Restoring soil quality through re-integration of leys and sheep into arable rotations
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Sheffield
Department Name: School of Biosciences
Abstract
The economic and environmental sustainability of UK arable farming is facing a crisis, caused in part by soil degradation as a result of continuous intensive cultivation. The use of ploughing and short rotations in which a small number of crops (especially wheat and oilseed rape) are grown with very high frequency with high reliance on inputs of fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides has led to loss of soil organic matter, compaction, reduced water-storage capacity and increased risks of water pollution from soil erosion and agro-chemicals, and reduced farm profitability. This has been compounded by the build-up of increasingly intractable herbicide- resistant weeds in wheat such as blackgrass, and pesticide- resistant insects such as flea beetle in oilseed rape in these short rotations.
To address these problems, some farmers are starting to return to mixed farming, reintroducing leys containing grass and clover, grazed by sheep, into arable rotations hoping this will improve soil quality, reduce weeds and diseases and boost profits, but without the critical evidence they need to guide these decisions.
Our multidisciplinary proposal directly addresses this industry-led research need. We recognize the urgent requirement to determine how best to restore soil quality, and achieve good livestock production and economic returns through a comprehensive evaluation of the costs and benefits of such systems. Our goal is to provide the first comprehensive industry-informed, farmer-participatory assessment of soil quality, environmental and economic cost-benefits, farmer motivations and barriers to reintroducing sheep into arable rotations, focused on our most intensively cultivated areas of eastern England.
Our approach is to compare traditional grazed grass-clover leys and conventional crop cultivation, with innovative management systems that hold the promise of better returns involving combining novel species-rich herbal leys, mowing and no-tillage direct drilling of the crops. The work is divided into five work packages.
1.Farmer-participatory research network: We are building a network of arable farmers who are already conducting initial trials into introducing grass-clover and species-rich herbal leys, sheep and no- tillage, into arable rotations. We will run workshops with participant farmers, as well as those who have not made these changes, and conduct a large-scale farmer-survey to understand the motivations for, and barriers to, incorporating these alternative systems. We will identify where farmers have had success with these approaches and what has made them successful.
2.Soil quality restoration and sheep production: We will set up field experiments with a participatory group of farmers to compare the effects of herb-rich leys with traditional grass-clover leys under sheep grazing versus mowing, on soil quality, (organic matter, structure, effects on water storage and infiltration, nutrient cycling, earthworms and organisms associated with sheep faeces. We will assess sheep production (live weight gain, and intestinal pathogens) and the biomass production of the leys.
3 Effects of reducing tillage: Determine whether direct drilling offers benefits over disc or plough-based tillage on subsequent arable crop production and soil quality following leys (including assessment of yield, nutrient use efficiency, weeds, diseases and pests) in our participatory farm-based trials.
4 Farm-scale cost-benefit analysis: Evaluate the environmental and economic cost-benefits of bringing sheep and grass-clover versus herbal leys into arable rotations, mowing, and use of direct drilling compared to current arable tillage practices - assessing the costs and output values to farms, and nutrient use efficiency of the different approaches.
5 Upscaling and policy implications: Landscape-scale effects including impacts on flood and pollution risk and consider targeted farm payments to encourage the most beneficial practices
To address these problems, some farmers are starting to return to mixed farming, reintroducing leys containing grass and clover, grazed by sheep, into arable rotations hoping this will improve soil quality, reduce weeds and diseases and boost profits, but without the critical evidence they need to guide these decisions.
Our multidisciplinary proposal directly addresses this industry-led research need. We recognize the urgent requirement to determine how best to restore soil quality, and achieve good livestock production and economic returns through a comprehensive evaluation of the costs and benefits of such systems. Our goal is to provide the first comprehensive industry-informed, farmer-participatory assessment of soil quality, environmental and economic cost-benefits, farmer motivations and barriers to reintroducing sheep into arable rotations, focused on our most intensively cultivated areas of eastern England.
Our approach is to compare traditional grazed grass-clover leys and conventional crop cultivation, with innovative management systems that hold the promise of better returns involving combining novel species-rich herbal leys, mowing and no-tillage direct drilling of the crops. The work is divided into five work packages.
1.Farmer-participatory research network: We are building a network of arable farmers who are already conducting initial trials into introducing grass-clover and species-rich herbal leys, sheep and no- tillage, into arable rotations. We will run workshops with participant farmers, as well as those who have not made these changes, and conduct a large-scale farmer-survey to understand the motivations for, and barriers to, incorporating these alternative systems. We will identify where farmers have had success with these approaches and what has made them successful.
2.Soil quality restoration and sheep production: We will set up field experiments with a participatory group of farmers to compare the effects of herb-rich leys with traditional grass-clover leys under sheep grazing versus mowing, on soil quality, (organic matter, structure, effects on water storage and infiltration, nutrient cycling, earthworms and organisms associated with sheep faeces. We will assess sheep production (live weight gain, and intestinal pathogens) and the biomass production of the leys.
