Cover crops are usually planted within arable rotations between cash crops. They provide a multitude of benefits including building soil fertility, improving soil health and enhancing above and below ground biodiversity.
As a non-cash crop, it is important to evaluate your soils to identify any issues and decide what you want to accomplish on a field-by-field basis before you sow any cover crops. Species selection should be based on what solution you want the cover crop to provide.
Above: Cover crops (left to right) oil radish, winter vetch, phacelia and rye
There are many reasons to grow cover crops
Cover crops can offer solutions for soil compaction, fertility building, pest management, livestock feed, cover over winter and more generally, improved soil health.
Addressing compaction issues with deeper rooting species will aid in breaking up the soil and improve porosity, leading to better water infiltration alongside nutrient and gaseous exchange. Incorporating leguminous plants, such as clover, will fix nitrogen, reducing dependency on artificial fertiliser for subsequent crops. Incorporating forage crops into covers which can then be strip or paddock grazed with out-wintered livestock may reduce costs from bought in feed. If arable only, it presents an opportunity to integrate livestock from a neighbouring farm.
Maintaining ground cover and persistence of living roots in the soil can also reduce competition from pests. Certain species of cover crops can even be selected to control the lifecycle of predators. For example, in a Farmer’s Weekly case study, a farmer described his strategy for controlling the population of free-living nematodes that were destroying his vegetables and sugar beet. In this case, a specific oil radish was used that stimulated the hatching of nematode eggs whilst simultaneously providing hostile conditions for their growth, causing slowing and ultimate cessation of nematode reproduction.
Improving soil health
Cover crops are also a useful tool to build stable aggregates to improve soil structure and increase soil organic matter and soil carbon to feed the soil biology. They act as a ‘savings account’, scavenging and assimilating residual nutrients from previous cropping which will then be released upon desiccation for the next crop.
Diversity in cropping is often mooted as a key method to improve soil health and productivity and incorporating cover crops is a fantastic way to introduce much needed diversity into the arable rotation. The idea is that a diverse mix of crops will bring along a diverse mix of rooting types, structures and lengths. Each root will support an array of bacteria and fungi with different apparatus to cycle the nutrients whilst extending and expanding the root network. Above-ground you are also providing a mosaic of solar panels of all different shapes and sizes, keeping the soil covered and maximising the surface area for photosynthesis, utilising the sun’s energy and pumping carbon back into the soil.
Practical tips for establishing and destroying cover crops
For optimum results you need the cover crops to progress quickly therefore warmer soils are usually required – late summer is best for legumes and phacelia, however, brassica and grass species can be sown as late as October. It is good practice to sow multiple species in any one field to optimise competition and gain maximum benefit. This can be especially good for controlling persistent weeds.
Destruction options vary depending on weather, crop type and available machinery. Some cover crops may die off with winter frosts or in hot weather a crimp roller can usually do the job. Ensure a clear plan is drawn out before sowing cover crops and allow a 4-6 week window between destruction and sowing the next crop.
Using cover crops to increase profit margins
It’s important to think of your bottom-line productivity when assessing whether to go for cover crops. It is an added expense, but the potential savings from reduced inputs could outweigh the additional cost. The benefits of having living roots in the soil all year round, alongside cover to buffer against adverse weather conditions will also improve soil quality, protecting our soils for future harvests and most importantly building business resilience.
This blog was written by one of our Farm Carbon and Soils Advisors, Tilly Kimble-Wilde. Find out more about her and the rest of the team here.
The FarmED Programme for 2023 includes a wide range of courses, workshops and events that inspire, educate and connect people to build sustainable farming and food systems that nourish people and regenerate the planet. All take place in their beautiful eco buildings at the heart of their demonstration farm in the Evenlode Valley. Delicious and nutritious refreshments are freshly prepared in the FarmED kitchen.
*Further events will be added to the programme throughout the year.
Herbal Ley Establishment & Management – June 13th
Join for a one day course on Herbal Leys Establishment and Management brought to you by the FarmED team and Cotswolds Seeds. A herbal ley is a complex seed mixture of grasses, legumes and herbs, which bring a range of benefits to forage, livestock health and soil fertility. Herbal leys can often include a mixture of up to 17 species, and can be incorporated into arable, livestock or horticultural operations with multiple benefits including building soil fertility and improving water resilience, to fostering better animal health and boosting biodiversity. Herbal leys are a traditional low-input method of farming that provides benefits to arable, livestock and horticultural operations alike.
Pollinators & Predators – July 3rd
How can we encourage pollinators and natural predators in order to reduce pests and increase production? Understand the role of these insects and learn ways to manage and maintain habitats for these unsung heroes.
Animals Into Arable Rotations – July 4th
Are you thinking of introducing livestock back into your arable rotation? Join FarmED as they explore the options and find practical solutions.
