A webinar exploring practical farmer led research into catchment sensitive farming techniques and how this is benefiting farm businesses as well as soil health and local rivers.
What are the benefits of introducing cover crops and no-till soil management techniques onto your farm? With the support of companies like Affinity Water and Thames Water, farmers and researchers across the country are working together to investigate how these practices can build soil health, reduce their inputs and improve the water quality of their local rivers. Join this virtual Groundswell discussion to hear farmers share their experience and practical knowledge of catchment sensitive farming and get the latest data on how these practices are benefiting their land and rivers.
Panellists:
• Matthew Izod; Farmer who is 2 years into transitioning part of his family farm to no till
• Andrew Bott; No-till Farmer
• James Alexander; No till specialist and contractor
• Shaun Dowman; Affinity Water
• Andrew Russell; Natural England
• Paul Cherry; Weston Park Farms/Groundswell (chair)
More Information:
Groundswell Agriculture
Entering its fifth year, The Groundswell event provides a forum for farmers and anyone interested in food production or the environment to learn about the theory and practical applications of Regenerative Agriculture, including no-till, cover crops and re-introducing livestock into the arable rotation, with a view to improving soil health. The next Groundswell is on 23rd and 24th June 2021 at Lannock Manor Farm in Hertfordshire. For more information visit www.groundswellag.com
Innovative Farmers
Innovative Farmers is a not for profit network giving farmers research support and funding on their own terms. Through trialling, testing and hands-on research, we’re helping farmers find lasting solutions to practical problems. The network is part of the Duchy Future Farming Programme, funded by the Prince of Wales’s Charitable Foundation. Innovative Farmers is backed by a team from LEAF (Linking Environment and Farming), Innovation for Agriculture, the Organic Research Centre and led by the Soil Association, supported by Waitrose.
The Affinity Water catchment management programme
Affinity Water supply water in a area designated as being under ‘serious water stress’. Improved soil health offers the opportunity to add resilience in an uncertain future of climate change by improving water quality and water resources. They are working with farmers to improve soil health through growing cover crops across North Hertfordshire, an area at risk of rising nitrate concentrations in water. Through using the platform EnTrade they have incentivised over 800ha of cover crops in the area to be grown this year.
Affinity Water work closely with Catchment Sensitive Farming and co-fund the Loddon Farm Advice Project alongside Natural England and South-East Water. They share knowledge and resources to work towards the shared aims of improving soil health and water quality in catchments. This year they are launching a soil health innovation fund in the Loddon that encourages innovation by farmers to improve soil health.
The Thames Water Evenlode field lab
Matthew and Andrew are members of a group of farmers and researchers who have joined forces in the Evenlode catchment to investigate the benefits of no till and cover crops and the potential improvements to both water quality and soil health. In this 5-year project, farmers have been comparing no till and traditional cultivation practices on their farms to capture data on soil health and nutrient runoff like phosphorus into the watercourses. They are also interested in whether the approach can increase farm profitability and efficiency.
This project is being run within the Innovative Farmers programme. The field lab brings together Thames Water with a partnership of farmers, Atkins Global (a UK multinational engineering company) and Catchment Sensitive Farming (CSF) stakeholders such as Natural England. It is part of a wider catchment sensitive farming plan across the Thames Catchment to reduce soil erosion problems and investigate solutions to protect our rivers. More information at www.innovativefarmers.org
