Soil sampling is the process of taking a small amount of soil and analysing its nutrient content which is essential for getting the most out of your soil when growing crops. The primary chemical needs of almost all crops include Ph, phosphorus and potassium. A soil sample would find if your soil was lacking, for example, in lime, allowing you to fix the issue in due time.
Other helpful information that comes out of a soil sample includes, but is not limited to, pH levels of the soil, humus content, available lime, complete sulphur content and total CaCO3.
All these contribute to the quality of your soil, and by sending off a small amount to a lab, you can have in-depth results delivered to your front door.
Contract farming has many benefits both for the farmer and contractor and can benefit both parties.
For a farmer, contract farming can allow them to continue to be an active farmer without working the land themselves. Additionally, with most contractors providing their machinery, it means fewer costs for the farmer.
For contractors, it provides guaranteed work over the land and allows them to get increased income from providing a quality service.
Swathing is the name given to the process of cutting crops and placing them in neat rows. A swather, using a sickle bar – or cutting discs – cuts the stems of the crops, which are then arranged nearly by a reel.
These rows are then held together using interlaced straws and held above ground by the remaining crop stubble, supporting the product.
Contract farming agreements are joint ventures between registered contractors and landowners. Agricultural work can be carried out on the farmer’s land, over a fixed period. Farmers can take advantage of increased flexibility, seasonal services and new opportunities, while contractors can improve their working relationships, while taking advantage of new opportunities and ventures.
Digestate is a nutrient-rich byproduct, formed through anaerobic digestion. Anaerobic digestion involves a series of biological processes. Waste products – such as dairy produce, meat, fish, and crops (like grasses) – are broken down by microorganisms in the absence of oxygen. Digestate comes in three forms: whole, liquor, and fibre. Typically, digestate slurry (less than 5% dry product) is applied to suitable land during spreading periods.
Crop spraying typically begins after seeding is complete (between March and mid-June). Depending on the crop and the conditions, crops are sprayed regularly during the growing season. For many farmers, spraying is necessary to protect yields from pests and disease. When faced with a potential loss of product, crop spraying can be a highly economical solution for growers.
Digestate is a nutrient-rich byproduct, formed through anaerobic digestion and comes in three forms: whole, liquor, and fibre. Digestate is rich in essential plant nutrients such as nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus, which are crucial for plant growth. Unlike synthetic fertilisers, digestate releases these nutrients slowly over time, matching more closely with plant uptake rates and minimising nutrient leaching.
Feedstocks are a raw material that are used to manufacture another product, such as digestate, when they are put through an Anaerobic Digestor. They can come from wide range of sources such as food waste or farm waste.
Anaerobic Digestion is a process where microorganisms in different feedstocks such as slurry and food wastes, are broken down in the absence of oxygen and the end products are digestate and biogas. Both are sustainable and renewable sources of energy and fertiliser.
Yes. It is predominately collected from sites which meets PAS110 quality protocols. These sites have Quality Management Systems in place to ensure the digestate produced meets legislative requirements and is classed as a product.
These are operational strategies to ensure you maximise the effectiveness of your fertiliser to enable you to demonstrate good farming practices and increase crop yields and quality. It essentially tries to match your nutrient input to the demands of the crops.
When starting a Contract Farming Agreement there will always be hidden issues that need to be mitigated. Having an accurate budget, realistic yield expectations and an open relationship is the key to making it work. AWSM are experts and we set up realistic budgeting to ensure a divisible surplus at the end of each year.
Soil sampling shows you the level of available nutrients that are currently present in the soil, providing land managers with the knowledge of which specific elements they need to add to improve the quality. It allows you to more accurately determine which crops would yield the best in that particular type of soil.
It effectively represents and shows you what you need to do to vastly improve soil conditions and be able to sustainably manage them.
