Soil washing away

Yup.

Lots of land round here was warped - Gainsborough being about the furthest extent of it. If you know what you're looking for you can find or figure where the warping drains are. They reckoned on the humberhead levels you could warp 9" of silt in a year.

But the warping like this was obviously limited by how far turgid water will travel. Hence the warping near lindolm was "dry" warped.

The last warping round there was at medge hall near crowle after ww1.

Much of the vermuden drains were not great. My 5x great grandfather was the first to plough some fresh drained land at what is now Potteric Carr nature reserve. Was so boggy he built shoes for the horses to make the surface area much larger.
Thickness of a penny used to be talked about every drain out and could make it heavier or light depending on how fast they let water out
 

teslacoils

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Lincolnshire
Thickness of a penny used to be talked about every drain out and could make it heavier or light depending on how fast they let water out

Yes. In areas where the warp is deeper than plough depth you can supposedly see layers if you dig with a digger. This isn't the case with the dry warping.

It's all very exciting. From a time where productivity was the way to national prosperity.

My uncle told me a story about a chap who bought some "crap" land and was told he'd never make it work. Stripped the turf and sold it. Under the turf he found sand. Dugnit it out and found gravel. Dug that out. Ended up with a hole. Filled the hole with rubbish. Builders topsoil on top. Returned to grass. It's all just a thought process. NE exists to stop progress.
 

glasshouse

Member
Location
lothians
Yes. In areas where the warp is deeper than plough depth you can supposedly see layers if you dig with a digger. This isn't the case with the dry warping.

It's all very exciting. From a time where productivity was the way to national prosperity.

My uncle told me a story about a chap who bought some "crap" land and was told he'd never make it work. Stripped the turf and sold it. Under the turf he found sand. Dugnit it out and found gravel. Dug that out. Ended up with a hole. Filled the hole with rubbish. Builders topsoil on top. Returned to grass. It's all just a thought process. NE exists to stop progress.
I am currently re soiling a former quarry
 

Bury the Trash

Member
Mixed Farmer
I think the plough is getting an unfair slating. Plenty of fields about with a feed rack in the middle of a swamp ( especially in this year of straw " saving " ), stubble turnip fields resembling the Somme, and the worst in this part of the world is winter veg and a free range chicken outfit with feed wagons and pullets in, and manure out of fields 24/7.
In my part of the World cattle are best housed ,thix time of year( and sheep sometimes although I try to avoid it.if possible on a limited acreage. )

Reason is simple because the out wintering of them in conditions like there are now creates a muck pit simple and proven..
(Might well be different in Ameraustrachilefrikacandia I except.) That's there problem to solve In their own way using what's best.
Who with a conscience would want to treat their soil like it ,?
Sheds are needed not long grass or rewilded weeds or something.....

Trouble is theres trends now that seem to impress some and especially those slightly green or wanting novelty ... and could end with resources ( time being one of them )wasted .

A Hard standing would be a base requirement at least, and controlled for run off but a roof best and water collected for use later, part of the deal... / planning permission :unsure:

Taxi

🚶‍♀️🚶‍♂️🏃‍♀️
 
Last edited:

Ruston3w

Member
Location
south suffolk
In my part of the World cattle are best housed ,thix time of year( and sheep sometimes although I try to avoid it.if possible on a limited acreage. )

Reason is simple because the out wintering of them in conditions like there are now creates a muck pit simple and proven..
(Might well be different in Ameraustrachilefrikacandia I except.) That's there problem to solve In their own way using what's best.
Who with a conscience would want to treat their soil like it ,?
Sheds are needed not long grass or rewilded weeds or something.....

Trouble is theres trends now that seem to impress some and especially those slightly green or wanting novelty ... and could end with resources ( time being one of them )wasted .

A Hard standing would be a base requirement at least, and controlled for run off but a roof best and water collected for use later, part of the deal... / planning permission :unsure:

Taxi

🚶‍♀️🚶‍♂️🏃‍♀️
Most sane folks try and avoid sheep, if at all possible.
 

HolzKopf

Member
Location
Kent&Snuffit
Rainfall during the 'winter' now comes in biblical quantities. Lockdown cross-field footpaths are five to eight metres wide of slop with bootmarks appearing metres wider than this on both sides. Crops that got away are badly trashed. The seasonal definition has disappeared with low cloud and rain dominating the scene from November until March. Fieldwork gets abandoned early with many fields operated by savvy folk going unplanted. Weekly 'named' storms lash the counties country-wide; flooding is commonplace. By-roads have mud and stones across them. 'Climate-change'it is, there is no doubt. Afternoons like yesterday afternoon, clear and bright, the lull after Bella, are valued. But it's too wet to do anything useful.

I can't see how Gov.UK or the EA can punish those that generally run tidy ships. Ditches are dug, drains cleared and large diameter pipes carry water away to become someone else's problem downstream.

No one likes working in this sh*t. And then it cracks to f**k in the baking heat of June to September

HK
 
Depends what will grow with the pre Em herbs they use Will ask the question
Could spin on some cereals and then kill with graminicide once crop is established. The biggest problem is when irrigating just after crop emergence, we could go to trickle tape but the cost is huge if it rains all summer, it would be much easier to live where it never rains! Could use a tied ridger as well but makes it rough for the harvester but could improve water infiltration as well.
 
Could spin on some cereals and then kill with graminicide once crop is established. The biggest problem is when irrigating just after crop emergence, we could go to trickle tape but the cost is huge if it rains all summer, it would be much easier to live where it never rains! Could use a tied ridger as well but makes it rough for the harvester but could improve water infiltration as well.
But when spuds get full canopy nothing will grow any way ?
 
There is an amount of clay washed out in the drainage water here when we get heavy rain
this is even on land that has been planted with trees 2002 longterm grass also since 2002
the water on notill arable drains is cloudy

the worst erosion is when we get so much rain that it has to flood off the top
any rain event from now till April of over 12 mm will lead to runoff unless we get a 2 week dry spell
if we get 30 mm in one go there will be some flooded towns further down the river
 

two-cylinder

Member
Location
Cambridge
The tragedy isn't the land that's being lost- but that we've stopped reclaiming.
All along the south end of the wash, reclaiming took place at regular intervals until the early 70s, gaining the country thousands of acres of highly productive land.
You cannot stop nature, you have to work with it, if Mother Nature wants to take from x then at least oblige and take advantage when she gives at Y.
 

glasshouse

Member
Location
lothians
There is an amount of clay washed out in the drainage water here when we get heavy rain
this is even on land that has been planted with trees 2002 longterm grass also since 2002
the water on notill arable drains is cloudy

the worst erosion is when we get so much rain that it has to flood off the top
any rain event from now till April of over 12 mm will lead to runoff unless we get a 2 week dry spell
if we get 30 mm in one go there will be some flooded towns further down the river
Even runoff from clay grass fields is brown
 

teslacoils

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Lincolnshire
The tragedy isn't the land that's being lost- but that we've stopped reclaiming.
All along the south end of the wash, reclaiming took place at regular intervals until the early 70s, gaining the country thousands of acres of highly productive land.
You cannot stop nature, you have to work with it, if Mother Nature wants to take from x then at least oblige and take advantage when she gives at Y.

Dutch would have dammed and reclaimed the wash. Less flood defence to maintain. Nice canal to Boston. Bish bash bosh.

EA would say no. Chinese would crack on. UK becomes history textbook footnote and tourist tearoom and antique shop destination.
 

SFI - What % were you taking out of production?

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  • 100% I’ve had enough of farming!

    Votes: 7 3.7%

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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