The Soil Management Plan you now complete is evidence in itself that this is one natural resource that is attracting more attention. You can scarcely have missed the number of authorities and organisations warning about impending EU legislation that will tighten up on soil management. And then there’s the recent weather - chances are you’ve noticed the effect on your soils, whether it’s the smallest rill or gulley to a catastrophic water-logging event. All these factors are prompting growers to take a fresh look at soil management and assess whether changes are necessary.
But how do you know what action, if any, you should take, and will it be worth it? Whether your business will benefit has been given little thought. And no one has really addressed the practical measures that would help.
That’s where a new resource, that has been launched this week on www.appliedresearchforum.org.uk/soils, is looking as though it will be really valuable. The Soils Information Gateway has got useful background information on soil-related issues from capping to erosion and links to a wealth of resources to find out more. But what make this resource stand out are the case studies that have been drawn together on farmers who have pioneered solutions to problems they have experienced. And one thing they all have in common is that they have all noticed spin-off benefits for their businesses from the soil strategy improvements they have made.
Take Suffolk potato and onion grower Tim Pratt, for example. Many of the changes he has made to address wind erosion fit neatly with the farm’s environmental policy. Crop establishment is now more successful and rises in soil organic matter are benefiting productivity, giving the farm a far more sustainable future all round.
Then there’s West Sussex potato grower Nick Baird, who abandoned the plough and brought cultivations earlier to alleviate compaction problems. The way he has implemented changes ensures the business meets the stringent quality requirements of the pre-pack market he targets. And there are invaluable tips from other growers on how to get the best out of kit, such as the Aqueel, flat-lift subsoiler and Shakerator.
This new project, and gathering the case studies for it, has been led by the BPC on behalf of the Applied Research Forum, which represents all levy bodies. That means experiences have been drawn from across the farming sector. But this new resource fits in well with the wealth of work that the BPC has carried out on behalf of potato growers. We’ve been leading the way on interpreting new soil-related legislation, and discovering the production benefits for growers and this has been the focus of the BPC’s summer workshops. If you missed those, seminars and other activities planned for British Potato 2007 are the ideal chance to find out more from leading UK soil experts - the event takes place at Harrogate on November 28-29 (see www.potato.org.uk/bp2007)
If you need to be convinced that these opportunities are real and credible, log on to www.appliedresearchforum.org.uk/soils and read about the 15 or so farmers who have forged innovative soil solutions that benefit their business. It’s a move that could pay serious dividends.
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