Sainfoin & Lucerne Field Day – July 5th
Join the Cotswold Seeds team to learn about Sainfoin and Lucerne and how they can benefit your farm
Wildflower Meadows & Margins – July 18th
As well as looking appealing, wildflowers also have huge biodiversity and environmental benefits. Find out how to select and establish the seed mixtures that best suit your land.
Sort Out Your Soil – August 2nd
We are joined by Anton Rosenfield from Garden Organic, and the Cotswold Seeds team to show how green manures and cover crops can boost the fertility of your soil.
Self-Sufficient Leys Field Day – August 15th
Learn how to use forage legumes to reduce reliance on nitrogen fertiliser.
Equine Grassland Management – September 12th
Enhance you pasture management and increase species diversity to improve horse health and extend the grazing season.
I was lucky enough to attend two events in May which got me thinking – the first being an afternoon seminar hosted by the Dutch Embassy in London and LEAF (Scaling up Regenerative Outcomes-tackling the challenges to mobilise change on May 3rd) and the second hosted by CiWF (Extinction or Regeneration on 11th-12th May). At both events there were distinct areas of commonality, mainly around how we produce food in the future, with livestock farmers involved with both events and key questions around how we need to produce food to respond positively to the climate and nature crises we are in.
A key driver for change amongst farming businesses requires a greater level of understanding of the impacts of regenerative or agroecological farming practices; a greater understanding of their financial impact and better mechanisms for monitoring the impact of changing farming practices on farmland biodiversity. At the moment without such evidence the case for change is not obvious to all and hinders action.
The future role of grazing livestock is another key area of debate, but increasingly there is acknowledgement that if we are to reduce our reliance on artificial fertilisers which lead to emissions of nitrous oxide then we need animal manures. Alongside that we know that grazing livestock provide for other wildlife to flourish on farms as well as consuming food that cannot be processed by humans (namely grass) and large parts of the UK are incapable of producing harvestable crops. Taking this together with the high quality of food produced by ruminants for humans (high quality protein and micronutrients) the case for grazing livestock is strong. Less strong is the case for intensive livestock production where those animals consume food which could be eaten by humans and where their production has negative impacts on farmland biodiversity and degrades soil. For the sake of human health we should reduce our overall consumption of meat products and where possible move to “better” products from extensive systems.
At both events it was clear that doing nothing is not an option.
Linked to the need to change how we produce food for the sake of all of us is the need to consider what future farming supply chains need to look like to support this revolution. It is not clear that we can make the changes we need to in production systems without changes to how supply chains work. At the moment it is those businesses buying from farmers who are leading on how they want farming practice to change, yes, to support a positive response to the climate and nature challenges we face, but, also to ensure that they can reach the self imposed targets they set themselves through such initiatives as the “Science Based Targets”.
Linked to this is the question – can we separate the food that farmers produce from the potential new income streams which farmers may be able to tap into such as the voluntary markets for carbon, biodiversity net gain and nutrient neutrality? In response to this a new farming cooperative has been formed called the Environmental Farmers Group. It brings farmers together to harness scale and member cooperation to secure the best environmental results and financial returns for a wide range of natural capital goods and services. This is the first such group in the UK and operates nationwide.
Alongside ensuring that farmers are properly rewarded for the changes in practice they make to increase biodiversity and store carbon, the key requirement for agriculture which is often being lost at the moment is how best for individual farm businesses to forge their own path to net zero. The first requirement is to know your baseline and one of the best ways to establish this is to use the Farm Carbon Calculator provided free to farmers by the Farm Carbon Toolkit. Once you have established your baseline you can start to look at all the opportunities to both reduce emissions and store more carbon on your farm. Farm Carbon Toolkit offers a comprehensive toolkit providing information on all the main ways to reduce emissions and showcases how farmers are already making changes and the benefits they are finding.
Written by Hannah Jones, a Farm Carbon and Soils Advisor here at FCT.
The farm environment is a complex for a plant.
Success of a sowing is controlled by an interaction between management, soil type, weather, pest and disease pressures as well as a legacy of weed burden. There is a plant for almost every environment on farm that can be used for successful production whether grazing, combining or for providing environmental benefits.
On grasslands with optimal pH, mineral indices and in a mythical situation of cheap inputs, ryegrass is ideal. If the farm environment becomes more challenging more plant species are needed to optimise that sward productivity.
White clover is a stalwart for improving crude protein content of a ration and increasing soil nitrogen supply but in dry free draining soils lucerne, and sainfoin may have much to offer. In a cutting ley, red clover and alsike clover have their merits, and if the ley is to be down for longer than 2-3 years birdsfoot trefoil is of value, particularly if sheep are involved.
