Soil management for livestock better returns
Thursday 20 January 2011
Realising a profit from livestock farming has always been a challenge, but with increasing feed, fertilizer and fuel prices and a continuous demand for cheap food can farming ever be profitable? Also with climate change and risk of water and nutrient shortages is has never been a better time to fully utilise the natural resources of the farm as efficiently as possible. The most important resource we have as land managers is the soil.
These events will examine the financial implications of good and poor soil management and link the investments needed in good soil management to the beneficial returns from livestock production. Whilst achieving good farming practice, good environmental practice is also achieved.
In the day we will look at problem fields, compaction and aeration; trace elements. Peter Stone will show us a formerly arable field where sub soiling worked wonders. It now grows a good crop of grass. And we hope to look at some machinery.
Two workshops have been arranged in Staffordshire.
Workshop 1
Thursday 20 January 10.30am – 3pm
Little Stoke Farm, Stone Courtesy of Peter Stone
Workshop 2
Thursday 20 January 6.30pm – 9pm
Westwood Golf Club, Leek
These events will be led by Charlie Morgan, an independent grassland consultant,
who worked for IGER for 22 years where he helped develop new grass varieties and grazing methods to benefit UK agriculture and for the last 16 months has been working mainly in England as Independent Grassland consultant and consultant to EBLEX, also works with Innovis, Environment Agency, IBERS, BGS and individual farmers.
Please bring a soil sample from your own farm so that your soil texture can be accurately assessed.
Light refreshments will be provided
These events are sponsored by the Environment Agency
