Allaster Dallas (FCG Midwest)

‘The only person who likes change is a wet baby’

My first visit to Groundswell this year was one of uncertainty, in respect to who and what was going to be there. Having worked in mainstream agriculture for over 30 years, I am pretty comfortable with the science involved, even, dare I say it, the chemistry. But the last 3 years, the glaring economic reality has come home to roost on several farms and farming sectors. It would be nice to report that commodity prices and the government are going to rush to their aid, but they’re not.

As I prepared to don my sandals and head East, I wanted to understand what was new and relevant that I could take to clients in the Southwest to help them with the challenges we are now facing.

My first impression was – Where are all the farmers? There was an enormous amount of trade and industry gathered in one place in what appeared to be a festival. Not being a festival person, my last one being in 1995 (I feel that box has been ticked): Oasis, Simple Minds and Massive Attack for £65 a ticket, job done!

It turns out a lot of people were farmers, busily diversifying to meet the growing demand for regenerative agriculture. I like to define this as transitional agriculture, as I believe it captures the need for change rather than a misleading title that suggests that a practice is addressing all the damage done in the past. A lot of the work has already been done by farmers who have found the right kit and systems to suit their farming systems, and the event is a celebration of this knowledge transfer.

I was impressed by the soil demonstrations, and in particular the phrase ‘earning the right to cultivate‘. It brought back fond memories of my farming training, having to demonstrate the need to cultivate with a spade. Going back to basics, lift and crack the soil to help the movement of water, air, and nutrients. Get out of the tractor, grab handfuls of it, smell it, feel it under your feet, give it the imaginary bounce; what’s it telling you? I still believe there is a lot of recreational diesel being burnt on farms that should be addressed on a field-by-field basis. Small changes make a big difference.

The premise of delving into what and why at the field level is key to improving soil structures in any farming system. Not forgetting, under the Farming Rules for Water (remember these), there is a requirement to correct soil damage. This involves understanding how it got there, and where it is within the zone. Understanding this will help find the best way to correct the damage at the right time of year.

Look at the crop you have now. What do the roots look like? Can they move across the soil zones, or is there a pan? Do you need to cultivate at all? Could a cover crop do the job of a cultivator before another crop goes in?

Cultivation has its place, but times are changing, and weather patterns are changing. Looking at systems differently, and ways to add organic material to enhance soils without damaging them will be key in the future.

There is definitely a need for transitional agriculture. Am I convinced by everything I have seen at Groundswell? No. But I do think the process of planning for change is more important sometimes than the outcome. It highlights what can go wrong and where the pitfalls lie ahead of ploughing straight into them (sorry for the pun, old habits!)

If you would like to discuss this further, please contact Allaster Dallas at allasterdallas@fcgagric.com or your local FCG office.