Herbs added to the mix can support good mineral balance, improve weed suppressiveness, complementary anthelmintics to pharmaceutical wormers, and improve soil health. Chicory and plantain are common, but yarrow is good to include too for its drought tolerance and support of herd health. In open swards consider self heal, and in freer soils salad burnet.
Finally for those grasses, a diverse range of flowering times in the rye grass has value for grazing but not cutting. Tetraploid ryegrasses are impressive for silaging but longevity is surpassed by timothy grass. Cocksfoot has value in drier, more challenging environments, but careful management is essential to avoid clumpiness. Some of the fine fescues can support a denser canopy closer to the soil, particularly relevant for sheep grazing.
Plant diversity supports more resilient system, forage supply is better maintained under extreme conditions and the plant community in your fields will return from a climatic shock more rapidly.
Many farmers we have spoken to like herbal leys, why? Because they provide a more stable supply of forage, and the stock can get on the land earlier in the year and can graze for longer near the close of the year. This provides considerable savings in housing, and also reduces the need to buffer feed in periods of drought.
There is limited evidence across herbal leys, whether 3 species or 30 species that forage or silage quality is better or worse than rye grass and white clover. However, there is much anecdotal evidence that herd health is superior. Sheep seem to particular benefit from a diet of herbal leys.
These production efficiencies will improve your carbon footprint, but it is the effect of the diverse rooting systems of herbal leys that get us most excited. Herbal leys increase soil organic matter in excess of what is achievable with a ryegrass and white clover ley particular at sampling depths of 10-30cm. This additional carbon sequestration will again benefit your carbon footprint.
Finally, maintaining species diversity in herbal leys requires a paddock-style grazing system but I think that is for another day…
A Farm Net Zero (FNZ) event held in March 2023, Trenance.
Methane emissions from livestock make up a large part of a farm’s carbon footprint, capturing and processing these emissions can help to reduce the carbon footprint. Farm Net Zero Monitor Farmers, Katie and Kevin Hoare, milk 120 cows on a 130-acre Cornwall Council holding which required investment to improve slurry storage. They have worked with Cornish company Bennamann as part of a pilot with Cornwall Council to install a covered slurry lagoon that captures and processes methane gas for use as a fuel. A group of farmers met to learn more about the system, with talks from Dr. Chris Mann, co-founder of Bennamann, and George Mills, Area Sales Manager at New Holland who supply methane-powered tractors. This event was made possible with thanks to the National Lottery Community Fund who fund the Farm Net Zero project.
Chris Mann explained how the Bennamann system works, and how it can allow slurry pits to become mini power stations. Slurry is scraped into a reception pit where it is macerated to enhance breakdown and then into a well-insulated lagoon where microbial activity produces methane and other gases, as it does in an uncovered pit. The gases are collected by the cover, processed in a shipping container-sized plant unit with the cleaned methane pumped into another reception chamber sitting above the slurry pit. This processed methane can then be bottled and used as fuel in New Holland’s methane-powered tractor, or in a Bennamann methane-powered generator to provide electricity either for on-farm use or sold to the grid.
George Mills showed the group around New Holland’s methane-powered tractor. Currently, this is able to do four hours of work on a single tank, with a range-extending fuel tank/front weight increasing this to twelve hours. Although slightly more expensive than a diesel tractor, the ability to run on home-produced gas can mean it is cheaper to run in the long-term by avoiding fluctuating fuel prices. Plus, the reduction in diesel use can have major benefits to reducing the farm’s carbon footprint.
Kevin and Katie say the covered and processed slurry is a better product to use as it is almost like digestate, allowing them to apply it with a trailing shoe between grazings and reduce the amount of artificial fertiliser they require. They are now able to meet all the grassland’s P and K needs from slurry, which has clear financial benefits and also helps their carbon footprint by reducing demand for carbon-intensive artificial fertiliser. A grass yield trial is in development to quantify the benefits of the new slurry.
The ultimate aim for Trenance is to go off-grid, with the methane capture system providing all the fuel for machinery and electricity. Katie and Kevin are keen advocates for agriculture’s role in providing climate change solutions and feel it is important for farmers to tell their story to the public to demonstrate their commitment to the environment. Using the Farm Carbon Calculator for Trenance through the Farm Net Zero project shows that the new slurry store is capturing around 600 tonnes of CO₂e from methane, putting the overall carbon footprint at 0.13 kg of CO₂e per kg Fat- and Protein-Corrected Milk (FPCM).
Key takeaways:
Methane capture from slurry reduces the farm’s carbon footprint by preventing methane entering the atmosphere
Using processed methane as fuel also reduces emissions from red diesel and electricity use
The methane capture system has financial benefits through reductions in fuel/electricity purchases, the option to sell gas and the ability to use slurry more effectively and replace bought-in fertiliser.
Farm Net Zero resources, events, newsletter
To find out more about other previous events, trials and resources produced from the Farm Net Zero project head here.
