Farm Auditing for Sustainability

Policy makers have now established sustainability as the new aim for UK farming. The development of the Farm Audit for Sustainability involved identifying the objectives of sustainable farming, based on the Principles of organic farming as set out by the International Federation of Organic Farming Movements (IFOAM) and establishment of indicators to assess the effectiveness of individual farms in meeting these objectives. On-farm use of the Farm Audit demonstrated that the tool was able to provide a comprehensive assessment of sustainability of the farming system and that it is an information and advisory tool which is potentially useful in benchmarking and development of the farming operation

Using minimum tillage to improve the efficiency of ecosystem service delivery on organic farms

Organic farming practices aim to maximise the delivery of ecosystem services in the agricultural landscape. However, in order to maintain optimal crop productivity the mouldboard plough is often used to control weeds and this can have negative effects on a range of soil parameters, thereby jeopardizing delivery of these services. Reduced tillage (RT) can be beneficial to soils and could improve both the efficiency of production and the delivery of ecosystem services on organic farms. However, abandoning the plough on organic farms is challenging due to impaired weed control. Here we report on a two year trial where an RT system with the Ecodyn, with duck feet shares operating at a depth of 7.6 cm in combination with seed drilling, was compared with mouldboard ploughing. Spring oat and spring barley establishment was improved under RT. Weed cover and biomass was greater under RT, but there was no difference in cereal grain yields in either year. The RT system used 71% less fuel and tillage operations took 72% less time that the plough system

Development of software to plan conversion to organic production (OrgPlan)

This report was presented at the UK Organic Research 2002 Conference. OrgPlan is a computer programme aimed at farmers and advisors assisting with the planning of an organic conversion. The programme is divided into technical modules, supported by a standard enterprise database, a report builder and an advisory section. Through the farm profile builder, rotation, cropping and livestock planner, conversion scenarios over several years can be developed and are evaluated for technical and financial feasibility by calculating farm gate budgets for key resources (forage energy and key nutrients) and financial reports (cash flow budget and profit and loss account). The poster illustrates the basic functioning of the software as well as the underlying rationale for the scenario evaluation

Dissolved Gallium In the Northwest Pacific and the South and Central Atlantic Oceans: Implications for Aeolian Fe Input and a Reconsideration of Profiles

[1] The distribution of dissolved gallium, a less-reactive analogue of aluminum, has the potential to reveal information about the averaged dust input to the surface ocean and to complement studies using aluminum as a tracer. New data are presented here on the distribution of dissolved Ga, including six profiles in the south and central Atlantic as well as seven shallow and two deep profiles from the northwest Pacific. The Atlantic data allow for an estimate of Ga in Antarctic Bottom Water ( similar to 25 - 30 pmol kg(-1)) and show reasonably conservative behavior in deep waters. In the northwest Pacific, surface water Ga/Al ratios correlate with chlorophyll concentrations, probably reflecting the biogenic removal of dissolved Al and suggesting a possible means for estimating variation in surface water Al removal times. Also in the northwest Pacific, low surface water Ga in subpolar surface waters suggests low dust input, thereby providing an explanation for the high nutrient - low chlorophyll behavior of this environment. This low Ga subpolar water implies that North Pacific Intermediate Water is low in Ga and thus provides an advective explanation for the intermediate water Ga minimum observed in the temperate North Pacific. Surprisingly, the deepest waters sampled in the North Pacific have Ga concentrations similar to that estimated for circumpolar waters, thus indicating minimal reactivity of Ga in its northward transit in the deep Pacific

The Detection of Damage and the Measurement of Strain within Composites by Means of Embedded Optical Fiber Sensors

Structurally integrated fiber optic sensors hold the promise of improved quality control of composites and “real-time, in-service” monitoring of the loads to which they are subjected and any damage they may sustain. This could reduce overdesign and increase confidence in their use by improving both safety and their economics especially in terms of inspection and maintenance, Figure 1. This would be particularly relevant to the Aerospace Industry where any weight saving has a multiplier effect. The technology of imbedding arrays of optical fiber sensors within advanced composite material structures during their fabrication essentially provides materials with “optical nerves”. Improved quality control would be achieved by monitoring the internal of composites during their manufacture. Also since “in-service” monitoring of structural loads and structural integrity would permit weaknesses to be indicated before they became critical, longer periods could be allowed between costly inspections. When the system is taken out of service for such an inspection, a shorter downtime might be expected since the built-in sensors would have already indicated sites of weakness and their rate of deterioration. A recent overview of fiber optic based “Smart Structures” has been prepared by the author[1]

Diverse fertility building leys in arable rotations (OK-Net Arable Practice Abstract)

The results of a three year study in the UK suggest that there are several advantages to more complex mixtures; • Greater resilience to variable conditions • Combine early and late weed suppression • Slower decomposition on incorporation • Extends forage availability for key insect pollinators • Generally achieve higher forage yields • Potential for higher subsequent crop yields. Practical recommendation • There are a number of plant characteristics that have an impact on nitrogen release and mobilisation, namely C:N ratio, lignin and polyphenol content which result in slower N release and lower N losses or better N utilisation. • Including grass species in the mix takes up the N fixed by the legumes and reduces the free N in the soil; the rhizobia bacteria respond to the low soil N, resulting in higher N fixation and greater biomass. Moreover the higher C:N ratio prolongs the release of N to subsequent crops. The balance of grass and legumes is important. • The annual N accumulation of ley mixtures decreases after two years, although there may be other advantages from longer leys such as weed control. • In terms of forage yield including a 3rd or 4th legume is generally advantageous. • The best multifunctional mixtures contain one or more species of Black Medic, Lucerne and Red Clover, plus other legumes according to the circumstances

Elm Farm Research Centre Bulletin 82 February 2006

Regular newsletter with technical updates from the Organic Advisory Service Issue covers: organic sector payments, dietary health choices, avian influenza vaccination, tradable quotas, feeding cities, sewage sludge, organic aquaculture, organic poultry, biodiversity and productivity research, organic winter wheat varieties, linking farmers and scientists, Interreg Project, RAFAEL energy use greenhouse gas emissions food and farming

OCIS Public Goods Tool Development

There has recently been an increase in interest amongst policy-makers in the question of whether farming provides a “public good” beyond the simple production of food, which justifies support from, for instance, EU agricultural policy. Benefits such as an improved environment or better water quality can be perceived to be public goods. It is the provision of these sorts of benefits which may be used in the future to justify continued support of the agricultural sector through subsidies. Given the current level of interest in this topic Natural England, with the approval of Defra, through OCIS (Organic Conversion Information Service), wished to create a tool which could be used by an advisor or an informed land owner to assess the public good provided by a/their farm. Thus, the OCIS Public Good Tool was developed