Cropping Alternatives to Increase Options, Efficiency and Profit – event summary

There were two main speakers, Alan Johnson, Kings Technical Advisor for Scotland highlighted:-

• The reasons for growing green cover crops
• Regional lessons learned from 2015/16
• Crops to consider
• The EFA  and AECS opportunities
• Key reasearch findings to date

In summary growing a green cover crop has multiple benefits (soil health, scavenge nutrients, reduce the risk of erosion, provide grazing, EFA,  AECS and provides wildlife cover & feed) and is worth considering.

Robin Walker a Research Agronomist, Crop and Soil Systems, SRUC said Protein crops are a real alternative focusing primarily on peas and beans but also detailing some of the other crops SRUC has been looking at. He also indicated there might be an expanding market in the future as work looking at the feeding value for monogastrics was promising.

There was also information on cross compliance, greening, the arable options under AECS and Carbon Audits.

Presentations can be found below and the following materials could be found in delegate packs: cover_crops,  energy_auditing,  improving_resource_use_efficiency_arable_farms, monitoring_energy_use, OMR 17 and leatherjackets and optimising_tractor_fuel_use