MIKE DONOVAN
Welcome to Direct Driller, the UK’s first magazine devoted to no-till. Farmers worldwide are learning and taking up the techniques of direct drilling and no-till, and I am delighted to asked to edit this knowledge based publication focussed on techniques and practice.
My fascination in direct drilling was cemented in 2012 by a YouTube video ‘Undercover Farmers’, 28 inspirational minutes. It shows how regular farmers have changed to natural soil regeneration through cover crops, crop rotations, the control of soil compaction and nurturing soil biology. The presentation was exciting, made so much sense, and I decided to incorporate the subject into my writing expertise. No-till opens a new agricultural era, and one powered by hands-on farmers across the globe. Linked by internet forums and websites, farmers can, for the first time ever, share their own ideas independent of suppliers. The pursuit of low cost, biologically sound methods reflects the approach of my own farm journalism since 1992 and Practical Farm Ideas.
We are on the cusp of a major revolution based on soil management, biology, and unlike other major developments such as the use of fertiliser, plant breeding and chemical control, the science and practice here
is in the hands of farmers, such as you, the reader. The whole science of soil and it’s biology has been allowed
to languish and it is farmers who are successfully finding the way forward. The scientific community has an important contribution, and the hope is that these pages will direct them and show the areas of research and
knowledge. Government, similarly, has an important role to play both in matching science spending with the needs of the industry and making the techniques accessible to the whole farming community.
It is perhaps no surprise that it take a hands-on farmer, Clive Bailye, to take on the challenge of publishing this magazine for UK farmers, and it is perhaps worth recording it was 1972, 45 years ago, that American farmers got their first sight of no-till in print through Frank Lessiter’s No-Till Farmer magazine, from Brookfield, Wisconsin.
RICHARD HARDING
Everything I do is driven by a passion to produce great tasting, healthy and nutritious food. I believe we have to go beyond sustainability to being truly regenerative and see agriculture as an integral part of a circular economy.
An unashamedly but realistic eternal optimist at all times seeking out new and better ways of producing food. I feel very lucky to have grown up in Sidmouth, East Devon and after studying Agriculture at Harper Adams now work as an agronomist passionate about working with innovative rural farm businesses across the South of England and beyond. At the core of future proofing the rural farm business is knowledge transfer and
I feel very proud to be working with the team at Direct Driller Magazine to cut through labels to bring stories of food producers and production systems that start with the soil.
CLIVE BAILYE
10 years ago, I set out on a journey to change the way we farmed to a more sustainable and financially viable way. The zero-till and conservation system that we have since adopted and evolved has been truly transformational to our soils, local environment and importantly our farms financial performance.
Gaining the knowledge and new management skill required has not always been easy, I found UK agricultural media lacking in the detail and depth of knowledge I needed when making such fundamental changes so looked abroad and to the internet to learn from others experience.
Direct Driller hopes to bring together agronomic and mechanisation expertise and experience from around the world and is a result of my longterm belief that there is no better way to learn than from the experience of others.
Soil is key to our success as farmers, understanding it better and managing it sympathetically brings massive benefits and long-term attitudes towards food production and environment that can no longer be ignored.
It is this knowledge transfer that is key to success when adopting new systems and I hope that this magazine is yet another step forward to help others make the kind of transformation to their farming business that I have.
Note: You can read all of Issue 1 as a digital copy here.
Welcome to Direct Driller, the UK’s first magazine devoted to no-till. Farmers worldwide are learning and taking up the techniques of direct drilling and no-till, and I am delighted to asked to edit this knowledge based publication focussed on techniques and practice.
My fascination in direct drilling was cemented in 2012 by a YouTube video ‘Undercover Farmers’, 28 inspirational minutes. It shows how regular farmers have changed to natural soil regeneration through cover crops, crop rotations, the control of soil compaction and nurturing soil biology. The presentation was exciting, made so much sense, and I decided to incorporate the subject into my writing expertise. No-till opens a new agricultural era, and one powered by hands-on farmers across the globe. Linked by internet forums and websites, farmers can, for the first time ever, share their own ideas independent of suppliers. The pursuit of low cost, biologically sound methods reflects the approach of my own farm journalism since 1992 and Practical Farm Ideas.
We are on the cusp of a major revolution based on soil management, biology, and unlike other major developments such as the use of fertiliser, plant breeding and chemical control, the science and practice here
is in the hands of farmers, such as you, the reader. The whole science of soil and it’s biology has been allowed
to languish and it is farmers who are successfully finding the way forward. The scientific community has an important contribution, and the hope is that these pages will direct them and show the areas of research and
knowledge. Government, similarly, has an important role to play both in matching science spending with the needs of the industry and making the techniques accessible to the whole farming community.
It is perhaps no surprise that it take a hands-on farmer, Clive Bailye, to take on the challenge of publishing this magazine for UK farmers, and it is perhaps worth recording it was 1972, 45 years ago, that American farmers got their first sight of no-till in print through Frank Lessiter’s No-Till Farmer magazine, from Brookfield, Wisconsin.
RICHARD HARDING
Everything I do is driven by a passion to produce great tasting, healthy and nutritious food. I believe we have to go beyond sustainability to being truly regenerative and see agriculture as an integral part of a circular economy.
An unashamedly but realistic eternal optimist at all times seeking out new and better ways of producing food. I feel very lucky to have grown up in Sidmouth, East Devon and after studying Agriculture at Harper Adams now work as an agronomist passionate about working with innovative rural farm businesses across the South of England and beyond. At the core of future proofing the rural farm business is knowledge transfer and
I feel very proud to be working with the team at Direct Driller Magazine to cut through labels to bring stories of food producers and production systems that start with the soil.
CLIVE BAILYE
10 years ago, I set out on a journey to change the way we farmed to a more sustainable and financially viable way. The zero-till and conservation system that we have since adopted and evolved has been truly transformational to our soils, local environment and importantly our farms financial performance.
Gaining the knowledge and new management skill required has not always been easy, I found UK agricultural media lacking in the detail and depth of knowledge I needed when making such fundamental changes so looked abroad and to the internet to learn from others experience.
Direct Driller hopes to bring together agronomic and mechanisation expertise and experience from around the world and is a result of my longterm belief that there is no better way to learn than from the experience of others.
Soil is key to our success as farmers, understanding it better and managing it sympathetically brings massive benefits and long-term attitudes towards food production and environment that can no longer be ignored.
It is this knowledge transfer that is key to success when adopting new systems and I hope that this magazine is yet another step forward to help others make the kind of transformation to their farming business that I have.
Note: You can read all of Issue 1 as a digital copy here.
