24 February 2023
Assessing and enhancing soil health focus of upcoming event
Good soil health is the foundation of productive and resilient agricultural systems. The upcoming Farming for Soil Health field event will demonstrate the practices and technologies that can be adopted on farms to assess and enhance soil health.
These include: demonstrations of visual assessment techniques; soil functional assessment; practices that improve health in soils, including diversification of grassland swards, cover crops, straw incorporation and manure amendment of soils; avoiding physical damage of soil, including in-field demonstrations; and enhancing soil nutrient supply.
The field event – held in conjunction with the 3rd Global Soil Biodiversity Conference – will also disseminate information on the baseline measurement of soil organic carbon stocks on Irish farms and their sequestration potential. Practices that can increase carbon in your soils will also be discussed.
Those in attendance will also have the opportunity to take a close look at some of the biology in soil and ‘Ask a Soil Scientist’ about soil health. The latest information will also be provided on how agricultural practice impacts soil biodiversity and biological functioning, including some top tips on how to enhance soil biodiversity.
The latest research on soil nutrient supply will also be provided. Good soil health goes hand in hand with enhanced native nutrient supply, reduced input requirements and reduced environmental losses.
Key topics on the day:
- Why is soil health important;
- How do I assess my soil health;
- How do I enhance my soil biodiversity;
- How to improve soil health in arable soils;
- How do I avoid and alleviate physical damage;
- How do I enhance soil nutrient supply;
- How do I increase soil carbon;
- Ask a scientist.
When and where?
The Farming for Soil Health field event will take place in Johnstown Castle, Co. Wexford (Y35 Y521) on the 16th March from 10:30am to 3:00pm. The event is free to attend, but registration is essential. As this is an outdoor event, waterproof footwear and clothing is recommended.