To keep an eye out for future Farm Net Zero events head to our events webpage here.
To keep up to date with the project subscribe to the Farm Net Zero newsletter here.
A Farm Net Zero (FNZ) event held in February at Roger and Lavinia Halliday’s FNZ monitor farm.
Hedgerows are an important part of the UK’s agricultural landscape; they support wildlife, shelter livestock and crops and capture carbon. To learn more about hedges and their multiple benefits, a group of farmers and advisors met at Browda, Linkinhorne to hear how Roger and Lavinia Halliday manage nearly 18 kilometres of hedge on their 250-acre organic suckler beef farm. This event was made possible with thanks to the National Lottery Community Fund who fund the Farm Net Zero project.
Hedges at Browda are part of a Countryside Stewardship agreement with a BE3 “Management of Hedgerows” annual payment and are laid on a 12-20 year rotation under the BN5 hedgerow-laying capital option. This work is completed by a hedge-laying contractor, with the stewardship payment covering their costs (but not the additional cost of clearing up, done by Roger, and any fence repairs). Hedges are laid in the vernacular Cornish hedge style to create a thick, dense hedge. Any log wood cut out of the hedge is then processed by Roger for fuel for the farmhouse biomass log boiler and the remaining brash either burnt or tipped in a corner to rot down. This prompted a discussion on the opportunities to make use of the brash with suggestions including chipping it for cattle bedding or garden mulch. Dr. Rob Wolton, ecologist and chairman of the Devon Hedge Group, said that the brash creates an important habitat as it decomposes so it is useful to leave some. It is good to leave saplings to grow into hedgerow trees for wildlife and livestock shelter. There are approximately 800 of these at Browda. They need not be perfect specimens and dead trees are also valuable habitat.
Dr. Wolton also spoke about the importance of managing hedges on a rotation to create a range of habitats to boost biodiversity. Laying is the best way of achieving this, but flailing is also effective if done sensitively, allowing the hedge to grow out a little more between successive flails and avoiding flailing at the same level each year. This was an important reminder that the flail is just a tool, it can be used poorly but can also be used well. Tree shears can be used to quickly and efficiently coppice hedges and restart the management cycle, with the added advantage that trees can be lifted clear to avoid damage to fences. Likewise, hedges can be layed mechanically, saving a great deal of manual work and time.
Clockwise from top left: laid hedge and brash cut for processing, side flailed hedge, 5-year old regrowth on laid hedge.
Laying, incremental flailing and cutting on a rotation are all supported through both Countryside Stewardship and the new Sustainable Farming Incentive Hedgerow Standards, along with coppicing, filling in gaps and planting new hedgerows.
Roger and Lavinia have previously made use of grants for planting new hedges, shelterbelts and farm woodlands, aiding the grazing management and creating wildlife corridors and refuges. Emma Eberhardt from Cornwall Council’s Forest for Cornwall programme gave an overview of what they can support. Forest for Cornwall aims to increase tree cover in Cornwall and can provide advice to landowners looking to plant trees either as woodland or hedges, including fully funded planting support (free trees and guards). Emma is involved in developing a network of agroforestry demonstration sites across Cornwall to show how trees and agriculture can work together.
Becky Willson from Farm Carbon Toolkit talked about the carbon benefits of hedgerows. At Browda, hedges are capturing nearly 86 tonnes of CO₂e every year and the hedgerow trees are capturing an additional 40 tCO₂e, this is 43% of the farm’s total sequestration and offsets 24% of the farm’s emissions. Becky spoke about the new Hedgerow Carbon Code being developed as a route for private finance to pay for carbon stored in hedgerows. This is currently working on an estimate that carbon is stored in hedges for around 10 years, so could fit well with a management rotation. However, it is still in development and not expected to be launched until later this year.
Key takeaways:
Hedges lock-up carbon as they grow, bushier hedges have more carbon than small hedges.
It is important to maintain a diversity of hedge types to increase the range of available habitats.
There are several grant options for hedge planting and management that are worth investigating.
Written by Hannah Jones, Research Manager at FCT, as part of the demo farm trials happening in our Farm Net Zero (FNZ) project.
Overview
Recommended cereal varieties are bred to look identical; the genes between individual plants have only minor levels of variation. The regulations around breeding and the sale of seed ensure consistency as well as ensuring different varieties are unique and suitable for the use (or group) stated.
Wheat, barley, and oats mainly self-pollinate which results in offspring being highly similar to the parent plant. Rye is a bit different; it is cross pollinated. Thus, a field of rye is in fact a population of rye where very plant is considerably different from its neighbour in terms of genes and sometimes in appearance.
