Each of the 2023 Soil Farmer of the Year winners will be hosting a farm walk to demonstrate how farming with soil at the centre of their decision making is influencing the productivity, profitability and resilience of their businesses.
The Soil Farmer of the Year competition is a partnership between Farm Carbon Toolkit and Innovation for Agriculture. Deborah Crossan, Head of Soils and Natural Resources at Innovation for Agriculture, shares that the purpose of the farm walks is for others to see firsthand how the winners have prioritised their soils and the benefits to the farm.
“When it comes to soil, the farm walks demonstrate the change in practice and offer a chance to discuss both the successes and challenges on that farm,” she says.
Emma Adams, Senior Farm Carbon and Soils Advisor at Farm Carbon Toolkit, shares that the 2023 competition saw the most diverse range of applications so far. “We were blown away by the number and quality of the entries this year, and I expect the farm walks at the three winning farms to be some of the most informative yet.”
There is a good geographical spread of winners this year, with the farm walks taking place in Northumberland, South Wales and Northern Ireland. Details on each farm walk are included below:
Farm walk at West Wharmley Farm, Northumberland
Led by Soil Farmer of the Year winner Stuart Johnson, this farm walk will take place on Wednesday 4th October 2023.
Stuart has been transforming his farm over the last 10 years to reduce inputs, improve soil health and livestock productivity. Moving to a strip-tillage system and mob grazing platform has provided financial success alongside a more resilient business. Stuart has now eliminated fertiliser on his grassland and fungicides in the arable crops, instead utilising an integrated system with the livestock and compost teas to grow what is needed on the farm. The farm is currently in a seven year rotation of a five year legume/herb mix followed by a two-year arable break with full grass grazing for the sheep and cattle meaning that there is no need to buy in additional supplementary feed over the summer months.
The farm walk will begin at 14:00 and will provide an opportunity to further hear and see how Stuarts's management strategy has benefitted his livestock and business, leading him to be awarded the Soil Farmer of the Year Winner in this year's Soil Farmer of the Year competition. Sign up via Eventbrite here.
Farm walk at Sealands Farm, South Wales
Led by Soil Farmer of the Year runner up Richard Anthony, this farm walk will take place on Thursday 23rd November 2023.
Richard’s arable farming operation has grown to encompass a vast variety of soil types and conditions, with the associated challenges of staying profitable whilst minimising environmental impact. The rotation encompasses combinable crops alongside forage production, utilising cover crops and integrated management to maximise soil health and carbon capture. Richard hosts a vast selection of trials at the farm, including different varieties of cover crops and the national trial list for combinable cropping; cover and companion crops are central to the arable operation, used to improve drainage, scavenge nutrients and reduce fuel usage through improving soil structure. Through continuously refining the management system Richard has halved fungicide use, eliminated insecticides and hugely reduced the fertiliser requirement through managing the soil to keep the biology working.
The farm walk will begin at 13:00 and will provide an opportunity to further hear and see how Richard's management strategy has benefitted his business, leading him to be awarded Second Place in this year's Soil Farmer of the Year competition. Sign up via Eventbrite here.
Farm walk at Drumard Farm, Northern Ireland
Led by Soil Farmer of the Year runner up Bronagh O’Kane, this farm walk will take place on Wednesday 11th October 2023.
Having come back to the farm in 2020, Bronagh has begun a journey to transform the soil. Historically the farm has supported continental cattle breeds on a high reliance on imported feed, Bronagh has transitioned to more traditional breeds managed on grasslands. Utilising a small pasture grazing system she has increased the grazing period by 4 weeks and soils are more resilient to the extremes of dry and wet weather. Bronagh has started producing her own vermicast and composting to improve soil biology, focusing on natural inputs and a softer approach with foliar fertilisers where needed to manage historically compact and imbalanced soils.
The walk will provide the opportunity to discuss and demonstrate the practices undertaken at the farm and the ongoing challenges and successes that Bronagh sees in her system. To come on the farm walk, sign up via Eventbrite here.
Each of the farm walks will take place outside, so please wear suitable clothing and footwear. Light refreshments will be provided. Sign up today to come to a farm walk led by a Soil Farmer of the Year winner this autumn.
