Soil & Spade: How to Read Soil By Digging Holes on your Farm (Surrey Hills)

This event is part of the Pasture & Profit in Protected Landscapes Programme (Kent Downs, High Weald and Surrey Hills)

It is open to all farmers in Surrey, Sussex and Kent AONB and Pasture for Life members farming in the Southeast of England

'There is nothing like digging a hole with a spade to learn what is going on beneath your feet and understanding the health of your soil.' Fergus Henderson

Creating and maintaining thriving soil life is key to creating and maintaining healthy pasture.

Join farmers David Cornforth and Fergus Henderson as they take a spade out into the fields of Lydling Farm in the Surrey Hills and share how they understand and monitor the health of the soil on their farm and inform their decision making

Good soil management starts with a visual soil assessment to identify its texture, look at its structure and note what is working and anything that might not be right including:

• water infiltration
• compaction/aeration
• depth of roots
• earthworm and insect activity
• fungal and microbial activity

This information can then be used to think about how you manage your pasture and to understand the impact certain grazing practices have on your soil.

About Lydling Farm

Lydling Farm is now run by Angus Stovold, he is the sixth generation at the farm and the third generation Aberdeen Angus breeder. He runs an extremely low input farm. The cattle are disease and worm free, the cows out winter on home produced straw and hay when close to calving. He has spring and autumn herds.

He also grows Lucerne and has started to growing herbal and drought tolerant lays as well as sanfoin for the first time this year. Last year’s drought has robbed the farm of any feed reserves but he hopes these changes will improve the Outlook. He also runs the farm with high environmental standards and makes space for nature.

This event is part of the Pasture & Profit in Protected Landscapes Programme (Kent Downs, High Weald and Surrey Hills) I

It is open to ALL Farmers in the AONB and to members of Pasture for Life who farm in the Southeast of England

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Cross Farm, Shackleford, Godalming, United Kingdom