Cymraeg These resources look at ways to alleviate slurry by creating compost from farm yard manure that can be spread on the land and be an additional source of income. We’ll also look at how compost contributes to climate change mitigation and provide a brief overview of solutions to slurry disposal costs.
Digestate and compost in agriculture (DC-Agri) project reports
These field experiment reports for quality digestate and compost in agriculture provide a robust evidence base to support the confident use of digestate and composts as renewable fertilisers by farmers and growers.
The Use of Compost and Digestate on Organic/Converting Land – OF&G technical leaflet
This resource assists farmers in designing a composting system that works for their context. The levels of plant nutrients in both compost and digestate are dependent on the inputs to the process and therefore can vary greatly from producer to producer. The input material is the main factor in determining whether or not compost or digestate can be used on registered land.
Manure for soil health – video (Agricology vlog)
Richard Smith, Farm Manager for Daylesford Farm discusses using manure compost in an organic system and the benefits, including how he prepares the manure, treatment of the manure for composting, when to apply the manure and benefits to soil health.
Testing the effect of organic material additions on soil health Soil Biology and Soil Health Partnership Research Case Study (GREATsoils)
Growing food and fibre crops requires soils to be maintained in a way that provides optimal soil structure, water retention and nutrient availability. An integrated approach that combines assessing the physical, chemical and biological properties of soil is needed for measuring soil health. The Soil Biology and Soil Health Partnership aims to improve understanding of soil biology and explore ways in which farmers can measure and manage soil health. It has developed a soil health scorecard which aims to provide information on key indicators of the chemical, physical and biological condition of soil, to help guide soil and crop management decisions.
The contributions of organic additions on soil quality (GWCT pdf)
Falling soil organic matter due to cultivations, oxidisation and crop residue removal have many implications for soil quality. This report produced by the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT), with support from the Frank Parkinson Agricultural Trust, looks at the role of organic matter within soils and reviews the effects organic additions (produced on and off farm) have on soil quality. It covers livestock manure and slurry, cover crops and plant residues, and those which may be imported as a by-product from an industrial process; including compost, digestate, green waste, wood and paper, and other biosolids. It provides guidance on carbon: nitrogen ratios (key to successful soil and crop production management) and looks at other factors that affect soil organic matter, such as crop rotation choices, inorganic fertiliser use, cultivation methods, protecting soils from erosion, and introducing biomass crops and trees.
Farm Net Zero Resources – Farm Carbon Toolkit (Livestock Factsheet: overview of emissions and opportunities (pdf) particularly relevant)
Throughout the Farm Net Zero project, we are generating content that will be useful for farmers aiming for Net Zero.
Soil Management to minimise Greenhouse Gas Emissions – Farm Carbon Toolkit pdf
Soil underpins the entire farm system. A healthy well-managed soil will support productive and healthy crops and pasture, which in turn supports a profitable and resilient farming system. A soil that accumulates organic matter will sequester carbon, be productive and increase productivity – a win, win, win situation.
Nitrogen supply for organic winter oilseed rape DiverIMPACTS Practice Abstract
In cool, moist and dry soils, nitrogen (N) mineralisation can be inhibited, which leads to an insufficient N supply and yield losses. Modern varieties of winter oilseed rape require a lot of N in early spring. Fast-releasing fertiliser application in autumn and spring can complement fertilisation via crop rotation and manure before sowing, and prevent a lack of N in spring. Optimal fertilisation ensures that current oilseed rape varieties reach their full yield potential. This Abstract, created as part of the DiverIMPACTS (Diversification through Rotation, Inter-cropping, Multiple Cropping, Promoted with Actors and value-Chains towards Sustainability) project, provides practical guidance of how to maximise on N in a sustainable, efficient way.
Soil health: Let’s get physical (chemical and biological) – AHDB webpage
If you want to know how healthy you are, there are a myriad of tests and tools to help you ‘quantify’ the condition of your body – your blood pressure, your body mass index and your cholesterol level, for example. Now there is a move to develop ways to quantify the health of your soil, too.
Nutrient Management Guide (RB209)
This latest revision of RB209 is based on research carried out since the previous edition was published in 2010. The revision includes updated recommendations, including those for additional crops and information on the nutrient content of additional organic materials.
Spreading organic manure on agricultural land: RPS 252 – Environment Agency guide
The Environment Agency’s guidance to farmers on spreading organic manure on agricultural land.
Think manures – A guide to manure management
Manures (slurry, farmyard manure or poultry manure) are an important resource. They provide nutrients that could reduce your bagged fertiliser costs, and organic matter that will improve the condition of your soil and help crop growth and performance.
Good manure management – minimising pollution and using nutrients – Defra guidelines
All farmers should follow a Farm Waste Management Plan to help reduce the risk of pollution of water. The plan helps identify areas of land where spreading of slurry or manure should not take place, due to factors such as proximity to water, soil type, slope and drainage. No additional guidelines exist in Organic Standards , but registered holdings are required to avoid pollution from both diffuse and point sources. Following Good Farm Practice is a requirement of the Organic Farming Scheme.
Know Your Soils #4: How to capture carbon in your soil
A special short episode of Farmerama Radio, a podcast sharing the voices of smaller scale farmers.
Charles Schembre is a Soil Conservationist at the Napa County Resource Conservation District, working primarily in Vineyard Agriculture. He has received grant funding to set up his carbon farm plan project from California’s Healthy Soils Program, a scheme to support farmers with increasing soil health, sequestering carbon and improving water retention.
Use a whole farm nutrient budget – Defra guidance
Find out how land managers can reduce farm costs, increase crop yield and help the environment by balancing nutrient inputs and outputs across a whole farm.
A Guide to Nutrient Budgeting on Organic Farms – pdf
You can use farm nutrient budgets to assess potential deficits or surpluses of nutrients and as guidelines for decisions you need to make about nutrient management.
This IOTA technical leaflet introduces the different ways in which nutrient budgets can be used in organic farming.
