We all hear about sustainability these days. It covers a lot of topics, from recycling plastic and tin cans to saving water and reducing electricity use.
Many readers may be aware of the Green Schools initiative and will hear a lot about climate change, carbon emissions and global warming in schools. This is all part of sustainability.
If we look up sustainability in the dictionary, it says it is the ability of something to be maintained at a certain rate or level. Some say it is to avoid depleting natural resources.
If we look at sustainability as a whole, it has three pillars. They are economics, environment and social. So something needs to be economically sustainable, environmentally sustainable and socially sustainable. If you picture a three-legged stool, it will fall over if there is a leg missing.
This is the same on a farm. If the farm isn’t making money, it won’t be sustainable. If the farm is profitable, but is damaging the environment, it is not sustainable and if a farmer is working too hard and has no quality of life, but the farm is making a profit and is environmentally friendly, it is not sustainable.
It is important to make sure weather conditions are suitable for applying fertiliser. \ Donal O'Leary
Looking at farm sustainability, this means that farms need to be profitable while looking after the environment and those involved in the farm having a good quality of life.
To explain this further, here are some examples of how farmers can and are trying to improve their farm’s sustainability.
Careful applications of nutrients
Water quality is important. We need to have water that is safe to drink and that is safe for the fish and other animals.
If fertiliser or slurry leaks into the water, it will reduce the water quality. If this happens, it means the fertiliser and slurry is being wasted. Those nutrients have a value and cost money, so on all fronts it makes sense to make the best use out of them.
This means nutrients should be spread at the right time – not before heavy rain or in very dry conditions and when the crop is actively growing, so in warm soil conditions.
Planting cover crops
Another example of minding the environment while helping to save nutrients and improve soil health is by planting cover crops.
Plants like wheat and barley will most likely not use all of the fertiliser applied to them and when they are harvested, those nutrients are in the soil and at risk of loss to water. By planting a cover crop on the soil, the new crop will take up the nutrients left in the soil and prevent them from being lost. This means that the farmer can reduce the level of fertiliser being applied to the following crop, as they have saved nutrients by planting a cover crop.
Phacelia can be planted as a cover crop and provides food for pollinators.
These crops can then be grazed by animals or they can be tilled into the soil and the nutrients taken up by the crop will be returned to the soil for the following crop.
This practice also protects the soil from erosion or loss and helps to improve the soil structure by adding organic matter to the soil and providing different root structures.
These crops will also help to take in carbon from the atmosphere and store it in the soil, reducing the level of carbon emissions in the atmosphere.
Cover crops cost money to plant, so farmers need to work out how much they can afford. Allowing animals to graze these crops can add an income stream, while some of the benefits like improving soil structure are hard to put a value on, as they can’t be counted like tonnes of grain.
These crops also provide biodiversity to soil, habitats for wildlife and food for pollinators, helping with our social responsibilities.
Clover
Clover is a nitrogen-fixing plant. It can take nitrogen from the air and fix it to help crops to grow. This can replace artificial nitrogen. Artificial nitrogen costs a lot of money and has gone up in price again this year, so replacing this nitrogen can save you money.
It can also help to reduce nitrogen loss to water. However, if clover is at very high levels in a sward, then it can also leach nitrogen.
If clover is not at a high content in the sward, the farmer may need to reseed or stitch clover into the sward.
This will be a cost, but this cost should be outweighed by the benefits if clover establishes well.
This is another example of how a farmer can save money and prevent damage to the environment, protecting water quality. Clover can also add biodiversity to swards and provide flowers for pollinators.
We all hear about sustainability these days. It covers a lot of topics, from recycling plastic and tin cans to saving water and reducing electricity use.
Many readers may be aware of the Green Schools initiative and will hear a lot about climate change, carbon emissions and global warming in schools. This is all part of sustainability.
If we look up sustainability in the dictionary, it says it is the ability of something to be maintained at a certain rate or level. Some say it is to avoid depleting natural resources.
If we look at sustainability as a whole, it has three pillars. They are economics, environment and social. So something needs to be economically sustainable, environmentally sustainable and socially sustainable. If you picture a three-legged stool, it will fall over if there is a leg missing.
This is the same on a farm. If the farm isn’t making money, it won’t be sustainable. If the farm is profitable, but is damaging the environment, it is not sustainable and if a farmer is working too hard and has no quality of life, but the farm is making a profit and is environmentally friendly, it is not sustainable.
It is important to make sure weather conditions are suitable for applying fertiliser. \ Donal O'Leary
Looking at farm sustainability, this means that farms need to be profitable while looking after the environment and those involved in the farm having a good quality of life.
To explain this further, here are some examples of how farmers can and are trying to improve their farm’s sustainability.
Careful applications of nutrients
Water quality is important. We need to have water that is safe to drink and that is safe for the fish and other animals.
If fertiliser or slurry leaks into the water, it will reduce the water quality. If this happens, it means the fertiliser and slurry is being wasted. Those nutrients have a value and cost money, so on all fronts it makes sense to make the best use out of them.
This means nutrients should be spread at the right time – not before heavy rain or in very dry conditions and when the crop is actively growing, so in warm soil conditions.
Planting cover crops
Another example of minding the environment while helping to save nutrients and improve soil health is by planting cover crops.
Plants like wheat and barley will most likely not use all of the fertiliser applied to them and when they are harvested, those nutrients are in the soil and at risk of loss to water. By planting a cover crop on the soil, the new crop will take up the nutrients left in the soil and prevent them from being lost. This means that the farmer can reduce the level of fertiliser being applied to the following crop, as they have saved nutrients by planting a cover crop.
Phacelia can be planted as a cover crop and provides food for pollinators.
These crops can then be grazed by animals or they can be tilled into the soil and the nutrients taken up by the crop will be returned to the soil for the following crop.
This practice also protects the soil from erosion or loss and helps to improve the soil structure by adding organic matter to the soil and providing different root structures.
These crops will also help to take in carbon from the atmosphere and store it in the soil, reducing the level of carbon emissions in the atmosphere.
Cover crops cost money to plant, so farmers need to work out how much they can afford. Allowing animals to graze these crops can add an income stream, while some of the benefits like improving soil structure are hard to put a value on, as they can’t be counted like tonnes of grain.
These crops also provide biodiversity to soil, habitats for wildlife and food for pollinators, helping with our social responsibilities.
Clover
Clover is a nitrogen-fixing plant. It can take nitrogen from the air and fix it to help crops to grow. This can replace artificial nitrogen. Artificial nitrogen costs a lot of money and has gone up in price again this year, so replacing this nitrogen can save you money.
It can also help to reduce nitrogen loss to water. However, if clover is at very high levels in a sward, then it can also leach nitrogen.
If clover is not at a high content in the sward, the farmer may need to reseed or stitch clover into the sward.
This will be a cost, but this cost should be outweighed by the benefits if clover establishes well.
This is another example of how a farmer can save money and prevent damage to the environment, protecting water quality. Clover can also add biodiversity to swards and provide flowers for pollinators.
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