Soil sampling: What better way to burn off a few calories after the excesses of Christmas Day than to do some soil sampling? It’s not the easiest of tasks, as it involves a lot of walking, particularly where there are large areas to be covered. Some farmers will use an old-school bag to carry the samples around, freeing up their hands for the sampling. Fields should be sampled in a W shape and the maximum sample size permitted for the nitrates derogation is 5ha, but, in reality, most samples should be taken from areas about half this size.As per the nitrates rules, soil samples are required every four years. However, the best farmers will take samples every one or two years. As chemical phosphorus allowances are curtailed and as many believe existing allowances to be insufficient to maintain good soil fertility, more regular sampling is the best defence against reducing soil fertility.