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Crops and Soils

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    Can I cut back on Nitrogen?

    The last 12 months has seen unprecedented increases in costs of inputs to farmers and the immediate outlook could see markets and supply chains in chaos around the world. For…

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    A collage of three photos depicting severe weather from climate change - drought as shown by cracked earth and struggling plants, flooding with deep water lying on a road behind a 'flood' warning sign and storminess as shown by a windblown tree with damaged trunk.
    A collage of three photos depicting severe weather from climate change - drought as shown by cracked earth and struggling plants, flooding with deep water lying on a road behind a 'flood' warning sign and storminess as shown by a windblown tree with damaged trunk.

    Getting the farm ‘climate ready’

    Farmers and land managers are constantly making business decisions whilst having to factor in and account for various unknowns; fluctuating commodity prices, market trends, changing regulations and new schemes are…

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    Young broadleaf trees planted in rows, supported with tree guards and stakes on a gently sloping grassland field with high mountains visible far in the background
    Young broadleaf trees planted in rows, supported with tree guards and stakes on a gently sloping grassland field with high mountains visible far in the background

    Agroforestry: Trees mean business

    Online meeting In this webinar Soil Association Scotland will explore three hands-on ways to make money from your trees: fruit production, coppicing and timber production. Join us to hear from…

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    Nutrient Grain Analysis – Highlands Soil Discussion Group

    The group submitted at least 1 grain sample of malting spring barley and they were analysed through the lab. The meeting will discuss the results and compare Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Sulphur, Manganese, Potassium Magnesium, Zinc and Copper against AHDB research minimum values that may affect yield. The group will then compare what trace elements they use and how much they apply. After identifying any deficiencies, we will try to identify any possible reason they are low such as soil conditions. Fertiliser applications will also be discussed.

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    Disease Planning Starts Early

    Planning out a disease management strategy in cereal crops needs to start earlier than usual this season. Programmes can be adjusted as the season goes on but setting out the basic framework makes it possible to work in a diversity of chemistry to minimise resistance risks and cover the main diseases and timings.

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    Integrated Pest Management – Top Tips from High Scoring Farms

    The IPM planning tool for Scottish growers is starting to give useful insights about what high scoring farms do and where they get their information. Filing in an Integrated Pest Management plan is now standard practice on most arable farms and is a useful tool to explore what can be done on individual farms to increase IPM practices. IPM plans are also being picked up across mixed and grassland farms too. Almost 5000 arable plans have been completed to date for arable farms and nearly 300 for grassland plans  – just launched at the end for 2021.  Average scores for arable farms are 64.8% and for grassland farms 56.9%.  This provides really positive evidence about what the farming industry is already doing to produce crops in integrated and sustainable ways.

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