not NFU or AHDB I’m afraid !) but others are welcome to take the images and reproduce them however they like - it would be fantastic to see some of them as big banners at shows and events etc or in supermarket car parks etc

We will keep providing the bullets for the gun as long as others are prepared to do their bit and keep pulling the trigger !

 

[awkward]

All the more reason we all need to share these positive messages about farming

if the question hasn't already been asked are these posters relevant on this side of the pond. I hope they are great idea .

 

[Clive]

if the question hasn't already been asked are these posters relevant on this side of the pond. I hope they are great idea .

They are all relevant the word over really - as is the consultant message

“Farming is part of #thesolution NOT the problem”

 

[Clive]

It would be great to see them shared around the world - the anti farming lobby is not just a uk thing, if we unite globally on this we are much stronger

 

[Wolds Beef]

@Clive Does AHDB have a voice on the forum? The NFU does in our friend Guy Smith. Do we tag him and see if he would join in with NFU sponsoring the banners or even part sponsor's. After all Minette is a big believer in producing quality cattle!! Let's get the rest of the ag world involved in a fight back!! After all it will benefit us all.
WB

 

[holwellcourtfarm]

@pear @martian @The Ruminant
Do you think we could persuade the Herts Show management to allow some banners of these to be displayed at the entrance to the livestock areas? I'd happily pay for one to be done (then display it here afterwards alongside the A414 this summer).

 

[Clive]

@Clive Does AHDB have a voice on the forum? The NFU does in our friend Guy Smith. Do we tag him and see if he would join in with NFU sponsoring the banners or even part sponsor's. After all Minette is a big believer in producing quality cattle!! Let's get the rest of the ag world involved in a fight back!! After all it will benefit us all.
WB

I'm not a NFU member so it’s not for me to tell them what they should do

Those of you that are members might want to ask some questions like why they seem to be going out of their way to ignore this or why @NFUTweets Guy or Minnette are not sharing this despite being tagged and asked directly to do so ? (I will add NFU Scotland and various local area offices have shared it though)

Guy made a big point that he only posts on TFF as an individual, the NFU have no official presence here and refuse to as it’ says TFF has no relevance to farming apparently

IMPORTANTLY i do not want to turn this into a argument about he NFU however - we have launched this series of infographics to try and help promote farming. We hope that ALL that care about our industry will unite and do whatever they can to promote it as far and wide as possible

We want the message to be positive and constructive and not start pointless fights

We have no agenda other than to help us farmers do something to help themselves

 

[Clive]

@pear
Do you think we could persuade the Herts Show management to allow some banners of these to be displayed at the entrance to the livestock areas? I'd happily pay for one to be done (then display it here afterwards alongside the A414 this summer).

This is the kind of idea I hoped this would spark ! Brilliant

If you want early access to the rest we have produced to do this let me know and I will email them you

 

[watcher72]

We can’t afford to get banners made or print distribute them really

Net assets risen by over 40% need somewhere to spend that dosh?

On the grassland point isn't a road side verge a great home supporting a wide range of flora and fauna as well? Mind you having seen how they have cleared around some of the motorway and major road embankments this spring out BPS would have been taken away from us for destruction of habitats! Shame they cant do the same for the ragwort!

Major selling point of grassland is utilizing land that can not grow crops for human consumption, capturing carbon and giving soil life a boost without then need for destroying their habitat once a year for the sake of an arable crop. I would also add that digestors are probably the most intensive of all cropping. Constant earth moving to grow fast growing energy intensive crops such as maize, beet and nutrient hungry grasses.

Book called the Death of grass I read at school really opened my eyes as to how reliant we are on grass on this planet!