3 Effects of reducing tillage: Determine whether direct drilling offers benefits over disc or plough-based tillage on subsequent arable crop production and soil quality following leys (including assessment of yield, nutrient use efficiency, weeds, diseases and pests) in our participatory farm-based trials.
4 Farm-scale cost-benefit analysis: Evaluate the environmental and economic cost-benefits of bringing sheep and grass-clover versus herbal leys into arable rotations, mowing, and use of direct drilling compared to current arable tillage practices - assessing the costs and output values to farms, and nutrient use efficiency of the different approaches.
5 Upscaling and policy implications: Landscape-scale effects including impacts on flood and pollution risk and consider targeted farm payments to encourage the most beneficial practices
Technical Summary
This multidisciplinary research project will, for the first time, evaluate the environmental and economic cost-benefits of reintroducing leys and sheep into arable rotations to improve soil quality in our most intensively cropped areas of eastern England. The project will deliver the evidence-base needed to guide how to use these systems to increase soil organic matter content and improve soil structure and associated hydrological functioning and soil water and nutrient storage. These changes are required to reduce the problems of water pollution, and establish more sustainable crop and livestock production systems. The research is focused on experiments to be conducted with 5 arable farmers in participatory research. We will evaluate the potential benefits of innovative approaches that combine new types of ley and tillage methods. We will study the effects of traditional grass clover-leys, versus new species-rich herbal leys, grazing versus mowing, and conventional tillage versus direct drilling, as tools that in novel combination are hypothesized to be more effective in restoring physical, chemical and biological soil quality than the traditional approaches, and predicted to deliver greater economic and environmental benefits. The research builds on, and extends, current trials supported by the AHDB and National Sheep Association. It will provide a the most comprehensive assessment of soil quality changes from these systems, through detailed sampling and analyseis of soil structure and hydrological functioning, organic carbon and nutrients, together with data on herbage, sheep and crop production, economic and environmental cost-benefits. The project is multiscale from plot-to-field-to-farm-to-catchment-to-landscape and will deploy a range of upscaling modelling tools that will allow the wider effects of reintroducing sheep into arable rotations to be determined to guide policymaking on farm payments for environmental goods and services.
Planned Impact
We have developed a set of pathways to deliver impact from this research to address the industry-challenge- how best to reintroduce livestock into arable rotations to improve soil quality.
The research findings will be directly communicated to SARIC industry club members through written reports, and oral presentations at the annual SARIC meetings. Our proposal has been developed in consultation with leaders of existing AHDB work in this area and we will fully engage with existing AHDB mechanisms for dissemination of our research findings. The research is especially important for the industry club members Anglia Water, and NRM Cawood Scientific with whom we will be collaborating in the development of their soil testing service.
The core outcomes of the project will directly influence a) Farmers, farm managers: benefit through understanding benefits of leys and sheep grazing to restore soil quality under different management practices and soil types; b) seed companies (Cotswold Seeds, Kings) Statutory agencies involved in water and soil conservation (e.g. Natural England, Environment Agency); c) Utility companies involved in water supply, nitrate pollution and management of stormwater and associated sediment discharges e.g. Yorkshire Water; d) households in flood-risk areas where the risks have been increased by loss of arable soil water infiltration and storage capacity; e) Game and Wildlife Conservation, f) The Sustainable Soils Alliance and other organizations such as the Global Soils Partnership seeking to protect soils, g) Government policy makers (DEFRA).
MECHANISMS OF ENGAGEMENT AND IMPACT GENERATION
On-farm demonstrations: The project launch event to which industry-club members, collaborators and farmers will be invited will be run at NIAB Innovation Farm including a visit to the experimental leys to be set up by NIAB in 2018
Knowledge exchange workshops: We will conduct these with farmers at the start (2019), middle (2020) and end (2022) of the project.
Linking Farmers and Environmental Agencies: In Spring 2022 we will run a one day outreach meeting at the GWCT Allerton Project Visitor Center to demonstrate research outcomes, visit ongoing studies of sheep in arable rotations (see LoS) and communicate findings to farmers and farm managers and agencies involved in water and soil conservation.
Sheep Producers: We will publicize our findings to sheep producers through in-kind support of the National Sheep Association publishing articles in their bi-monthly magazine and contributing to their seminar programmes at key NSA events.
Arable Farmers: We will present summary information on finding of the research at NIAB-TAG stand at the annual Cereals Event in the summer of 2022 and at annual June NIAB Open days.
Academics: Submission of manuscripts for publication in high impact and open access peer reviewed journals, associated press releases and conference presentations.