Landraces
Seed that has been saved by communities of farmers within one particular region are called landraces. These landraces were locally adapted to specific conditions including soil type, local pests and diseases as well as management such as type of seed bed preparation. In landraces, since each plant is genetically different, the plants best suited to a given climate produced more seed. If the seed is saved and resown, the best adapted plants take up a greater proportion of the subsequent generation.
Evolutionary breeding
Over many generations, successive seed saving and resowing results in adaptation of a crop population, and thus this is called evolutionary breeding or population wheat (or barley). Evolutionary breeding can take place by default with landraces, or a population can be created.
Composite cross populations
The creation of a crop population involves cross pollinating a range of varieties that have interesting characteristics. This cross pollination needs to be done by a plant breeder. One such composite cross population was created from 20 varieties which had either good yielding or quality characteristics: the “YQ population” and was carried out by a team at The Organic Research Centre and John Innes Centre in early 2000 led by Martin Wolfe. The rules for selling grain have been designed according to the standard rules of uniformity of crop. Recent changes in regulations have now allowed the sale of population wheat if there is certified traceability.
Built-in resilience
The physical and genetic diversity within a population can increase the crop resilience to extremes in stress. Crop populations generally perform above the average of the original varieties. For example, if a particular race of a plant disease dominates in one year there will be some plants that have resistance; there will be some yield despite high disease pressure. Alternatively, deeper rooting will ensure under drought conditions there will be some plants that yield grain, whereas the shallow-rooters may be sterile.
Tim Williams (pictured below) at Erth Barton (one of our FNZ demo farmers) is trialling population wheat with his pasture cropping. The wheat has the potential to adapt to local conditions as well as being sown into an existing sward. To follow updates on our Farm Net Zero trials and hear more news, sign up to the FNZ newsletter here.
Defra published its Agri-climate report last week. The report sets out the trends in agricultural Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions over the past 30 years, the changing intensity of emissions and the results of the 2022 Farm Practice Survey questions relating to farmers intentions and actions on reducing GHG emissions.
The headline figure is that UK agriculture was responsible for 11% of total UK emissions in 2020. The time series is revised each year to take account of methodological improvements in the UK emissions inventory. It’s also worth noting that these are production-based emissions, rather than consumption-based which adjusts for trade.
During this 30-year period emissions of all greenhouse gases from agriculture have declined:
Total GHGs decreased by 16%
Nitrous oxide decreased by 20%
Methane decreased by 15%
Carbon dioxide decreased by 15%
However, it is important to note that most of this reduction occurred in the 2000’s, arising from a drop in ruminant numbers and less use of synthetic fertilisers. Since then reductions have all but stalled.
Some farmers are frustrated that the efforts they are making to reduce on farm emissions through practice change are yet to be recognised within the UK emissions inventory. This is due to the ability to accurately reflect the reductions through the current mechanisms for measurement, which are primarily measuring output versus inputs and livestock numbers and areas cultivated. This is changing as the quality of evidence on the impact of practice change becomes available.
In the meantime those same farmers are increasingly asking their suppliers for accurate emissions data on the products they buy, which is driving those suppliers to look far harder at the products they supply, which will in time lead to greater accuracy of measurement which is very welcome.
In the same report farmers were also asked their beliefs and motivations around reducing their GHG emissions. Interestingly, only 44% of farmers thought that reducing emissions would improve farm profitability in 2022, a decrease from 47% in 2021.
Of the 58% of respondents already taking action to reduce GHG emissions, the survey asked about their main motivations for doing so. This showed:
84% considered it good business practice
74% by a concern for the environment
48% to improve profitability
33% to meet regulations
23% to meet market demands
It’s FCT’s experience that improving GHG emissions and sequestration on farms is good for business and good for the environment. We also experience that markets are increasingly incentivising action, such as increasing the accuracy of input use, improving input use efficiency and making much better use of legumes and clovers across the farm.
Farmers were also asked about the barriers to reducing on farm emissions. Here, there was a clear view that lack of information and incentive are significant barriers, even amongst those who have taken action, alongside being unsure exactly what they can do to reduce farm GHG emissions.
At Farm Carbon Toolkit we can help farmers to better understand the actions they can take to reduce GHG emissions as well as providing free access to completing a farm carbon report for their farm business. We have developed a toolkit to assist farmers to identify the best GHG reduction strategies for their farms. For more information on our carbon calculator and to start your own farms report please see here.
In the first week of August a range of farmers and industry professionals met at Moor Farm in south west Wales to hear the 2022 Runner-up to the Soil Farmer of the Year competition, Andrew Rees, explain how he has developed a dairy system with soil health at the centre.
Moor farm is a 160 hectare grassland farm near Haverfordwest, which over the previous five years has been undergoing a holistic regeneration away from winter brassicas and a high input system to a fully rotational grazing system integrating diverse species-rich swards. Andrew has seen significant benefits to his business from this change of approach, including a reduction in fertiliser cost and usage alongside better herd health demonstrated by the vast reduction in veterinary fees.
