Marchwood has added sulphur dioxide analysis to its already comprehensive range of MCERTS accredited stacks analytical tests. This test, which is to BS EN 14791, helps customers maintain compliance and safeguard public health.
‘We are working towards getting as many of our services accredited as possible to further demonstrate our competency to national and internationally recognised standards,’ said Jenny Wraith, Business Development Manager at Marchwood. ‘Our specialist Manchester-based laboratory with state-of-the-art technology means that we can offer stack emissions analysis services just like this on a 7 day turnaround, which we have found is of great value to our customers.’
Sulphur dioxide (SO2) is produced as part of the combustion process of fuels containing sulphur, such as coal, biomass, oil, and biogas. As a key air pollutant and a major source of acid rain, SO2 can adversely affect human health and the environment. By measuring SO2 in stacks after combustion to BS EN 14791, we are helping producers adhere to acceptable levels, protect the planet, and maintain compliance.
‘Adding SO2 analysis to our comprehensive range of MCERTS accredited tests gives our customers full confidence that their results are accurate and robust,’ continued Jenny. ‘This is increasingly important, not just to help customers adhere fully to regulations, but to ensure we are all contributing towards supporting a safer, healthier planet.’
Marchwood provides sampling media free of charge, and offers a complimentary courier pick up service. To book your tests or for more details on our stack emissions offerings, contact us.
NRM has updated its interactive soil map alongside its annual soil summary report for last year. This allows farmers to drill down into crop type and nutrient summaries for their region and county for more relevant data.
The interactive map follows the recent publication of NRM’s 2021-2022 soil summary with consolidated, anonymised data from thousands of soil samples from farms across the UK collected between June 2021 to May 2022. The interactive map allows farmers and their advisors to select a region and then a county to localise their nutrient summary. Data for phosphorus, potassium, magnesium and pH is split out by arable and grassland and summarised according to the 9th edition of the RB209.
‘This soil summary has once again confirmed a trend that we’ve observed for the last 30 years: that most soils are deficient in the three key nutrients,’ said Sajjad Awan, Soil and Crop Nutrition Agronomist at NRM. ‘It’s also interesting to look at trends and variations across the different regions in the UK to see how we’re doing on a more specific level. For example, while arable soils in Dorset in the South West of England are high in phosphorus and soil pH, those in Worcestershire in the West Midlands are low in phosphorus and middling in soil pH.’
Viewing the consolidated data in this way is more relevant to farms and their conditions than ever before. By understanding the current nutrient status of their soils and how their farms compare to others in their area, farmers and advisors can use the data to make insightful decisions about the next year of farming and beyond, leading to enhanced performance.
‘At Cawood, we understand the importance of sharing insightful information gathered from farms across the UK with the rest of the industry, as it helps build collective knowledge for widespread improvement,’ said Sean Stevenson, Commercial Director of Cawood Agriculture. ‘As the UK’s leading provider of agronomic analysis in the UK, Cawood is in a unique position to gather a large amount of soil and crop data for representative results. The interactive soil map is a handy, innovative solution for our customers to easily see how they compare with the rest of the UK, help them meet their goals, and transition to more sustainable and productive practices.’
View the interactive soil map here.
NRM has published its annual soil summary report for 2021-2022, with consolidated data from thousands of soil samples across the UK. Results once again show that most soils (two thirds) are deficient in the key nutrients of magnesium, phosphorus and potassium, continuing a trend of almost 30 years.
As the UK’s leading provider of soil analysis, NRM has been gathering soil analysis data since 1995. This year’s soil summary includes data from soil samples collected between June 2021 and May 2022, helping farmers and their advisors understand current nutrients status across the UK, benchmark against other farms with current data, and improve soil health to optimise crop production.
For the first time, NRM has also published consolidated data on plant tissue and grain gathered from its CropCheck and GrainCheck analysis services. This will help farmers optimise production and form a fuller view of how their soils and crops are doing. Early analysis of the data supports the idea that, while sufficient levels are present in the soil, nutrients might not be available for crops to utilise.
‘We’re using our summarised data this year to help farmers and their advisors understand why it’s important to analyse all year round,’ said Sajjad Awan, Agronomy Manager at NRM. ‘One key finding was that wheat crops had almost 10% less nitrogen and a quarter less phosphorus in spring 2022 than in 2021. We had a colder and drier spring in 2022, which prevented soil mineralisation, a necessary process that allows nutrients to be taken up by the crop. The situation was made even worse due to the soil moisture deficit during the hot and dry summer, which was then exacerbated by rapid crop growth. This is why crops couldn’t take up all they needed to thrive.
‘It’s important to keep an eye on weather conditions throughout the year, as you might need to make quick decisions to improve crop performance. This is all made easier with robust laboratory analysis, which reveals how your crops are doing and what you might need to change.’
CropCheck measures the nutrients cereal crops contain at key growth stages that coincide with the fertiliser application window. GrainCheck measures the nutrient levels in grain, which helps farmers calculate the actual crop offtake at harvest. Using both services together with soil analysis helps farmers make better decisions with each new season for optimal crop production and yield.
‘There are some fascinating trends already, and these truly demonstrate the importance of analysing throughout the year to adjust plans before it’s too late,’ continued Sajjad. ‘Not only does this help crop performance, but it also improves nutrient use efficiency. This helps protect our planet by reducing nitrate and phosphate losses to the environment, which can cause a lot of issues. Farming sustainably and transitioning to greener practices actually goes hand in hand with increased productivity. Using innovative crop analysis to guide our management decisions is a huge part of this.’
‘Cawood’s core values involve supporting sustainable food production and a safer, healthier planet,’ said Sean Stevenson, Commercial Director of Cawood Agriculture. ‘As the UK’s leading provider of agronomic analysis in the UK, Cawood is in a unique position to gather a large amount of soil and crop data for representative results. We are strong advocates of sharing this insightful information with the industry to help farmers meet their goals and transition to more sustainable practices.’