Policymakers. We will communicate through established links with Defra in Demonstration Test Catchments (See letter of support from Defra, who would be willing to consider provision of translational funds in the final year of the project to draw together the results in a policy relevant format in order to maximise the impact of the work). In addition we have a pathway to policy-influence via the Sustainable Soils Alliance and policy briefing notes.
The Public: We will engage with the public through press releases in relation to publication of results; at annual International Science open days and the annual NIAB Festival of Plants events and through the project website and Twitter.
End of Project Knowledge Translation Event: The final project meeting in Autumn 2022 at NIAB innovation Farm will be focused on translation of the project discoveries into practical applications with collaborators and industry club members.
The research findings will be directly communicated to SARIC industry club members through written reports, and oral presentations at the annual SARIC meetings. Our proposal has been developed in consultation with leaders of existing AHDB work in this area and we will fully engage with existing AHDB mechanisms for dissemination of our research findings. The research is especially important for the industry club members Anglia Water, and NRM Cawood Scientific with whom we will be collaborating in the development of their soil testing service.
The core outcomes of the project will directly influence a) Farmers, farm managers: benefit through understanding benefits of leys and sheep grazing to restore soil quality under different management practices and soil types; b) seed companies (Cotswold Seeds, Kings) Statutory agencies involved in water and soil conservation (e.g. Natural England, Environment Agency); c) Utility companies involved in water supply, nitrate pollution and management of stormwater and associated sediment discharges e.g. Yorkshire Water; d) households in flood-risk areas where the risks have been increased by loss of arable soil water infiltration and storage capacity; e) Game and Wildlife Conservation, f) The Sustainable Soils Alliance and other organizations such as the Global Soils Partnership seeking to protect soils, g) Government policy makers (DEFRA).
MECHANISMS OF ENGAGEMENT AND IMPACT GENERATION
On-farm demonstrations: The project launch event to which industry-club members, collaborators and farmers will be invited will be run at NIAB Innovation Farm including a visit to the experimental leys to be set up by NIAB in 2018
Knowledge exchange workshops: We will conduct these with farmers at the start (2019), middle (2020) and end (2022) of the project.
Linking Farmers and Environmental Agencies: In Spring 2022 we will run a one day outreach meeting at the GWCT Allerton Project Visitor Center to demonstrate research outcomes, visit ongoing studies of sheep in arable rotations (see LoS) and communicate findings to farmers and farm managers and agencies involved in water and soil conservation.
Sheep Producers: We will publicize our findings to sheep producers through in-kind support of the National Sheep Association publishing articles in their bi-monthly magazine and contributing to their seminar programmes at key NSA events.
Arable Farmers: We will present summary information on finding of the research at NIAB-TAG stand at the annual Cereals Event in the summer of 2022 and at annual June NIAB Open days.
Academics: Submission of manuscripts for publication in high impact and open access peer reviewed journals, associated press releases and conference presentations.
Policymakers. We will communicate through established links with Defra in Demonstration Test Catchments (See letter of support from Defra, who would be willing to consider provision of translational funds in the final year of the project to draw together the results in a policy relevant format in order to maximise the impact of the work). In addition we have a pathway to policy-influence via the Sustainable Soils Alliance and policy briefing notes.
The Public: We will engage with the public through press releases in relation to publication of results; at annual International Science open days and the annual NIAB Festival of Plants events and through the project website and Twitter.
End of Project Knowledge Translation Event: The final project meeting in Autumn 2022 at NIAB innovation Farm will be focused on translation of the project discoveries into practical applications with collaborators and industry club members.
Publications
CHADWICK D
(2021)
REINTEGRATION OF CROP-LIVESTOCK SYSTEMS IN EUROPE: AN OVERVIEW
in Frontiers of Agricultural Science and Engineering
Cooledge E
(2024)
Herbal leys have no effect on soil porosity, earthworm abundance, and microbial community composition compared to a grass-clover ley in a sheep grazed grassland after 2-years
in Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment
Guo Y
(2023)
Prolonged flooding followed by drying increase greenhouse gas emissions differently from soils under grassland and arable land uses
in Geoderma Regional
Rathbone C
(2023)
Ammonia emissions from nitrogen fertilised agricultural soils: controlling factors and solutions for emission reduction
in Environmental Chemistry
Royal Agricultural Society Of England
(2022)
FARM OF THE FUTURE: JOURNEY TO NET ZERO
Zhang P
(2021)
Nanotechnology and artificial intelligence to enable sustainable and precision agriculture.
