Regenerative agronomy

This is the route I think I’m going down. I’ve got quite hung up on micro nutrition and biologicals/innoculants the last few years but I think that’s all a waste of time really, especially with the way farming is heading in terms of profit. The soil is the only focus and from that the results should come. Getting better N use efficiency from more active soil is going to pay far more than any of the other stuff.

Building a healthy soil will reduce the impact of most micro nutritonal/ biological/ inoculant type stuff in my view. And building a healthy soil is more sustainable than jard and cans anyway.

Ill always read up on new products but I retain a dose of scepticism in the absence of much evidencr
 

Treg

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Cornwall
Hell yes.

Will it be targeted at arable units or cover livestock as well?

I think it's time we set up local/regional "Regen Ag" discussion groups, possibly under the umbrella of your initiative, where current practitioners can meet to share experiences (especially failures) and arrange farm walks. Those interested in starting out could then use these as local support groups.
@Regen Cornwall isn't this what your trying to set up?
 
This is the route I think I’m going down. I’ve got quite hung up on micro nutrition and biologicals/innoculants the last few years but I think that’s all a waste of time really, especially with the way farming is heading in terms of profit. The soil is the only focus and from that the results should come. Getting better N use efficiency from more active soil is going to pay far more than any of the other stuff.

I think getting actually N use efficiency is really difficult. Or at least it certainly appears to be. Our utilisation of artificial N seems stubbornly stable all around the world.
 

Clive

Staff Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Lichfield
I think getting actually N use efficiency is really difficult. Or at least it certainly appears to be. Our utilisation of artificial N seems stubbornly stable all around the world.


Lots of focus on ag chem but the truth is synthetic N use is the real bad guy/elephant in the room re-soil health and environment

how we move away from it enough whilst still maintaining output/quality is the big question that I'm not sure anyone can answer really (even if some think they can, usually using their product !)
 

Brisel

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Midlands
Has anyone done research to see what systems improve N use efficiency? The obvious one is to boost soil N through raising SOC but is that just offsetting the need for top up N or is it really from greater use efficiency? My chalk is officially 55% efficient, mineral soils 60% and sands 65% according to RB209.
 

ajd132

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Suffolk
Has anyone done research to see what systems improve N use efficiency? The obvious one is to boost soil N through raising SOC but is that just offsetting the need for top up N or is it really from greater use efficiency? My chalk is officially 55% efficient, mineral soils 60% and sands 65% according to RB209.
The cultan system does, any we looked into it in depth last year but logistically its a nightmare on any kind of scale/road work. Was meant to go to Germany to meet the manufactures and go round some farms but unfortunately we crashed the car when touring no till farms in Denmark so ever made it back to Germany! A big shame as I may have found a lot more out.
 

Clive

Staff Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Lichfield
Cultan is about the only thing I have seen or read any real evidence for ................. but juts but practical ?


maybe we have to get over the idea of producing the qty we have done in the past? yes, the world will starve but that's not out problem ??


or maybe N fixing bacteria will be isolated and available in the not too distant future? surely genuinely finding such tech and making it commercially viable at scale would be the single biggest contribution to the reduction of GHG etc that could be made?
 

B'o'B

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Rutland
We seem to be getting abnormally high N use efficiency especially as we are on a fair bit of limestone over much of the farm. Between 70-80% last year in wheat so I am told.
 

B'o'B

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Rutland
Cultan is about the only thing I have seen or read any real evidence for ................. but juts but practical ?


maybe we have to get over the idea of producing the qty we have done in the past? yes, the world will starve but that's not out problem ??


or maybe N fixing bacteria will be isolated and available in the not too distant future? surely genuinely finding such tech and making it commercially viable at scale would be the single biggest contribution to the reduction of GHG etc that could be made?
We don’t actually need high protein wheat for bread. It just costs more to make a loaf with low protein wheat and the bakers aren’t set up to be able to use low protein wheat.
 
Lots of focus on ag chem but the truth is synthetic N use is the real bad guy/elephant in the room re-soil health and environment

how we move away from it enough whilst still maintaining output/quality is the big question that I'm not sure anyone can answer really (even if some think they can, usually using their product !)

Well yes it is in a way. I suppose you could ask an organisation like NIAB to draw upon all their empirical research to look at nitrogen response curves etc. BUT - life without N wasn't very stable - I draw your attention to The Alchemy of Air again

853328
 
Cultan is about the only thing I have seen or read any real evidence for ................. but juts but practical ?


maybe we have to get over the idea of producing the qty we have done in the past? yes, the world will starve but that's not out problem ??


or maybe N fixing bacteria will be isolated and available in the not too distant future? surely genuinely finding such tech and making it commercially viable at scale would be the single biggest contribution to the reduction of GHG etc that could be made?

What? So its better to starve some people now in exchange for people potentially in the future having a wamer climate?

I think that would be crazy wouldn't it?
 

Brisel

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Midlands
What? So its better to starve some people now in exchange for people potentially in the future having a wamer climate?

I think that would be crazy wouldn't it?

I’m with Clive in this. Feeding the world is not UK farmers responsibility. Being environmentally sustainable is what policy makers want now. Being financially sustainable is my priority. That means being environmentally sustainable too but paying the bills comes first. Being right and dead is no use.
 
I’m with Clive in this. Feeding the world is not UK farmers responsibility. Being environmentally sustainable is what policy makers want now. Being financially sustainable is my priority. That means being environmentally sustainable too but paying the bills comes first. Being right and dead is no use.

I think you boys are throwing the baby out with the bathwater. There will be no reduction of N usage for the sake of the climate in my view.
 

Brisel

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Midlands
I think you boys are throwing the baby out with the bathwater. There will be no reduction of N usage for the sake of the climate in my view.

We will agree to disagree on this. In my opinion, there will be a carbon tax put on fuel and fertiliser in the future in the name of "saving the planet". Probably not for nitrate levels in water though we have many watercourses over the 50 mg/l limit under the EU Water Framework Directive.
 

SFI - What % were you taking out of production?

  • 0 %

    Votes: 79 42.5%
  • Up to 25%

    Votes: 65 34.9%
  • 25-50%

    Votes: 30 16.1%
  • 50-75%

    Votes: 3 1.6%
  • 75-100%

    Votes: 3 1.6%
  • 100% I’ve had enough of farming!

    Votes: 6 3.2%

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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