{"id":2757,"date":"2019-12-12T21:36:14","date_gmt":"2019-12-12T21:36:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www-dev.promar-international.com\/?p=2757"},"modified":"2019-12-12T21:36:14","modified_gmt":"2019-12-12T21:36:14","slug":"7-tips-for-better-managing-soil-moisture-on-your-farm","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www-dev.promar-international.com\/it\/7-tips-for-better-managing-soil-moisture-on-your-farm\/","title":{"rendered":"7 tips for better managing soil moisture on your farm"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Sarah Jones<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

From 2019\u2019s dry spring to summer flash floods and a wash-out autumn, there\u2019s little doubt that our weather is getting more and more unpredictable.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

With so much meteorological uncertainty, the\none thing we do know is that sitting back and waiting to see what nature brings\nus is not the best management approach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the same way that improving soil quality has\nmoved to the top of the farming agenda, farmers need to start getting serious\nabout soil moisture too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It requires an integrated approach to managing\nfarmland, but with the right planning, investment and information, it could\nmake all the difference.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Plant cover crops<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Cover cropping has got to be seen as one of the\nmost important tools in a farmer\u2019s toolbox. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It helps with getting organic matter back into\nthe soil, which improves its water-holding capacity and provides buffering\nagainst too much or too little rain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What\u2019s more, by selecting the right varieties\nit\u2019s also possible to develop deeper root structures which can help with\nputting nitrogen back in the soil.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Managing cover crops doesn\u2019t need to mean extra\nwork either; if you\u2019re a livestock farmer you could work with a neighbour to\ngraze off their fields. The \u2018muck for straw\u2019 swap is always talked about, but\nthat partnership could be done in a number of different ways so you get that\nimprovement in your soil.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Consider min- and zero-till<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Min and zero-till are good options for\nimproving soils, but it\u2019s important to remember that they won\u2019t be suitable for\nevery field. Investing in new technology can also be prohibitively expensive\nfor some businesses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Seek out expertise from agronomists or\nconsultants to look at your rotation management and see if you can make it more\nintegrated than it has been in the past. Making one or two small changes can\nbenefit the soil and help you ride through inclement weather patterns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Learn from trial and error<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Finding ways to build resilience is fundamental\nto managing the water challenge on farms. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before you jump into any one solution, think\nabout whether you could run trial plots on particularly vulnerable areas of the\nfarm to see what differences you could make.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alternatively, there are some great\ndemonstration monitor farms where many of these initiatives are being tried.\nThey won\u2019t necessarily have all of the answers for the most vulnerable farms,\nbut a combination of solutions could really help.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Drill the data<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

One important thing to remember is that weather\nis geographically specific. Since last year\u2019s drought we\u2019ve had some\nreplenishment of ground water, but levels are still lower than usual, and some\nareas in particular remain drier than others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Using general data on weather patterns to\ninform your decisions is risky \u2014 it\u2019s much better to use farm-specific data,\neither collected via a software package or through an on-farm weather gauge\n(useful information doesn\u2019t have to be costly, after all).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Set short-term goals<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In the short-term, start thinking about autumn\n2019 and harvest 2020. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some of that will be around integrated nutrient\nmanagement practices, which could mean working collaboratively with an advisor\nto think about rotation planning, soil types, and soil data to identify any\nmoisture and nutrient deficiencies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s also important to build a plan of\nperformance so you know what crop growth should look like, what you should be\napplying to the soils and how you should be doing it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beyond that, it\u2019s worth thinking about whether\nyou might be able to cultivate in a different way. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Think about how many passes you are making, and\nabout how this year\u2019s crops performed earlier in the season \u2014 did they do as\nwell as you expected, what did you have to apply and what would you have done\ndifferently in hindsight?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Play the long game too<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

By collecting the right data, you should have\nthe information you need to identify what you need to do differently in future.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ask yourself if you should be looking at cover\ncrops, which crops can deal with variations in ground conditions, and whether\nyou really want to grow exactly the same crops on the same ground.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Planning for the longer-term might be costly at\nfirst, but further ahead there will be financial benefits if the changes you\nmake mean bigger crop yields and better performance in the long run.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Know when to stop<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Everyone has difficult to manage parcels on\ntheir land, so think about whether cropping and management is really working\neverywhere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you have less productive areas, consider\nfencing them off and creating habitats that will offer other environmental\nbenefits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019d like more advice on how to manage soil\nmoisture on your farm, contact the Promar Sustainability team for tailored guidance\nand information.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Sarah Jones From 2019\u2019s dry spring to summer flash floods and a wash-out autumn, there\u2019s little doubt that our weather is getting more and more unpredictable. With so much meteorological uncertainty, the one thing we do know is that sitting back and waiting to see what nature brings us is not the best management […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":256,"featured_media":1979,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[44,15],"tags":[],"abs_type":[7],"pro_group":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n7 tips for better managing soil moisture on your farm - Promar Italy DEV<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"In the same way that improving soil quality has moved to the top of the farming agenda, farmers need to start getting serious about soil moisture too.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www-dev.promar-international.com\/it\/7-tips-for-better-managing-soil-moisture-on-your-farm\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"7 tips for better managing soil moisture on your farm\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"In the same way that improving soil quality has moved to the top of the farming agenda, farmers need to start getting serious about soil moisture too.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www-dev.promar-international.com\/it\/7-tips-for-better-managing-soil-moisture-on-your-farm\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Promar Italy DEV\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2019-12-12T21:36:14+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Sarah Jones\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www-dev.promar-international.com\/it\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/80\/2019\/11\/RS7995_077A2184.jpg?fit=5760%2C3840\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Sarah Jones\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www-dev.promar-international.com\/it\/7-tips-for-better-managing-soil-moisture-on-your-farm\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www-dev.promar-international.com\/it\/7-tips-for-better-managing-soil-moisture-on-your-farm\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Sarah Jones\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www-dev.promar-international.com\/it\/#\/schema\/person\/1cd9d4a7a25c95b58acf99e95ab88847\"},\"headline\":\"7 tips for better managing soil moisture on your farm\",\"datePublished\":\"2019-12-12T21:36:14+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2019-12-12T21:36:14+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www-dev.promar-international.com\/it\/7-tips-for-better-managing-soil-moisture-on-your-farm\/\"},\"wordCount\":808,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www-dev.promar-international.com\/it\/#organization\"},\"articleSection\":[\"Environment\",\"Farm Profitability\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www-dev.promar-international.com\/it\/7-tips-for-better-managing-soil-moisture-on-your-farm\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www-dev.promar-international.com\/it\/7-tips-for-better-managing-soil-moisture-on-your-farm\/\",\"name\":\"7 tips for better managing soil moisture on your farm - 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