in Nature plants
Description | The split-field experiments comparing herbal leys and grass-clover leys have been established at 4 farms, and the herbal ley added into the 15 year NIAB STAR trial. There is considerable variation between the farms in the establishment and diversity of the species in the herbal leys, and this may be influenced by soil type and grazing management differences. We have conducted base-line soil analyses. Some results of analyses of intestinal parasites in sheep have found evidence of lower parasite load in the herbal ley than the grass-clover ley. Conversion from ley to arable took place at four farms, but the full factorial experiments with two ley types, grazing versus mowing, and 2 year or 3 year leys followed by direct drilling or ploughing are only being maintained at two farms. Wheat has been sown in the autumn by direct drilling and by ploughing. After 2 years of ley wheat yields using only 50% of normal N and P fertilizer rates with ploughing up of the leys were similar to those obtained on permanent arable control parts of the same field, but using full fertilizer rates. Direct drilling into the leys gave lower yields than ploughing, especially on mown rather than grazed leys, but the reduction due to direct drilling was only serious on the heavier soils seen on two farms- so soil texture appears to have an important effect on the suitability of ley-to-arable conversion by direct drilling. Mowing versus grazing affected the amount of volunteer weeds, including ley species that carried-over into the wheat, but these effects differed between farms. Blackgrass growth was limited - suggesting fairly good control by the leys. After 3 years of leys or 2 years of ley, followed by 2 years of cereal cropping weeds were no longer a problem. Yield penalties from direct drilling were not seen in a second year of cropping after ley- indeed yields were often increased compared to ploughing then. Work at Bangor University has been investigating nitrous oxide emissions from sheep urine patches and how this may be changed by use of diverse herbal leys with tannin-rich plant species compared to grass-clover leys. Establishment of wheat was better in the final year of the project year but yields in the drier part of the country were impacted by the drought, but the leys still showed the ability to reduce N fertilizer requirements and maintain good yields. Analysis of soil indicated significant increases in soil organic matter in the leys, and this increase was greater for the herbal leys than grass-clover leys at one of our hub study sites that has all the factors in the experiments. |
Exploitation Route | The results are helping to inform choice of ley type and management for soil health, sheep production, subsequent crop production and economic benefits- the findings from this final year have been important to achieve these longer term goals, and have attracted interest from farmers at the knowledge-exchange meetings we have held. |
Sectors | Agriculture Food and Drink Environment |
Description | One of our participatory farmers is planning on incorporating herbal leys more widely on his farm. The early findings of the research have been publicised via videos and conference presentations and are attracting interest. Insights gained from this research fed into the chapter written by Jonathan Leake in the Royal Agricultural Society of England's report "Farm of the future: journey to net zero" published in 2022, and highlighted at COP26. The research team have been involved in a large number of engagement and outreach activities with farmers and farm advisors, and continue to raise the profile and provide evidence of the multiple benefits of species-rich herbal leys for soil and livestock and the environment. |
First Year Of Impact | 2019 |
Sector | Agriculture, Food and Drink,Environment |
Impact Types | Societal |
Description | Evidence submitted to Environment-food-and-rural-affairs-committee Soil Health Inquiry on the importance of maintaining soil stocks and soil health- and advise on how to assess and monitor soil health |
Geographic Reach | National |
Policy Influence Type | Contribution to a national consultation/review |
Description | Publication of Evidence submitted to the Parliamentary Inquiry into soil health |
Geographic Reach | National |
Policy Influence Type | Contribution to a national consultation/review |
URL | https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm5804/cmselect/cmenvfru/245/summary.html |
Description | Making Nature Based Solutions at the Landscape Scale A Reality: An investigation of the barriers and spatial disconnection between NBS Investments and Beneficiaries |
Amount | £157,000 (GBP) |
Organisation | Scottish Parliament |
Sector | Public |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 09/2022 |
End | 09/2026 |
Description | UKRI BBSRC Seeding Awards for novel crops for UK arable farming |
Amount | £100,000 (GBP) |
Organisation | Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) |
Sector | Public |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 09/2022 |
End | 02/2023 |
Description | Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust |
Organisation | Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT) |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
PI Contribution | We are undertaking research jointly with the trust on the Allerton Demonstration Farm in Leicestershire. |
Collaborator Contribution | Given the strong complementarity of the SoilBioHedge project to the current goals and activities of the Trust, we are able to offer considerable in-kind support for this project. This includes offering arable fields and leys of different ages, together with hedgerows and field margins and deciduous woodlands which are already in place that would be ideal sites to sample in the landscape-scale parts of the project. The Trust also has a modern laboratory on site which will be available for sample preparation. We will provide advice on management of the experimental plots at Leeds University Farm, based on our considerable expertise in all aspects of agronomy and crop production, particularly the use of zero-tillage, and minimum tillage. |
