Banffshire Soil & Nutrient Network – 1st Meeting

This will be the first of 3 meetings of the new Banffshire Soil & Nutrient Network.

The event will be held at Newmills of Boyne near Cornhill, our new host farm.

As this is the first event we will be looking at the importance of looking after soils, and their structure with discussions on options for improvements to enhance yields and quality.

Our speakers are:

• Alan Bruce (SAC Consultant)
• Gavin Elrick (SAC Consulting Environment and Design specialist)

They will be covering:

Understanding soil analysis – Alan Bruce

• The importance of getting the basics correct
• What do different crops need?
• How/when should deficiencies be rectified
• What are the yield penalties for getting things wrong
• Analyse results for the farm
• Correlate soil analysis with tissue analysis

Why is soil structure so important? – Gavin Elrick

• Investigate soil structure in different fields on the farm, looking at the difference between good and poor growing areas
• Review of soil pits dug in winter prior to crops being sown
• Re-investigate soil pits now that crops are well through the growing season
• How to improve soil structure damaged by heavy modern machinery

The potential value of Green Manures – Gavin Elrick

• How can green manures improve soil structure
• What plants to grow in different situations
• Look at above ground and below ground biomass yields

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