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Practical Guides

On this page, we've gathered our practical guides across a wide range of areas helpful in running your farm.

Conservation & Biodiversity

Surveying Farmland Wading Birds – A Practical Guide

March 16, 2021

Monitoring breeding waders on your farm enables you to track changes from year to year. This Practical Guide gives some guidance as to why and how to begin surveying farmland wading birds.

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Practical Guide: Managing Peatlands and Upland Habitats

November 24, 2021
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Energy & Renewables

Farming for a Better Climate Practical Guides

This is legacy content from Farming For A Better Climate

Practical Guide: Regenerative Agriculture – Integrating Livestock

March 30, 2024

This Practical Guide looks at the fifth principle of regenerative farming: Integrating livestock.

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Practical Guide: Regenerative Agriculture – Keeping Soil Covered

March 30, 2024

This Practical Guide looks at the fourth principle of regenerative farming: Keeping soil covered.

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Practical Guide: Regenerative Agriculture – Maintaining a Living Root

March 30, 2024

This practical guide looks at the first principle of regenerative farming: Maintaining a living root.

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Practical Guide: Regenerative Agriculture – Maximising Crop Diversity

March 30, 2024

This Practical Guide looks at the third principle of regenerative farming: Maximising crop diversity.

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Practical Guide: Regenerative Agriculture – Minimising Soil Disturbance

March 30, 2024

This Practical Guide looks at the second principle of regenerative farming: Minimising soil disturbance.

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Practical Guide: Regenerative Agriculture – Transitioning to Reduced Tillage

March 30, 2024

his Practical Guide unpicks some common problems around transitioning to reduced tillage and offers practical solutions.

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Practical Guide: Improving Fertility in the Beef Herd

March 30, 2024

This practical guide looks at helping to maximise performance of the beef herd by improving fertility within the herd.

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Practical Guide: Improving Fertility in the Dairy Herd

March 30, 2024

This practical guide looks at ways to maximise fertility in the dairy herd which in turn helps improve annual milk production and reduce carbon footprint.

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Practical Guide: Improving Grass Growth

March 30, 2024

This practical guide looks at how to optimise grass production.

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Practical Guide: Maximising Growth Rates

March 30, 2024

This practical guide looks at ways of maximising growth rates in the beef herd.

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Practical Guide: How do we Reduce Emissions from Beef?

March 30, 2024

This practical guide introduces some idea that we can all consider to improve profitability and reduce the carbon footprint from the beef enterprise.

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Practical Guide: The Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI)

March 30, 2024

This Practical Guide explains the Renewable Heat Incentive. (Dated 2019)

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Practical Guide: Introduction to Energy Auditing

March 30, 2024

This Practical Guide highlights how to assess and optimize farm energy and fuel use.

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Practical Guide: Monitoring Energy Use

March 30, 2024

This practical guide looks at how you can record and monitor farm energy and fuel use.

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Practical Guide: Transition to a Decarbonised Energy System

March 30, 2024

This guide outlines what changes are expected to take place, technologies involved and what opportunities there are for rural businesses.

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Practical Guide: Assess Your Soil Structure

March 30, 2024

This practical guide concentrates on how to assess and improve soil structure using the VESS (Visual Assessment of Soil Structure) system. This can benefit crop yields and reduce GHG emissions.

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Practical Guide: Establishing a Grass Clover Sward

March 30, 2024

This Practical Guide gives tips to help you establish a grass clover sward.

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Practical Guide: Soil Organic Matter

March 30, 2024

This practical guide looks at soil organic matter, tests to take and what ideal soil organic matter looks like.

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Practical Guide: Biodiverse Hedgerows for Carbon

March 30, 2024

This Practical Guide explores the benefits of biodiverse farm hedgerows, including management, Farm Carbon Storage Network and planting.

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Practical Guide: Agroforestry for Beef and Sheep Farmers

March 30, 2024

This Practical Guide outlines some considerations for beef and sheep farmers considering agroforestry.

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