Impact | Ongoing winter-cover crop trials of effects on mycorrhization. This collaboration has led to a number of impact and outreach activities listed elsewhere. In particular Dr Alastair Leake, Head of Policy and Development at the Allerton Project was invited to meet with the Minister Michael Gove in early 2018 to discuss options for farm payments in future, and Dr Leake included in his presentation the case for paying subsidies to farmers to grow leys in arable rotations to improve soil quality. The findings from our research provided additional support for this policy, and the policy is consistent with goals of the 25 year environment plan which include comments on the potential benefits of leys. |
Start Year | 2015 |
Description | Invitation to join the Yorkshire Agricultural Society Farmer-Scientist Network, and subsequent appointment as vice-chair of the network, following invited application in 2023. |
Organisation | Yorkshire Agricultural Society (YAS) |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
PI Contribution | I have contributed to knowledge exchange with farmers involved in, or interested in regenerative agriculture, both at the Great Yorkshire Show in June 2022 in which I presented posters, demonstrated soil quality improvement by ley using soil slices, and presented a 100 slide rolling loop presentation of key policy and practice implications of the research findings on leys from the consortium research projects I have led on leys. this was followed-up by the invitation to be guest scientist speaker at the regenerative agriculture-focused farm walk and talk in November 2022. Through these events I have made new contacts with farmers interested in trialing herbal leys and grass-clover leys. |
Collaborator Contribution | The Yorkshire Agricultural Society (YAS) funded the Regenerative Agriculture tent at the Great Yorkshire Show in 2022. The YAS also funded the farm walk in November, to which I was invited as the guest scientist speaker. The Yorkshire Agricultural Society has recently increased the hours of the employee who coordinates the Farmer-Scientist network, and the stand for the Farmer-Scientist Network at the Great Yorkshire Show in 2023 will be larger than in previous years, and include invited speakers with the logistical and financial support provided by the Society. |
Impact | The Yorkshire Agricultural Society (YAS) funded the Regenerative Agriculture tent at the Great Yorkshire Show in 2022. The YAS also funded the farm walk in November, to which I was invited as the guest scientist speaker. The Yorkshire Agricultural Society has recently increased the hours of the employee who coordinates the Farmer-Scientist network, and the stand for the Farmer-Scientist Network at the Great Yorkshire Show in 2023 will be larger than in previous years, and include invited speakers with the logistical and financial support provided by the Society. |
Start Year | 2022 |
Description | Invited to become a member of our new Royal Agricultural Society of England RASE Farm of the Future Advisory Group. |
Organisation | Royal Agricultural Society of England |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
PI Contribution | Previous contribution to the Farm for the Future Report. Now part of the advisory group. |
Collaborator Contribution | Previous contribution to the Farm for the Future Report. Now part of the advisory group. |
Impact | Previous contribution to the Farm for the Future Report. Now part of the advisory group. |
Start Year | 2023 |
Description | (U3A) invited speaker: Regenerative agriculture- how to harness the power of nature to restore soil health from intensive arable farming. |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Local |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | 13 November 2023 University of the 3rd Age Sheffield (U3A) invited speaker "Regenerative agriculture- how to harness the power of nature to restore soil health from intensive arable farming". Attendance ~50. About 95% stayed awake (apparently a record!). Subsequently invited to speak again next year at Millhouses Probus Club based on recommendation of one of the participants at the U3A talk I gave. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
Description | Agrii national Conference on Soil biology and soil health |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Invited 50 minute presentation on "Using an understanding of soil biology and function to improve nutrient use efficiency and sustainability" in arable cropping and grasslands, followed by questions and answers. The audience included agricultural advisors and farmers. There was a very positive feedback from the participants- many questions and many messages of thanks after the presentation. I presented evidence of the improvements in soil quality ab=nd crop performance achieved by reintroduc |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
Description | Biodiversity Agriculture Soil Environment (BASE UK) Webinar Regenerative agriculture- effects of leys in arable rotations on soil health. Invited talk by Jonathan Leake |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Jonathan Leake gave a 50 minute Powerpoint Presentation on Regenerative agriculture- effects of leys in arable rotations on soil health. This was followed by 30 minutes of questions. The audience were mainly farmers but included seed companies and agricultural advisors. The presentation showed key findings from the SoilBioHedge, MycorRhizaSoil and SARIC project "Restoring soil quality through reintegration of leys and sheep into arable rotations", and introduced the BBSRC Health Soil, Healthy Food Healthy People project in which effects of regenerative agriculture on soil quality and functions are being investigated. There was a lot of interest from the participants in the use of leys- and especially species-rich herbal leys, as well as interest in the combining of reintroducing leys into arable rotations with reducing tillage in subsequent cropping. There was a lot of positive feedback and thanks at the end of the meeting and messages sent afterwards. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
URL | https://base-uk.co.uk/news-article.asp?id=117 |
Description | British Soil Science Society The Northern Soils Network (NSN) Field Visit -University of Leeds farm. |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | May 2023. British Soil Science Society The Northern Soils Network (NSN) Field Visit -University of Leeds farm. Invited speaker: SoilBioHedge and MycoRhizaSoil Soil health regeneration by grass-clover leys - Findings from Leeds University Farm. Attendance ~50 |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
