Written by John Swire from Farm Business
The UK’s leading agricultural analysis laboratory NRM has teamed up with the NFU to offer its members a discount to measure their soil carbon. As part of the agreement, NFU members get 10% off NRM’s CarbonCheck and CarbonCheck Plus packages.
Earlier in 2021, NFU President and beef farmer Minette Batters had the 13 fields at her farm tested using NRM’s CarbonCheck. This new service measures organic and active carbon as part of a comprehensive analysis suite and enables farmers to benchmark their soil health.
‘The agricultural industry is in a unique position as it is both a source of greenhouse gas emissions and a sink of carbon,’ said Ms Batters. ‘As part of our ambition for UK agriculture to achieve net zero by 2040, we have partnered with NRM to give our members a 10% discount on its CarbonCheck services because we know farmers are keen to better understand where they are now, and measure progress to help us meet our ambition and support the planet.’
Soil samples were taken by Ms Batters on each of the fields at her farm. The samples were then sent to NRM for analysis. CarbonCheck measures organic and active carbon as part of a comprehensive suite, as well as organic matter, C:N ratio, total nitrogen, total carbon, inorganic carbon, carbonate classification, and bulk density.
Ms Batters was delighted with her soil carbon levels, which came back higher than NRM’s dataset average of over 4,000 samples. The farm’s average adjusted organic carbon stock (in tonnes per hectare) was 129 t/ha whilst NRM’s dataset average comes out at 98 t/ha, and their Soil Organic Carbon (SOC) level was 1.7% higher than the dataset average. By comparing the results for her different fields, Ms Batters could determine what that meant for her future crop nutrition plans.
‘To increase soil carbon levels, I recommend tailoring crop nutrition plans for different fields, as they have varying potentials for carbon storage,’ said Rory Geldard, business development manager at NRM. ‘Options for soils with good potential include maximising growing crop frequency to increase organic matter returns and talking to agronomists to discuss introducing appropriate fertilisers. Both solutions will help increase carbon stocks and improve soil health overall.’
‘Soil analysis can really benefit the farm business, the environment, and improve soil health overall, as well as providing meaningful data,’ said Ms Batters. ‘The NFU wants to make it easier for NFU members to realise such benefits.’
If you are an NFU member and want to take advantage of this deal, visit nfuonline.com/carboncheck for the next steps.
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The UK’s leading agricultural analysis laboratory NRM has teamed up with the NFU to offer its members a discount to measure their soil carbon. As part of the agreement, NFU members get 10% off NRM’s CarbonCheck and CarbonCheck Plus packages.
Earlier in 2021, NFU President and beef farmer Minette Batters had the 13 fields at her farm tested using NRM’s CarbonCheck. This new service measures organic and active carbon as part of a comprehensive analysis suite and enables farmers to benchmark their soil health.
‘The agricultural industry is in a unique position as it is both a source of greenhouse gas emissions and a sink of carbon,’ said Ms Batters. ‘As part of our ambition for UK agriculture to achieve net zero by 2040, we have partnered with NRM to give our members a 10% discount on its CarbonCheck services because we know farmers are keen to better understand where they are now, and measure progress to help us meet our ambition and support the planet.’
Comprehensive suite of checks
Soil samples were taken by Ms Batters on each of the fields at her farm. The samples were then sent to NRM for analysis. CarbonCheck measures organic and active carbon as part of a comprehensive suite, as well as organic matter, C:N ratio, total nitrogen, total carbon, inorganic carbon, carbonate classification, and bulk density.
Ms Batters was delighted with her soil carbon levels, which came back higher than NRM’s dataset average of over 4,000 samples. The farm’s average adjusted organic carbon stock (in tonnes per hectare) was 129 t/ha whilst NRM’s dataset average comes out at 98 t/ha, and their Soil Organic Carbon (SOC) level was 1.7% higher than the dataset average. By comparing the results for her different fields, Ms Batters could determine what that meant for her future crop nutrition plans.
‘To increase soil carbon levels, I recommend tailoring crop nutrition plans for different fields, as they have varying potentials for carbon storage,’ said Rory Geldard, business development manager at NRM. ‘Options for soils with good potential include maximising growing crop frequency to increase organic matter returns and talking to agronomists to discuss introducing appropriate fertilisers. Both solutions will help increase carbon stocks and improve soil health overall.’
‘Soil analysis can really benefit the farm business, the environment, and improve soil health overall, as well as providing meaningful data,’ said Ms Batters. ‘The NFU wants to make it easier for NFU members to realise such benefits.’
If you are an NFU member and want to take advantage of this deal, visit nfuonline.com/carboncheck for the next steps.
Get Our E-Newsletter - breaking news to your in-box twice a week
See e-newsletter example
Will be used in accordance with our Privacy Policy
Continue reading on the Farm Business Website...