Experimenting with different mixtures and management has led Andrew to create a system intended to provide year-round forage for his dairy herd. Moving away from pure perennial ryegrass leys has had its challenges, but Andrew explains
“Working to a 21 day grazing rotation is stressful, you can quickly run out of grass during adverse conditions, the aim of using herbal and diverse leys was to increase the resilience of the grazing platform. Now we have much more ahead of us and much more flexibility within the system where we aim for a 60 day rest period, but this can be up to 120 days in some cases”.
He adds,
“We started by sowing simple herbal ley mixtures, but as they were still managed like ryegrass we lost a lot of the diversity and therefore also potential yield. Now we have much longer rest periods between cutting or grazing to allow for regrowth and the leys are far more resilient.”
Fields are divided into 0.1 hectare blocks and animals are moved according to need. Andrew now has a keen eye for how much forage his grazing groups require despite the wide diversity of covers across the farm. When asked about his system Andrew states,
“We use a leader-follower approach whereby the R2 cattle (10-22 months old) follow the R1 heifers (3-10 months old), with 24 hours between the groups in each grazing cell. Having the smaller cattle grazing first means they have preferential grazing and we are not limiting their intake in any way, not forcing young animals to graze down also helps lower worm burdens. Older animals can then be pushed a bit harder and are able to deal with the more mature forage”
He further adds,
“Anything which isn’t grazed is hopefully trampled; that is when we know we have the stocking density and number of moves per day right – if the ley is starting to become a bit stemmy we move them more often, up to three times per day.”
This trampling action which Andrew integrates into his system has wider benefits for the soil in that it is better protected from environmental conditions and also now of higher quality with the constant organic additions from the leys above. Andrew fully promotes this system outlining to the group,
“Changing grassland management has given conditions for native seeds to germinate. We don’t want bare soils that cap and produce the conditions for weeds to appear. By keeping the surface covered with either growing plant matter or the trampled residue, we reduce our weed burden.”
Since the transition to more species-rich leys Andrew has found,
“The different rooting systems we have in the fields open the soil up and improve the structure, therefore we are removing the conditions in which weeds can become dominant.”
The R1 heifers from this spring moving onto a new block of grazing. Andrew uses a portable watering system to make sure troughs are easily accessible regardless of where the cattle are grazing.
The system Andrew has created focusses on a long rotational grazing platform for both the milking herd and young stock combined with deferred grazing to provide areas for out-wintering cattle. He explains,
“We used to have kale in the rotation to provide over-winter feed but were finding that there was far too much damage and soil wash. We now use a deferred grazing system to out-winter our R1 heifers which are between 8 to 10 months old. We position bales when the land is dry and travels well, ready to provide additional feed throughout the winter period.”
The condition of the soil and the health of the livestock are the key priorities when outwintering stock, to manage this Andrew explains,
“Heifers that are outwintered are scheduled to move every two days, but this can increase to three times daily to avoid soil damage if conditions become wet. This system works for us as our heifers are light and we still have the capacity to bring them in-house if the weather or soil requires it.”
Following these outwintering processes, fields are re-seeded, with Andrew tailoring off-the-shelf mixtures to suit his system,
“We have started reseeding with a half-rate Cotswold herbal ley mix, with half-rate Barenburg Barrmix (this was more because it’s what I had in the shed to give right balance of clovers and herbs) with additional annuals to provide a boost to performance in the first year whilst the other species establish”.
When establishing his leys, Andrew aims to use as simple and minimal cultivation system as possible, removing old or tired leys with low rate glyphosate buffered with humic and citric acid to lower the pH. He then drills the seed in two directions to increase the eventual cover with an application of seaweed to give a starter boost of nutrition.
Attendees to the farm walk gather in a spring established diverse ley which was previously used as deferred grazing this past winter.
Andrew has, on average, reduced nitrogen usage by 140kg per hectare whilst still producing silage for the milking herd. He has recently started silaging the herbal leys which are highly diverse and contain species such as pea, barley, vetch, sunflowers, linseed, radish, chicory, plantain and a mixture of clovers. This will be analysed when the clamp is reopened and fed as part of the usual ration. In addition to regularly analysing silage, Andrew also frequently tissue tests his leys – results suggest the mineral content of his leys are double that found when they were in a perennial rye grass system. The species composition has a naturally far lower demand for nitrogen compared to perennial ryegrass and is much better at scavenging existing nutrients within the soil, further reducing the need for artificial inputs.