Description | Cereals Event: Poster presentation and soil monolith demonstration of effects of grass-clover leys on arable soil quality |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | We presented data evidence and blocks of soil from arable field and a 3 year grass-clover ley sown in the field to show how the ley regenerates soil qualities that are degraded by intensive cultivation and cropping, in a stand funded by the University of Sheffield Institute for Sustainable Food, over the two days of the show. We had significant interest from farmers and advisors attending the event. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
Description | Cereals Event: Talk presented in the Conservation Agriculture Theatre. "The role of leys in restorinfg soil quality in arable farming" |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | A talk that presented the key findings on the effects of grass-clover leys on soil quality and subsequent performance of direct-drilled wheat from the SoilBioHedge and MycoRhizaSoil projects. Attended by farmers, agricultural advisors and researchers. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
Description | Cover crops living mulch and leys |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
Results and Impact | This is a full recording of an event that took place in the summer of 2020 when face to face meetings were impossible - the event was assisted by input form Agricology and covered the outcomes of the project and other related projects |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
URL | https://www.niab.com/virtual-event-hub/soils-and-farming-systems/cover-crops-living-mulch-and-leys-v... |
Description | Emily Cooledge (Bangor University) shared her research on multispecies herbal leys with visiting farmers to Bangor University's Henfaes Research Farm |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Emily Cooledge shared her research on multispecies herbal leys with visiting farmers to Bangor University's Henfaes Research Farm as part of Dr Jenny Rhyme's workshop for the Soil Testing Pastures research project. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
URL | https://twitter.com/SophieWynneJ/status/1415970234624880643 |
Description | Emily Cooledge (University of Bangor) produced a 90 second video on Twitter about livestock and clover as part of the #SmallNationsBigIdeas outreach video series run by the Low Carbon Energy and Environment Research Network (LCEERNW). The video can be found |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Emily Cooledge produced a 90 second video on Twitter about livestock and clover from her work in the SARIC project Restoring soil quality through reintegration of leys and sheep into arable rotations. The video was part of the #SmallNationsBigIdeas outreach video series run by the Low Carbon Energy and Environment Research Network (LCEERNW). |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
URL | https://youtu.be/cb0urCaeB7c |
Description | Emily Cooledge presentation on "Multispecies leys: maximizing production efficiencies and reducing nutrient losses from Welsh Lamb production. Agritech East Week 2021 Carbon Capture or avoidance? |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Emily Cooledge was an invited speaker and panellist for Agritech East Week 2021 "Carbon Capture or avoidance? Which is the best strategy for Net Zero?" hosted at NIAB Innovation farm, discussing how multispecies leys can be used to maximise production efficiencies and reduce nutrient losses from Welsh lamb production. Her recorded presentation is from 1 hour 27 mins into the recording until 1 hour 50 minutes. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
URL | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xsXjAcA6C2c |
Description | Emily Cooledge showcased herbal ley trial to farmers attending the Ynys Môn Grassland Society meeting at Henfraes farm, discussing how multispecies leys can be used to reach Net Zero |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Local |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | As part of the Ynys Môn Grassland Society visit to Bangor University's Henfaes Research Farm, Emily Cooledge showcased the multispecies field trial to visiting farmers, discussing how multispecies leys can be used to reach Net Zero. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
URL | https://twitter.com/EmilyCooledge/status/1443674198212239364?s=20&t=Z29ER3HT-wO9hBPlM-Yvqw |
Description | Evidence provided to Dr Ruth Little meeting with Defra regarding soil health and public goods and services |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
Results and Impact | My colleague Dr Ruth Little had a meeting with a Defra team developing the Environmental Land Management Scheme, at which she was asked to discuss evidence of win-win outcomes for farming and the environment and she took to this meeting evidence prepared by me from our studies in SoilBioHedge showing the multiple benefits to soil biology and functions including public goods provided by this as a result of reintroducing legume-rich leys into arable rotations. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
Description | Farm 'walk and talk' to explore regenerative approaches to farming run by the Yorkshire Agricultural Society Farmer-Scientist Network |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Over 30 people, mainly farmers, attended this event showcasing regenerative farming methods using clover-rich and herbal leys in the Vale of York, and I gave a 1 hour lunchtime overview of the policy context, environmental and economic benefits of reintroducing leys into arable farming systems, and the savings of fertilizer possible using legume-rich leys for soil health and fertility-building. I was invited to join the Farmer-Scientist Network of the Yorkshire Agricultural Society following my contribution to the Great Yorkshire Show Regenerative Agriculture tent, and subsequently applied and was appointed vice-chair of the Farmer-Scientist Network in 2023. I am part of the organizing group for the Great Yorkshire Show Farmer-Scientist Network marquee focused on agri-tech and regenerative agriculture in 2023. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
Description | Farm visit and presentation (Norfolk) |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Local |
Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
Results and Impact | Presentation to farm manager and adviser at Honningham Thorpe Farms Norfolk, March 2020. "Restoring soil quality through reintegration of leys and sheep into arable rotations". |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
