Rory Geldard, Commercial Manager at NRM, was a guest speaker on Farmers’ Weekly transition webinar. Discussions centred around generating revenue streams from carbon farming, as well as the benefits of soil carbon analysis.

‘Measuring, monitoring and managing is key to unlocking the carbon potential of your farm,’ Rory said on the webinar. ‘Establishing a baseline will give you an opportunity to maximise carbon sequestration. Then, consistent soil testing at the same time of year, at the same depth, means that you can improve soil health over time as well as the land’s ability to make you a living out of carbon opportunities. Using carbon as a source of income goes hand in hand with so many good sustainable farming practices. It’s a win-win situation.’

The webinar, titled “Risk and reward: How to make money out of carbon”, is part of the Farmers Weekly’s Transition project, which aims to ease farmers’ transitions to sustainable farming practices whilst remaining productive and profitable. It aired on Friday 16^th September 2022 and was hosted by the Farmers Weekly Transition editor Johann Tasker. Rory spoke alongside other soil carbon experts, including Emily Norton, Head of Rural Research at Savills, David McCulloch, Head of CarbonStore at Tillhill Forestry, and Juan Palomares Carralero, EU Managing Director for Trinity AgTech. They discussed farm carbon audits, how opportunities can vary by farm system and soil type, carbon credits, and proving additionality.

 

‘It was a pleasure to participate in the Farmers Weekly Transition webinar alongside my fellow experts,’ said Rory. ‘It was a very interesting discussion, and I’m sure that farmers and advisors will find the points that we talked about useful in making decisions about their own farming businesses. In particular, I want to stress that carbon sequestration is long-term project, but it’s made much easier by committing to good soil management. That way, not only can farmers make a profit from carbon sequestration, but they will see increased yields and productivity too.’

NRM has analysed over 13,000 soil carbon samples in the last year with its comprehensive soil carbon analysis package, CarbonCheck, helping farmers increase productivity and profitability whilst committing to sustainable practices. It also provides benchmarks for lucrative carbon markets. CarbonCheck analyses inorganic carbon, C:N ratio, bulk density, organic carbon, total nitrogen, and total carbon as part of a comprehensive suite, as well as soil organic matter (SOM), which is required to qualify for the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI).

‘At Cawood, we are committed to helping our customers thrive whilst supporting a safer, healthier planet,’ said Sean Stevenson, Managing Director for Cawood’s Agriculture division. ‘We are proud to be sponsoring the Farmers Weekly Transition project to help benefit the agricultural industry as well as protect the environment. Well done to Rory and the other speakers for producing an incredibly interesting and insightful discussion, which I have no doubt will help farmers adopt sustainable farming practices and carve a new income stream at the same time.’

For more information on our CarbonCheck service, contact us using the form below.

We are deeply saddened by the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

Group Chief Executive, Simon Parrington, said, “For 70 years, Queen Elizabeth dedicated her life to service, making an extraordinary contribution to the United Kingdom, the Commonwealth and its people. She will be sincerely missed. Our thoughts and condolences are with King Charles III, The Royal Family and everyone around the world mourning her loss.”

NRM has appointed Dr Sajjad Awan as its new company Agronomist to strengthen its technical team. He will join Alli Grundy, Agronomy Manager for NRM, in giving expert advice to the business’ farming customers to help them meet their goals.

‘Over the last 2 years, NRM has seen an increased need from their customers to interpret their analytical data successfully for better agronomic decisions,’ said Sean Stevenson, Divisional Managing Director of Cawood Agriculture. ‘Insightful data helps farmers increase yields, improve soil health, sequester carbon, and drive profit whilst supporting sustainable food production. We are looking forward to Sajjad joining the team and helping us to advise more customers and achieve their objectives.’

Sajjad has spent his career working in the agricultural sector. After gaining his doctorate at the University of Warwick, where he led several important crop nutrition focused projects, he became AHDB’s crop nutrition research and knowledge transfer manager. He played a major part in the development of AHDB’s Nutrient Management Guide (RB209) document, which helps guide all crop nutrition including fertiliser, manure, and slurry recommendations in the industry. Most recently, he has been the Company Agronomist for CF Fertilisers. Sajjad’s significant expertise in fertilisers, crop nutrient management and agronomy will provide NRM’s customers with more insightful data and guidance for optimal farm management and better decision making.

‘I am really looking forward to joining NRM in helping farmers improve productivity,’ said Sajjad. ‘The better the data, the better the decision making. As the leading laboratory for agricultural decision making in the country, NRM is the perfect business to enable me to help farmers understand their results so that they can improve soil management, increase yields, and enhance profitability. I am excited to be a part of the team and use my knowledge to help more farmers in any way that I can.’

‘We are delighted to welcome Sajjad to Cawood,’ said Simon Parrington, Cawood’s group CEO. ‘Our strategy for NRM to become the very best one stop shop for agricultural analytics, insights, and advice means that appointing accomplished leaders in agriculture is a top priority. This will help us deliver the utmost convenience and expertise for our customers. Both Cawood and our parent company, Ensign-Bickford Industries, are looking forward to working with and supporting Sajjad and the NRM team.’