It’s official. Ploughing is good for soil OM!

Farmer Fin

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Aberdeenshire
F63E0971-D196-410F-A4F5-E165C9A586EA.jpeg

From today’s SRUC webinar. I’m not brave enough to post it in the DD section of the forum.
 

Clive

Staff Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Lichfield
actually seems to suggest ploughing is better than “mintill”. Which is no surprise at all

I see no comparison to direct drilling there though ?


any exposure of soil will result in oxygenation of carbon and therefore SOM loss, simple science really
 

CORK

Member
Whilst cultivation exposes soil OM to oxidation and loss, I’ve often thought that areas of higher rainfall should encourage more soil OM due to more plant material produced, less oxygen getting into the soil as its damper and less arable farming in high rainfall areas.

This map seems to show a trend.

72AA0B1A-D615-4A7B-9AE1-08EC8C403991.jpeg
 

Clive

Staff Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Lichfield
I’ve also wondered if using a furrow press when ploughing would squeeze more oxygen out of the loosened soil and mean less oxidation than unpressed ploughing.

if you must plough then anything that reduces surface area exposed to oxygen will reduce oxidisation
 

PSQ

Member
Arable Farmer
Oh, so I've missed yet another SRUC event?

Why cant they just email past attendees with upcoming events, instead of relying on either telepathy or arable farmers having to buy the 99% livestock orientated 'Scottish Farmer'? :facepalm: :banghead:

Their communications team promote their events like they work for a Masonic Lodge...
 

Farmer Fin

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Aberdeenshire
Oh, so I've missed yet another SRUC event?

Why cant they just email past attendees with upcoming events, instead of relying on either telepathy or arable farmers having to buy the 99% livestock orientated 'Scottish Farmer'? :facepalm: :banghead:

Their communications team promote their events like they work for a Masonic Lodge...
It’s their winter agronomy days. There has been an hour webinar on a Wednesday morning for the past few weeks. Think there are 2 more. Your not missing much. Not even NRoSO points available.
 

Hjwise

Member
Mixed Farmer
This has always been the case though. DD doesn’t work successfully on all soil types every single year.
Can’t see the point in min-till though now. It just makes matter far far worse.
Bit of a wild generalisation. My neighbour has practiced min till for as long as I can remember. Their crops are always excellent, very rarely see any weeds (don’t think I have ever seen any black grass). Any system can be managed well or badly.
 

Clive

Staff Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Lichfield
This has always been the case though. DD doesn’t work successfully on all soil types every single year.
Can’t see the point in min-till though now. It just makes matter far far worse.

DD doesn't work successfully for all farmers that is a fact, it does (demonstrably) work on most soil types however just as reliably as any establishment system does (ie no system is 100%)

The variable is the farmer more than the soil
 

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Red Tractor drops launch of green farming scheme amid anger from farmers

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As reported in Independent


quote: “Red Tractor has confirmed it is dropping plans to launch its green farming assurance standard in April“

read the TFF thread here: https://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index.php?threads/gfc-was-to-go-ahead-now-not-going-ahead.405234/
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