Description | Farming & Wildlife Advisory Group Meeting on Regenerative Agriculture- Talk: Transitioning to Regenerative Agriculture: Effects on Soil Health |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Feb 2024 FWAG meeting 1 hour presentation, Cambridgeshire. Transitioning to Regenerative Agriculture: Effects on Soil Health |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
Description | Flood Plain Meadows Conference, Oxford. Invited plenary speaker: Biological regeneration of soil health- the role of plants, roots, fungi and earthworms in grasslands. |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | May 2023 Flood Plain Meadows Conference, Oxford. Invited plenary speaker: Biological regeneration of soil health- the role of plants, roots, fungi and earthworms in grasslands. Attendance ~250 |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
Description | Global Soil Biodiversity Initiative Global Webinar "Soil Biodiversity and Sustainable Agriculture' |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Jonathan Leake was an invited speaker and panel member for a global webinar, for which there were 800 participants registered. The audience was global, and included farming practitioners, academics from various scientific disciplines, and policy makers. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
URL | https://www.globalsoilbiodiversity.org/webinar-11-sustainable-ag |
Description | Herbal leys in arable rotations: effects of leys on sheep, soil health, fertilizer use, weeds, crop yields, and the environment. |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | I led this one day workshop hosted at NIAB Innovation Farm by Co-Investigator Dr Lydia Smith, at which the main findings of the SARIC project "Restoring soil health by reintegration of leys and sheep into arable rotations" were presented. I gave the opening plenary talk, provided a short section on soil carbon sequestration, and the policy-and-practice overview at the end relating to potential opportunities for fertiklizer cosrt savings, soil quality gains and Environmental Land Management Scheme payments. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
URL | https://twitter.com/niabgroup/status/1615656352768004096 |
Description | Integrated Farming Workshop |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | I was the lead speaker at the workshop with farmers, agricultural advisors and estate managers to discuss barriers and opportunities in the development of integrated farming systems including reintroducing livestock into arable rotations to improve agricultural sustainability. The meeting was funded by the UKRI seeding Award ISCF-TFP-SA-Sheffield. The work I presented drew mainly on the results from the SoilBioHedge and MycoRhizaSoil projects. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
Description | Invited Participation in the AHDB NIAB workshop on integrating livestock into arable systems |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
Results and Impact | Active participation in this workshop- sharing knowledge. Several new contacts sent follow up messages to me. I briefly outlined the goals of the recently funded BBSRC SARIC project I lead on Restoring soil quality through re-integration of leys and sheep into arable rotations, which builds on the work we have done in MycoRhizaSoil and SoilBioHedge projects. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
Description | Invited Seminar at The University of Durham: From stardust to sustainability: biological regeneration of soil health for food security and climate regulation. |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Local |
Primary Audience | Undergraduate students |
Results and Impact | Invited seminar in which Jonathan Leake showed how intensive arable farming can degrade soils but how these can be regenerated by recovery of key functional groups of organisms through reducing soil disturbance and increasing dynamic carbon flows into soil through use of evergreen leys in arable rotations. The presentation summarized some of the key findings of the SoilBioHedge and MycoRhizaSoil projects, and explained the priority research questions now being addressed in the SARIC project "Restoring soil quality through reintegration of leys and sheep into arable rotations", including the potential benefits of using complete multispecies legume-rich leys to boost soil fertility and organic carbon sequestration. The mainly undergraduate audience were highly engaged with the presentation and showed considerable interest as evidenced by the subsequent questions. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
Description | Invited Speaker Soil and Water Management Centre Conference Bicton College Devon |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Invited conference presentation to farmers, advisors, practitioners and agriculture students at Bicton College, Invitation via AHDB contact who was familiar with my work. I was asked to speak on "Nutrient use efficiency" which incorporated results from the SoilBioHedge and MycoRhizSoil projects showing improvements in soil structure and nitrogen storage under grass-clover leys and the effects on subsequent yields of wheat direct drilled into the ley - under greatly reduced nitrogen fertilizer inputs than conventional farming, whilst achieving near UK average wheat yield. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
URL | https://www.soilandwater.org.uk/event-3482519 |
Description | Invited Speaker Soil and Water Management Centre Conference Harpur Adams University |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Invited talk at "Developing & Improving your Soils Conference" . I was invited by recommendation of the AHDB to talk on "Improving nutrient use efficiency". There was a audience of farmers, advisors and students of the University. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
URL | https://www.soilandwater.org.uk/event-3474231 |
Description | Invited Talk: South Pennine Land Manager Network, Hebden Bridge |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Under the auspices of iCASP (Yorkhsire Integrated Catchment Solutions), I was invited to give a presentation to the South Pennine Land Manager Network on "Soil carbon management in an age of climate emergency and changing agricultural policy and economics", which drew in part from our work on soil carbon sequestration by grass-clover leys reintroduced into arable rotations in SoilBioHedge and MycoRhizaSoil projects, but also reviewed evidence from a wider body of work published on upland soils, grasslands and effects of tree planting etc, in the context of the UK government plans regarding tree planting and the development of the Environmental Land Management Scheme based on payments for public goods. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
