Sajjad Awan, Soil and Crop Nutrition Agronomist, and Alli Grundy, Agronomy Manager at NRM, advised farmers and other attendees of Down to Earth to start with soil analysis on their journey towards a sustainable farming system. They asserted that a return to healthier soils is fundamental if we are to produce food more sustainably in a changing climate, and that laboratory analysis plays a vital role in the transition towards more regenerative practices and in the success of farming systems in general.
‘Measuring and monitoring plays an important part in all farming systems, as they enable us to understand the impact of our management and if we need to do something different,’ said Sajjad. ‘Analysis is also very useful when assessing the benefits of transitioning between one systems approach to another. It’s part of the benchmarking ethos, allowing us to see a direction of travel and assess whether we need to adjust our plans to improve productivity and profitability whilst transitioning to sustainable practices. Analysis also helps us increase efficiency and sustainability in our farming practices, minimising waste of expensive inputs and pollution of our environment through run off and leaching. So, the real strength of analysis is that it’s used to support and justify changing management decisions, particularly when adjusting to regenerative agriculture principles.’
The events’ theme, “Regenerative Farming: From The Ground Up”, is incredibly useful for growers wishing to adopt sustainable farming practices without compromising on profits. Sajjad spoke on 21st June in Somerset, whilst Alli’s talk was on 6th July in Cumbria. They were joined by other experts to discuss the benefits of regenerative agriculture, how sustainable practices work within different systems, and how to improve farm sustainability and resilience in our soils.
‘Acting on results can sometimes feel like a leap of faith—particularly when receiving unexpected results. However, it’s critical that advice given by trusted experts is taken to help make most out of your data,’ said Alli. ‘This will help growers see a true return and benefit from analysis. Occasionally, this involves breaking away from traditional practices, but analysis is there to support management decisions and provide the evidence that something is or isn’t working. Ultimately, understanding the data and adopting regenerative agriculture practices will, in the longer term, benefit everyone, with the true value in the transition towards “restoring the balance” shown in the accumulation of the marginal gains made over time.’
NRM analyses over half a million soil samples across all farm types every year. Our various analysis services, including CarbonCheck for soil carbon analysis, CropCheck for plant tissue testing, GrainCheck for grain analysis, and N-Check for soil nitrogen analysis, help customers check they are on course throughout the season. These tools help farmers increase performance and profitability whilst committing to sustainable, resilient practices to help them stay productive.
For more information on our analysis services, contact us.