Farmers and Landowners

Healthy soils not only boost yields and improve the land’s tolerance to flooding or drought, they can also benefit the environment by capturing more carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Well drained and well structured soils allow water to enter more quickly and therefore reduce the risk of run-off and erosion. Run off into our rivers can also have a negative impact on endangered species such as the freshwater pearl mussel.

The Devon and Cornwall Soils Alliance is Building capacity and capability in soils advice across Devon and Cornwall

Please note the Farming Rules for Water leaflet to make sure you are following best practices.

Here are some suggestions for keeping soil and nutrients on your farm:

In Your Yard

Sediment Trap:

Built for easy maintenance to be cleaned out with a digger is a good option for your yard, sediment that is collected can then be re-spread on the fields.

Photo: Sediment tank

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In Your Field

Meadow creation and herbal leys:

These really help to restore poor soil health which causes runoff; rooting allows for breaking up of field scale compaction as clovers, chicory, legumes (also great for nitrogen fixing) penetrate through any plough pans or surface capping.

‍See the Soil Association for more info on herbal leys here.

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‍Aeration and Subsoiling:

This needs to be undertaken at suitable depth for each field parcel- this is identified by digging soil pits and only if compaction is identified otherwise it could make the problems worse by creating more layers of compaction at different depths.

Photo: Digging a soil pit

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Fencing off Watercourses:

Where stock drink from the stream and planting trees behind.

river side poaching can be a major cause of erosion and sediment input into a stream.

‍See the Environment Agency's farming rules for water.

Photo: Fencing off the water course and planting a buffer strip

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Wetland/Sediment Ponds:

These can be connected to a sediment trap in the yard to filter out any suspended sediments and are also a great place for wildlife.

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Offline attenuation areas and field bunds:

Positioned at the bottom of the field they can slow and temporarily contain runoff causing sedimentation of particulates within.

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Timing:

Do not allow stock out on vulnerable field parcels where poaching will cause surface capping, runoff and erosion, particularly important when over-wintering cattle.

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Other useful sources of information

• Protecting our Water, Soil and Air for the code of Good Agricultural Practice(paragraph 344 onwards)
• Cranfield University’s LandIS interactive map ‘Soilscapes’
• The Soils Alliance is also good for information: https://sustainablesoils.org/
• The Soil Food Web also has some great animation and resources as well as a Soil Biology IQ Quiz to help you understand your soils.

Gardens

You don’t need to use chemical fertilizers to have a thriving garden. Creating garden beds and landscapes that have active underground ecosystem of earthworms and microorganisms that keep plants healthy can be achieved using composted soil with organic materials that include micronutrients and minerals. Applying compost also provides an aerated, non-compacted base for plant roots to thrive and to absorb water and nutrients, which is key in ensuring plant health. Healthy plants mean better wildlife habitat.

See Devon Wildlife Trust guide on How to compost your waste

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