Andrew uses slurry in combination with a Tow and Fert system to help maintain fertility and production across the farm. Fields destined for silage are given slurry before and after the 1st cut with a 25kg sprinkle of N prior to cutting. The Tow and Fert is used to top up fine lime, phosphate and humates alongside some foliar potassium. Andrew samples a fifth of the farm every year, with the whole farm last sampled in 2018 – having this up to date data allows him to understand where his nutrients are most required and move away from broadacre applications. Fine lime is regularly used across the farm with Andrew detailing, “Applying fine lime helps increase the free exchangeable calcium in the system, we are aiming to have calcium at luxury levels which will take time but will help with the longevity and palatability of the tall covers.”
As a dairy farmer, herd health is a main priority for Andrew. Through implementing changes to grazing species composition and management, alongside reducing the nitrogen use across the farm, livestock performance has seen vast improvements. The dairy herd are also grazed on diverse summer cover crops, being turned out for a few hours after milking.
Andrew explains this strategy,
“Having the cows grazing across the diverse leys has improved butter fats and allowed us to stretch out the grazing season where historically we may have run out of grass. This means that the herd is currently balanced between herbal leys, traditional grass pasture and silage in the yard when they come in to be milked. The additional grass means we only need to supplement feed them around 4kg of cake per day, massively reducing costs.”
The cows are now found to be far more content, with lower nitrogen covers thought to lower the free nitrates in their system, reflected in the results of the milk testing. This contentment has also improved fertility and the health of the dairy herd. Empty rates have decreased from 10.5% in 2019 to 5.5% in 2021 with mastitis per 100 cows also reducing from 19.7 in 2019 to 3.5 in 2021.
The milking herd grazing following afternoon milking, the whole herd is mob grazing this 0.1 hectare paddock full of highly diverse species.
The increased fertility in the herd has also allowed Andrew to move his spring calving system later so they can calve to match the grass growth, reducing the housing requirement as calves are weaned on grass with outside grazing access from 4 weeks of age. Worm burden has also drastically reduced and consequently, so has the requirement for anthelmintic products. Faecal egg counts are conducted to see if any wormers are required, however Andrew has found that due to the long-grass grazing system with animals biting higher up the plant in combination with chicory rich pastures, very little, if any, are required.
When asked about how he would advise others beginning along the herbal or diverse ley journey Andrew has these words of wisdom,
“Start by drilling the leys in the spring as this gives a much better chance for establishment whilst you are experimenting with your system. If you are going in later when the conditions could be dryer or colder it might be tough on the clover to get up and away.”
At Moor Farm, the leys are highly diverse and full of many different species. Andrew’s thinking behind this is,
“When you establish herbal leys you can often see a drop in yield compared to a perennial ryegrass whilst they establish, therefore we also drill in summer annual species to help build the quantity of forage available to graze. If we are establishing a ley in the spring, we would expect to be able to graze it that autumn. However, this would be a lighter graze than in the second year and not as tight, just to make sure we don’t stress the plants too much”.
The remaining cover approximately 1 week following grazing ready to be re-drilled compared to one of Andrew’s diverse leys which has recovered following previous grazing.
The next challenges for Andrew focus further around nitrogen reduction, as he discussed with the group,
“The aim would be to be using zero chemical nitrogen whilst managing to maintain our current production. I want to be able to leave the land in a better condition than when we started whilst also being financially profitable.”
During the Soil Farmer of the Year competition, the judges found Andrew’s approach highly innovative, understanding how to maximise the health of the soil to produce high quality, mineral rich forage for his cattle using less inputs, but instead through his grazing and nutrient management system. The benefits Andrew has observed upon the health, welfare and productivity of his cattle through diversifying the leys has been highly successful – also giving him additional flexibility in other areas of the farming business now he is secure in the growth of forage on the farm, developed through increasing the resilience of his system.
Ourselves at FCT would like to thank Andrew, his family and his team at Moor Farm for such an excellent tour, providing insight in how the system works and inspiration of what is possible for dairy grazing systems. The Soil Farmer of the Year competition is run by FCT in association with Innovation for Agriculture and this year has again been kindly sponsored by Cotswold Seeds and Hutchinsons. If you would like to find out more about the Soil Farmer of the Year competition please keep an eye on our website for updates on the other farm walks in October 2022 and the opening of the 2023 competition.
This article was written by FCT Director Andrew Rigg for the RSA blog in December 2021. We are reposting it here with permission:
Farmers have a huge part to play in the fight against climate change. Andrew Rigg, FRSA, a farmer, and Director of the Farm Carbon-Cutting Toolkit CIC, explains how his community is taking carbon out of the atmosphere and putting it back in the soil. But, he cautions calculating the net gains and losses is far from simple.
