During 2024 the Cornwall National Landscape Monumental Improvement Project, funded primarily by the National Lottery Heritage Fund and other partners, produced new interpretation tools for many of the 40 sites...
James Richards
The impact of climate change on agriculture is an escalating concern within the farming community. Soil health has emerged as a critical factor in strengthening farm resilience to these changing conditions. Through the Farming in Protected Landscapes programme in Cornwall, we are providing farmers with the tools and support needed to improve and monitor soil health, ensuring the long-term sustainability and productivity of their operations in the face of climate challenges.
Soil is the cornerstone of all agricultural enterprises, providing the essential foundation for healthy crop growth, effective water management, carbon sequestration, and, when properly managed, fostering a sustainable future for farming and resilient agricultural businesses. Prioritizing soil health is essential for building a resilient farming future. Unfortunately, soil degradation has become a pressing global issue, leading to reduced productivity, diminished water-holding capacity, and a decreased ability to capture carbon— an effective tool in combating climate change.
To fully appreciate the value of soil, it is crucial to understand it as a living ecosystem composed of minerals, organic matter, water, air, and organisms. While soil degradation is a natural process, human activities are accelerating it. However, by adopting sustainable practices, we can improve soil health over time, ensuring both environmental and agricultural benefits for generations to come.
Establishing a baseline for your soil is essential to understanding its current condition and tracking improvements over time. One of the simplest and most effective ways to evaluate soil health is to dig a hole and assess its structure using the Visual Evaluation of Soil Structure (VESS) scoring method. For guidance, the AHDB offers an excellent resource on this technique.
For a more detailed analysis, consider enlisting the expertise of professional soil samplers. They can perform laboratory tests to provide comprehensive data on the chemical composition and other critical characteristics of your soil. This detailed information can be invaluable for making informed decisions.
Once you understand your soil’s condition, you can implement targeted strategies to improve it. For example, planting cover crops between cash crops can reduce runoff and soil erosion, offering protection compared to leaving fields bare. Similarly, adopting reduced tillage methods can enhance soil structure and contribute to long-term soil health.
Once you’ve assessed your soil, implement strategies tailored to its needs:
Transition from permanent pasture to herbal leys: Diverse leys offer more resilience in times of drought and flood, better nutrition for livestock and increased biodiversity for pollinators.
Plant cover crops: These reduce runoff and erosion, shielding your soil between cash crops.
Adopt reduced tillage: Less disturbance helps improve soil structure and boosts long-term health.
Incorporate organic matter: Adding compost or manure enhances fertility and supports beneficial microorganisms
We’ve chosen the case studies below, to show how real farmers in Cornwall have incorporated the above 4 simple methods into their farming practices
Dairy cattle cell grazing a herbal ley in Section 10
We’ve funded a number of farmers to establish trials of herbal leys with the intention that if successful they can take the methodology forward across more of their land.
What is a herbal ley? A herbal ley is another name for a diverse sward. A pasture that has been sown with a diverse array of plants including grasses, herbs and legumes. Together, these mix of plants deliver soil fertility, the improve the overall structure of the soil (making it more drought tolerant and flood resistant), it encourages biodiversity (boosting pollinators, invertebrates and bird species on farms), and it also boosts livestock health (through natural medicinal benefits & higher nutritional quality).
What species do I need?
If you’re considering sowing a herbal ley, it is important to understand what your soil is looking like now. The seed mix you choose for your land needs to be right for your soil type, your geography and your desired outcomes. Chicory is great for breaking through compact layers and creating drought/flood resilience, yarrow can benefit livestock health, while clovers can fix nitrogen into the soil and suppress weeds! We have produced a document about cover crops which might be useful to those wanting to read more about different species and their benefits.
HeLEN event held at Treway Farm
Clear distinction between grassland and diverse ley. Testing for differences in soil compaction.
The Herbal Ley Establishment Network – HeLEN
Through FiPL, we have funded the Herbal Ley Establishment Network (HeLEN) to develop a decision-making questionnaire which will help farmers to decide if they need to apply for a formal Environmental Impact Assessment prior to introducing herbal leys to their holdings.
The network has been working with farmers to explore different methods of sowing herbal leys in order to get the best value in terms of environmental and economic return to the farm.
The network is also available to provide advice and guidance. You can find a copy of the decision making flow chart in our resources section.
The HeLEN Project will hosting events soon – keep your eyes open for info!
Feedback coming soon…
In other projects, we have funded trials of cover crops following the harvest of cereals and maize. Cereals and maize are often grown in Cornwall as feedstuff for dairy cattle.
Why is there a need to plant a cover crop under maize?
