Launch of the Sustainable Soils Alliance

[bactosoil]

This evening at the House of Commons the Sustainable Soil Alliance was launched with the remit
of coordinating science ,agriculture and other affected groups , and to try and make a real change in soil research and application .
It is supported by the Woodland Trust,The Soil Association ,Barclays,Eden Project etc to name a few
and had the likes of Tim Smit,Helen Browning and Michael Gove Speaking .
Big turnout of I guess 150 people with Estates ,Land Agents, Soil Scientists ,Nuffield Scholars,Green Peace and SA embers there .
I went out of curiosity and wonder were there any other TFF members there ?
While the sentiments might be admiral cannot help feeling that integration with mainstream farming was lacking and that needs to be at any cornerstone of anything new (assuming it provides a positive to the industry)

 

[Woolly]

What policies/programmes do they propose?

 

[bactosoil]

I think its ,more about bringing all groups together and then focusing and creating government strategy and policy alongside research .
Just read the attendance list and though there were many well known groups represented not sure/cannot see how this will all pan out
www.sustainablesoils.org

 

[Kiwi Pete]

I think its ,more about bringing all groups together and then focusing and creating government strategy and policy alongside research .
Just read the attendance list and though there were many well known groups represented not sure/cannot see how this will all pan out
www.sustainablesoils.org

I like this a lot.

There will be a fair chunk who will not make the slightest attempt, based on what we have found here - "it goes against the progress we've made"
But, really good to see any form of unity in agriculture; especially when it focuses on the one thing we all have in common, our soils.
Hoo (blyddi) rah.

 

[CornishTone]

I like the idea but were there any real farmers there, you know, the ones who actually manage the soil? Or was it just another gathering of names and businesses who stand to make a bob or two from telling the farmers about what they talked about at the meeting?

 

[Woolly]

Is it a government quango, or a parliamentary committee? Presumably funded by DEFRA? Have the farming unions been caught knapping - hope not?

 

[neilo]

This evening at the House of Commons the Sustainable Soil Alliance was launched with the remit
of coordinating science ,agriculture and other affected groups , and to try and make a real change in soil research and application .
It is supported by the Woodland Trust,The Soil Association ,Barclays,Eden Project etc to name a few
and had the likes of Tim Smit,Helen Browning and Michael Gove Speaking .
Big turnout of I guess 150 people with Estates ,Land Agents, Soil Scientists ,Nuffield Scholars,Green Peace and SA embers there .
I went out of curiosity and wonder were there any other TFF members there ?
While the sentiments might be admiral cannot help feeling that integration with mainstream farming was lacking and that needs to be at any cornerstone of anything new (assuming it provides a positive to the industry)

That sounds like a roll call of people and organisations that I would like to spend an evening with....... not! I'm afraid I would struggle to trust most of those listed, other than to further their own agendas.

 

[ollie989898]

Another pointless Quango. I was expecting a letter in the post to be chief exec, so I could steer them into a sea of sense but alas it must have got lost in the post. Woodland trust, soil association, wtf do they know about anything, be serious now.

 

[martian]

It's not even a quango, more of a coalition of vested interests who are tragically happy to merely 'sustain' the soil. Meanwhile they are intent on ignoring the groundswell of 'conventional' farmers who are working out a new way of cropping whilst regenerating their soils, which is what we need to do. If something is broken, you don't think 'I'm going to sustain that in its current condition'. You want to mend it.

There are at least 3 organisations promoting no-till farming in the UK, I don't think any of them had an invitation to this cosy organic jolly.

 

[Richard III]

Will they campaign for glyphosate to be allowed to be used in Conservation Agriculture in the future, in the interests of soil health?

Looking at those involved, somehow I think maybe not.

 

[Cab-over Pete]

It's not even a quango, more of a coalition of vested interests who are tragically happy to merely 'sustain' the soil. Meanwhile they are intent on ignoring the groundswell of 'conventional' farmers who are working out a new way of cropping whilst regenerating their soils, which is what we need to do. If something is broken, you don't think 'I'm going to sustain that in its current condition'. You want to mend it.

There are at least 3 organisations promoting no-till farming in the UK, I don't think any of them had an invitation to this cosy organic jolly.

Then maybe the 3 existing organisations could invite the new one to some of their events?