In 2020 the RSA awarded The Farm Carbon-Cutting Toolkit Community Interest Company a Catalyst Scaling-up Grant to look at carbon sequestration on farms. We have a long name, but it does tell you what we do, and it underlines our approach to our farming community: we’re run by farmers for farmers. The award came at a time when interest in farms and carbon, and in particular soil carbon, was rising rapidly. To us, this was no surprise as the biological world, and so of course farming, offers one of the very few effective mechanisms for drawing down carbon from the atmosphere. Put simply, the total size of the soil carbon reservoir exceeds the total mass of carbon in vegetation and atmosphere combined. There is room for more to be stored, and with about 45 per cent of global soils under some form of agricultural use, farming has a vital climate mitigation role to play.
The grant enabled us to scale up our existing soil carbon sampling, develop improved measurement protocols, and examine how farmers might be remunerated for climate services. We talked to a lot of people over the year as interest grew in the subject. While some questions were answered, many more emerged and assumptions got challenged amidst a wide array of parties and conflicting interests in carbon measurement.
Satellite companies are seeking to measure soil carbon from space, some are flying drones over farms to assess carbon locked into hedgerows. Former derivative traders are trying to work out financial instruments to allow trading of reliable farm carbon offsets. Food companies are trying to understand how carbon flows from field to fork, and farming service companies are seeking to integrate carbon into their services for their farming clients. Meanwhile, farmers are looking to not only improve their soil, but to see if their lost EU payments can be replaced by payments for carbon.
As carbon increases in value, the question “Who owns the carbon” is of increasing importance.
There is a race to get to net zero. Measurement of carbon in natural systems is complex, so how will we know, not only when we are making progress, but how to prioritise the most effective strategies? Farm Carbon Toolkit has developed a farm carbon calculator for farmers to better understand how carbon flows through their farms. This is a “tool” rather than an “audit”. So, recent lower yields and a damp harvest (requiring extra energy to be used to dry grain in store) means the author’s wheat footprint in 2021 is much higher than in the dry and high-yielding harvest of 2020. Variability is everywhere.
Nevertheless, we need the measurement, recording, verification and the appropriate allocation of carbon. Codes exist for woodland creation and peat-land restoration. We are members of a team working on a Farm Soil Carbon Code, and recently started work on a code for hedges. These codes are vital to give confidence to any organisation that may be entering a financial contract with respect to carbon. DEFRA is looking at “blended financial instruments”: how might public payment for public goods be combined with private sector offsets to best achieve carbon drawdown, the removal of carbon from the atmosphere? This is particularly relevant where biodiversity and carbon interests overlap.
Even with a robust set of codes, many questions remain around carbon offsets. Measuring small amounts of carbon absorbed per field is costly both to verify and to aggregate into a financial “instrument”. Consideration needs to be given to the length of the agreement, and the fact that offset values may vary as the price of carbon changes. The permanence of the management changes must be secured; legal agreements need to be drawn up.
If the offset is delivering other co-benefits such as biodiversity gains, does this alter its value? If the sequestration has been achieved because of other funded activity it is perhaps not allowable? Importantly, would an offset interfere with other supply contracts that the farmer wants to sign; can their produce still be considered low carbon if they have also sold carbon offsets?
Crucially, will the offset provide real net gain? A switch to a farm management practice that delivers carbon sequestration in one place, may, if the result is less food being produced, have the effect of creating a bigger carbon footprint elsewhere. This is known as the “leakage issue”. As we achieve local carbon sequestration, can we be sure that collectively these national improvements are not actually making the global situation worse? We in the UK have off-shore some of our manufacturing footprint to China. Can we be sure that a UK offset is not actually increasing the problem? Imported food may have a bigger carbon footprint than home grown produce.
There is a great deal to consider, and complexity to manage, but putting in place financial incentives in order to accelerate carbon sequestration while continuing to produce food is an urgent and important task.
Land use change can be one of the biggest emitters of carbon in agriculture as previously locked-up carbon is released. The potential extent of land use changes implied by the extra food needed in Africa (the UN projects there will be twice as many people in Africa by 2055 than in 2025) makes it imperative that farmers globally not only understand their most carbon-efficient way of farming, but also integrate sequestration into their farm management. In addition to carbon, there are also social and ethical reasons why the global food trade needs to be better managed. But avoiding land use change is possibly the most critical issue in the food chain, for both biodiversity and climate reasons.
Climate futurist Alex Steffen writes that “We’re not yet ready for what has already happened.” We need to also prepare for what is about to happen. The balance between population, diet, climate and biodiversity is set to dominate the next decade. In the UK’s parochial race to net zero, we must not lose sight of global net gain.
Collectively we all need to get a whole lot smarter about how carbon flows through the food chain so we can develop effective strategies for change.
Our work in accounting for carbon within our farming communities continues; you can find out more on our website here.
As well as being Director of the Farm Carbon-Cutting Toolkit, Andrew Rigg farms a 400-acre family arable farm in Hampshire. He co-founded the Environment Centre in Southampton in 1992 and was its chair for 18 years.
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