We know that healthy soil mean healthy yields, a healthier environment and resilience to future climate change. The International Year of Soil has successfully kept many NFU staff and members busy over the past 12 months; organising and participating in events across the country and Europe promoting the work undertaken to protect soils and learning where research, technology and policy is taking us.
World Soils Day acts as a form of finale to this year’s events. But we need to continue to tell more people about the work we are doing, next year and way beyond.
That’s why the NFU played a lead role in the soils events at GWCT’s Allerton Project in Loddington in June and Rothamsted’s North Wyke Research Centre last month. The two days combined brought together more than 120 farmers, industry advisers, researchers and policy makers from Yorkshire to the Isle of Wight to celebrate and promote the excellent work we all do.
NFU Deputy President Minette Batters chaired both events and opened at the North Allerton Project in June by expressing how soils are an absolute priority to farmers in feeding the UKs growing population.
Members of the NFU’s Environment Forum, including Phil Jarvis and Richard Bramley, have also used the International Year of Soils as a reason to produce blogs or speak publically about how they manage their soils to improve productivity.
Richard Bramley concluded his presentation at the Allerton Project in June by saying: “2015 may be the international year of soils, but every year is a year of soils for farmers.”
We are already busy planning another event at the Allerton Project in the first quarter of next year, focussing on the topical issue of cover cropping. Perhaps 2015 has kept us busy, but the work certainly isn’t over yet.”