Soil Fertility

Soil monitoring – middens and earthworms

Soil monitoring – middens and earthworms

Farmers are being asked to check for middens – tennis ball-sized plugs constructed by earthworms – when monitoring their soils....

July 27, 2022
DAERA sets out plans for £37 million 5-year soil health scheme

DAERA sets out plans for £37 million 5-year soil health scheme

Northern Ireland’s Department of Agriculture is working on plans to launch a £37 million five-year soil sampling scheme to improve...

June 24, 2021
NI’s new river basin management strategy to crack down on pesticide run-off

NI’s new river basin management strategy to crack down on pesticide run-off

Key target measures have been drafted as part of NI’s new river basin management strategy to crack down on water...

April 27, 2021
Maximising the quality of first-cut silage

Maximising the quality of first-cut silage

Silage can never be as high a quality of forage as the grass from which it was initially made. and...

April 1, 2021
Now is the ideal time for soil-sampling, says NI agriculture department

Now is the ideal time for soil-sampling, says NI agriculture department

Northern Ireland’s Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) is urging farmers to start sampling their soil now. Only...

October 30, 2018
Poor soil structure could cost up to £220/ha…but can you avoid common pitfalls?

Poor soil structure could cost up to £220/ha…but can you avoid common pitfalls?

Healthy soils are said to be the engine driving production on any farm; but just how much could poor soil...

August 22, 2018
Conacre ‘not to blame’ for all of NI’s land fertility issues

Conacre ‘not to blame’ for all of NI’s land fertility issues

Farmers who own ground need to take more responsibility for maintaining land fertility, a senior agri-business manager has warned. Speaking...

April 17, 2018
AFBI launches free soil sampling and analysis service

AFBI launches free soil sampling and analysis service

The Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI) has launched a free soil sampling and analysis scheme, which is available to livestock...

June 10, 2017
‘Some of the most productive soil in the UK could be unprofitable soon’

‘Some of the most productive soil in the UK could be unprofitable soon’

Some of the most productive agricultural land in the UK is at risk of becoming unprofitable within a generation, according...

June 5, 2016
65% of dairy farms have a lime requirement

65% of dairy farms have a lime requirement

Lime is required on up to 65% of dairy farms, the statistic is a major concern as land is the...

October 18, 2015