Some maize/cereal crops are harvested late in the season, which can lead to fields being bare over winter until the following spring when the field is resown. When maize is harvested in poorer weather conditions it can often lead to damage to the soils as well as soil erosion and nutrient loss from the fields.
Through planting a cover crop, the risk of soil erosion and surface water run-off is reduced. Any surface water run-off is slowed by the established cover crop allowing sediments and nutrients to be ‘caught’ and kept on the field. The cover crops also help to uptake nutrients and reduce nitrates leaching through the soil.
(Above): Post maize-harvest before a cover crop is sown
(Above): Post-maize harvest with an established & successful cover crop
The results
Being fully transparent, the results of our cover crop trials have been mixed. Through FiPL we have been able to fund a farmer in Section 02 to trial 2ha of one of the new Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) options – SHO4 “Winter cover following maize crops”. Unfortunately the crop was unsuccessful in its establishment, possibly due to being sown too late and due to the very wet weather we experienced at the end of 2024 start of 2025. Although unsuccessful, we take this as an opportunity to learn. We now know that the cover crop needed to be sown immediately after the maize was harvested to get the best of what was left of the season. On the other hand, a cover crop trial in Section 09 has proved to be successful, with the farmer going on to use more cover crops across the land.
Martin (farming in Section 08): I've planted a diverse mix on my potato fields "…to help reduce carbon [lost], increase soil health and encourage wildlife in the area…the deep roots encourage water penetration preventing run off on the slope". It can be ploughed back in, the plants "take the carbon from the air and turn it into nitrogen fertiliser for the soil, ready for the next crop"
Martin (farming in Section 08): I've planted a diverse mix on my potato fields "…to help reduce carbon [lost], increase soil health and encourage wildlife in the area…the deep roots encourage water penetration preventing run off on the slope". It can be ploughed back in, the plants "take the carbon from the air and turn it into nitrogen fertiliser for the soil, ready for the next crop"
Martin (farming in Section 08): I've planted a diverse mix on my potato fields "…to help reduce carbon [lost], increase soil health and encourage wildlife in the area…the deep roots encourage water penetration preventing run off on the slope". It can be ploughed back in, the plants "take the carbon from the air and turn it into nitrogen fertiliser for the soil, ready for the next crop"
Martin (farming in Section 08): I've planted a diverse mix on my potato fields "…to help reduce carbon [lost], increase soil health and encourage wildlife in the area…the deep roots encourage water penetration preventing run off on the slope". It can be ploughed back in, the plants "take the carbon from the air and turn it into nitrogen fertiliser for the soil, ready for the next crop"
There are a lot of ‘buzz’ words floating about the farming world at the moment; so let’s start with understanding some of them.
What is min-till agriculture?
Min-till is a method of cultivation that still uses mechanical means, but doesn’t use ploughing. DEFRA has produced a great explanatory article about min-till and no-till farming on their blog – you can read it here.
What is no-till and direct drilling?
If a no-till approach is taken, then you’ll be direct drilling the ground. In this technique, there is no turning of the soil, no ploughing, no strip-tilling at all. Direct drilling needs to be done in accompaniment with other agro-ecological practices in order for it to be most effective (i.e. on ground where there is permanent soil cover and/or within a crop rotation).
What are the benefits of these approaches?
There are key benefits to reducing the amount of soil disturbance on your land. Direct drilling occurs over the top of crop residues, these residues then act as a natural mulch; reducing erosion, trapping in moisture and adding organic matter to the soil. Direct drilling machinery often exerts less pressure onto the soil therefore the compaction is less, in addition, the ground is driven over less times which also reduces the compaction. This approach can be money-saving and time saving – by not needing to plough, you’re saving money on labour, machinery and fuel.
FiPL’s Findings on reducing tillage
FiPL has funded a number of farmers to transition from traditional ploughing cultivation methods to a reduced tillage, min-tillage or zero-tillage method
Farmer feedback coming soon
Scadghill Farm:
In 2021, Scadhill under went conversion to organic practices following a set of soil tests. Previous to then, the farm had been farmed conventionally. The new owners quickly learnt from the soil test results combined with failed reseeds, unproductive yields and poor weight gain on their livestock that their soil biology and soil organic matter (SOM) needed attention!
They approached FiPL for funding to develop a fully biological and fully regenerative Total Mixed Ration (TMR) for their soil!
Traditionally, a ‘Total Mixed Ration’ is a way of feeding beef and dairy cattle to ensure the livestock’s diet is balanced and includes quality forages, grains proteins, vitamins and minerals.
At Scadhill, the farmers wanted to take this approach and develop a ‘feed’ for the soils. The feed they developed included components such as; recycled fish waste that would otherwise end up in landfill, molasses, extracts from seaweed and other vital trace elements!
Feedback coming soon…..
