This Food & Farming podcast episode is the second part which follows the journey of Beef & Lamb Strategic Farmer Chris Elkington and independent consultant Dr Liz Genever as they look into reducing inputs (such as fertiliser) and understanding what soil tests are telling us with a view of formulating an action plan to run a trial on Chris’s farm. 

Chris is a sheep farmer from Lincolnshire and Liz has been working as Chris’s consultant for the past two years as part of the AHDB Strategic Farm programme. The dry weather and low moisture levels have limited grass growth this spring and soil tests have highlighted low phosphate (P) levels and low potassium (K). 

After speaking to Elizabeth Stockdale from NIAB in part one, this time Liz is joined by two more industry specialists.

John Morgan, nutrient management specialist, explains how to rectify P levels using inorganic fertiliser the traditional way. He discusses strategies to deal with the low P level and options available to Chris this season to deal with the establishment of his herbal leys. Soil pH is very important, and a low pH can really restrict the availability of macro nutrients. 

Liz is also joined by guest speaker Ian Robertson from Sustainable Soil Management who talks through the results of a more detailed soil test done on Chris’s farm. Detailed soil tests help to understand why a soil performs the way it does by gaining a better understanding of the biology and physics of the soil. They also discuss options available to Chris for the next five years.

Chris and Louise Elkington, Chestnut Farm https://ahdb.org.uk/farm-excellence/chestnut-farm 

GREAT Soils https://ahdb.org.uk/GREATsoils 

Soil structure https://ahdb.org.uk/knowledge-library/soil-structure 

Soil health scorecard https://ahdb.org.uk/knowledge-library/testing-the-soil-health-scorecard 

Soil assessment methods https://ahdb.org.uk/knowledge-library/greatsoils-soil-assessment-methods

Soil and forage testing companies https://ahdb.org.uk/knowledge-library/soil-and-forage-testing-companies

Farming rules for water: new guidance on manure applications https://ahdb.org.uk/news/farming-rules-for-water-new-guidance-on-manure-applications