Sheep Mob-Grazing herbal leys at Honeydale Farm
PUT THE BIG ‘G’ - GRASS - BACK INTO YOUR FARMING SYSTEM Article adapted from a presentation given by Cotswold Seeds MD Ian Wilkinson at this year’s Groundswell event In 2016, the NFU reported the biggest year-on-year fall in farm profitability since the millennium, as farmers deal with the impact of devastating cuts in the value of their products and the rising prices of nitrogen fertiliser. There are two ways to increase profit: Intensify to produce more, or lower cost of production with self sufficiency. ‘Farmers should have a low cost of production...be a seller not a buyer’ said Roman statesman Cato back in 234 BC. But how to achieve this?
Free Fertilising
After the Second World War, Sir George Stapledon advocated the ‘dual aspects’ of ley farming. In his book ‘The Plough Up Policy and Ley Farming’ he wrote: ‘Considered as an agent for the promotion of soil fertility, the grass sod must be regarded as perhaps the most valuable foundation upon which the farmer can build.’ In his book, ‘Thirty Years Farming on the Clifton Park System,’ William Lamin recounts how he took over poor sandy land near
Burton-on-Trent and made it one of the most productive in the district, giving credit to Robert Elliott, of Clifton Park, who demonstrated how ley farming and rotational grasses helped to build fertility. A clover rich ley will reliably produce the same amount of nitrogen that farmers typically apply in costly artificial fertilisers. Nitrogen accumulates in small nodules found on clover roots, with some of it being released as the clover plant matures. But after the ley is ploughed in, a large amount of nitrogen is released into the soil and is available over many months. Peak nitrogen availability is around four months after termination, making it available to the following crop which is often a cereal or brassica.
Humus Building
Present day farmer Rob Richmond, who farms light land near Cirencester, has shown how effective ley farming can be for humus building. Twelve years ago soil organic matter on his farm was 2-4%. In 2017 it had risen to 8-9%.
Soil Enriching Ian Wilkinson
32 DIRECT DRILLER MAGAZINE
Data collected by McCance and Widdowson shows the mineral content ISSUE 3 | SEPTEMBER 2018