 

[ollie989898]

This kind of nonsense is on going all the time. I used to get emails inviting me to this kind of nonsense every week. Attended by all kinds of people all on the public purse and employed at huge expense. I doubt a lot of them have any clue about anything in the real world but they are good at moving in those kinds of circles.

 

[PSQ]

Were the likes of Nathan Morris (AHDB soil scientist) and Steve Hoad invited, or was it just well paid people in suits that get paid a lot to waffle to each other, but never get their shoes dirty?

 

[PSQ]

Here we go, Gove (who doesn't know his arse from his elbow when it comes to farming) now has someones hand up his arse to make his lips move. Well done 'Sustainable Soils Alliance', well done
https://www.theguardian.com/environ...eradication-soil-fertility-warns-michael-gove

The UK is 30 to 40 years away from “the fundamental eradication of soil fertility” in parts of the country, the environment secretary Michael Gove has warned.

“We have encouraged a type of farming which has damaged the earth,” Gove told the parliamentary launch of the Sustainable Soils Alliance (SSA). “Countries can withstand coups d’état, wars and conflict, even leaving the EU, but no country can withstand the loss of its soil and fertility.

“If you have heavy machines churning the soil and impacting it, if you drench it in chemicals that improve yields but in the long term undercut the future fertility of that soil, you can increase yields year on year but ultimately you really are cutting the ground away from beneath your own feet. Farmers know that.”

 

[martian]

Sounds like Gove is right on the money: the nation's soil is one of its most important assets and we haven't been looking after it very well. I'm only questioning his choice of advisors. I mean I love organic farmers, they are all delightful and I think smocks look good on farmers and folk music is marvellous, but we have moved on a bit and there are modern ways of regenerating the soil that doesn't involve us pretending it's 1901.

 

[Kiwi Pete]

I love organic farmers, they are all delightful and I think smocks look good on farmers and folk music is marvellous, but we have moved on a bit

Has to be "quote of the week"

that's the big problem with most brand-organic mumbo jumbo though, it's just another set of rules, more stuff to disallow like we don't, as a sector, stop enough stuff happening already

I think what Gove meant was, farmers know what they're doing, how about we get together and actually fund some research into the soil stuff these folk in smocks talk about, and see if we can find some facts out that will benefit all the hardworking farmers in Great Britain.

I know that's what he really meant to say.

 

[SilliamWhale]

It's not even a quango, more of a coalition of vested interests who are tragically happy to merely 'sustain' the soil. Meanwhile they are intent on ignoring the groundswell of 'conventional' farmers who are working out a new way of cropping whilst regenerating their soils, which is what we need to do. If something is broken, you don't think 'I'm going to sustain that in its current condition'. You want to mend it.

There are at least 3 organisations promoting no-till farming in the UK, I don't think any of them had an invitation to this cosy organic jolly.

They did mention Groundswell though...so don't worry you'll get your royalties!

“There is a groundswell of interest in this, a terrific opportunity,” said Rebecca Pow MP, parliamentary private secretary to Michael Gove

I've just glanced through the comments section of the guardian about it - I must remember not to do that again - its batshit crazy - "drench" in chemicals seems to be a favourite phrase - more water has fallen per square inch on my land in the past half hour than I will put on in a lifetime of diluted chemicals.

I'm stunned the NFU only set up their environment committee 3 years ago. 3 tenets of the farmed environment that should have been set out years ago would be the production role, the environmental/landscape/ land management role and the social fabric/historical role Each complement the other on this small picturesque island with lots mouths to feed. No one eats all organic food anyway.

 

[Will Blackburn]

The cynic in me says it is the organic lobby's attempt to gain the high ground over no-tillers.

 

[Louis Mc]

It's a f**king disgrace the whole thing...I've not been this annoyed wit farming in a long time. Just when we are getting our heads around a new way of farming that f**ks up the planet a lot Less that the previous generation the greens/conspiracy theorists(more like terrorists)organic farmers and anyone else with an internet connection all team up to ban one of the most useful tools in soil regeneration.
Then this half arsed quango with its head spending half the time up its own arse and the other half in the cloudy is launched the day before the vote on glyph without any acknowledgment of the vote and the impact a ban would have on soil regeneration.

Agghhhhhhhhh

 

[Warnesworth]

They offer a great vision but no solutions. They seem determined to create a great deal of discussion and education but ignore that fact that the answers are already known. Return more carbon to your soil than you take out. Simples