Thainstone Soil & Network: 1st meeting – event summary

The first meeting of the new Thainstone Soil & Nutrient Network was held on Kirkton Farm near Kinellar with the kind permission of our host farmer, Scott Campbell.

Scott has been awarded the prestigious 2019 Farmers Weekly Arable Farmer of the Year, so it was a very informative introductory meeting for those in attendance.  Scott gave an insight into how the farm has been managed in recent years and how that helped him win the 2019 award.   You can read  Scott's presentation slides here.

SAC Consulting's David Ross then took to the floor to give a detailed presentation highlighting the importance of soil pH when farming crops; he also detailed the differences between GPS soil analysis techniques and the traditional soil testing practices.  Armed with information, David led the group out of doors to the fields to show the group what they should be looking for when inspecting their soils and indicators of good soil health.  Read David's presentation slides here.

David's top tip - "Use a spade to dig test holes of 25cm x 25cm x 25 cm to assess soil structure and count your worms!"

Soil & water specialist with SAC, Gavin Elrick, was also one of the key speakers.  Gavin discussed soil compaction; how it becomes a problem; how to identify and the importance of identifying the correct depth of compaction and the methods of alleviating soil compaction at different depths.  Read Gavin's presentation slides here.

Gavin's top tip - "Use a steel rod with a t-shaped handle to assess where and at what depth you have compaction issues before resorting to corrective actions."

Gavin also highlighted the lessons he has learnt from a trialling cover cropping on his own farm with funding from the Mains of Loriston Trust.

You can read more about how to inspect your soil health using our webpage here.  Alternatively, there is a wealth of information available in the Valuing Your Soils booklet which can be downloaded using the links below.  Handouts available to take home from this event are also included in the list below.