Description | Invited by Defra to speak on behalf of the Sustainable Soils Alliance, at the First International Plant Health Conference. Gave a talk entitled Healthy Soil for Healthy Crops: A Role for Regenerative Agriculture in Assembling Disease-Suppressive Soils |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Was an invited speaker and invited panel member for a session on soil health at the first International Conference on Plant Health, at Westminster, London, September 2022. The session was well attended with about 100 participants, and my presentation showed how leys introduced into arable rotations build disease-suppressive soils, based on the findings of the MycoRhizaSoil and follow-up work from the SoilBioHedge project with a Sheffield-based PhD student Nancy Muringai. This generated considerable interest in the audience, and I played a leading role in the panel discussion part of the session as a result of the audience interest in the issues raised and the findings we reported. There was strong engagement and interest from farmers and also from members of Defra. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
Description | Invited poster presentations and workshop particpation Grass Herbal Leys Farm Network |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Invited poster presentation and participation in the AHDB funded Grass Herbal Leys Farm Network. We presented evidence of the key changes in soil health brought about by leys and showcased the ongoing studies we are conducting comparing grass-clover and herbal leys under grazing and mowing. We visited the field demonstration and assisted with interpreting the changes in soil biology and functions under rotations that have now included leys- including how this impacts earthworm populations and activities leading to improved soil structure. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
Description | Invited presentation (Poster and soil monolith demonstration) at the Oxford Farming Conference, UKRI Innovation Hub |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | UKRI Innovation Hub 1 at the Oxford Farming Conference. I presented a poster and demonstrated to the participants in this event the role of grass-clover leys in improving soil health in intensively cultivated permanent arable landnd. Monoliths of soil taken from the field clearly showed the major improvements in soil structure achieved by a 3 year ley. The presentation resulted in a question later being asked at the conference by one of the participants at this event who was impressed by the clear evidence of the societal benefits of the leys. He directly asked the Defra Director General for Food, Farming and Biosecurity about providing support for reintegrating leys into arable rotations- specifically mentioning the evidence of our work, in a question and answer session session at which about half the conference participants were present. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
URL | https://www.ofc.org.uk/conference/2020/programme |
Description | Invited speaker and workshop participant at the Oxford Real Farming Conference: Agricology "Know your soils" workshop |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Presented key findings on soil multifunctionality and key measures of soil health based on the work done in SoilBioHedge and MycoRhizaSoil and a synthesis of sustainable soil management generated for the Soil Security Programme Outcomes Event. The workshop filled the room to capacity and had a lively and engaged audience. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
URL | https://orfc.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/ORFC-Agricology-Soils-Final-2020-0701.pdf |
Description | Invited talk: Sermon at St Timothy's Church Crookes, Hope For Creation |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Local |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | The invited talk explained the theological basis for sustainable soil and environmental management and ethics of human environment interactions. It drew on some of the work we have conducted on soil quality and its biological recovery under reduced intensity management such as reintroducing leys into arable rotations. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
URL | https://www.sttims.org.uk/sermons/2019-09-22/?player=audio |
Description | Lydia Smith Presented invited talk Day1 of the Oxford Real Farming Conference; entitled Soil / Crop Microbial Interactions. |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Other audiences |
Results and Impact | My talk presented the aims and expected outcomes of the this BBSRC funded project and sought views and participants in future events and workshops ; The talk was one of a set of four looking at soil improvement activities. The audience numbered around 80-100 and consisted mainly of farmers, researchers, industry and members of the public; also media and NGO stakeholders. The session was filmed and is available on the Agricology webPages |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
URL | https://www.agricology.co.uk/resources/ley-land-integrating-leys-cropping-system-lydia-smith-niab |
Description | Meeting with Sean Riches, National Sheep Association |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Dr Lydia Smith and Dr Patrick McKenna (NIAB) and Emily Cooledge (Bangor University) met with Sean Riches of the National Sheep Association to provide an update to stakeholders of our research so far. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
Description | N8 Agri Food Farm Open Day talk and demonstration- Soil quality improvement by grass-clover leys (Leeds University Farm). |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | I gave one of the main talks at the event and also ran a demonstration of soil quality comparisons between permanent arable, 3 year grass-clover ley and hedgerow soils in the same field to a group of local farmers and other participants in the open day event. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
Description | Northern Briefing of the Central Association of Agricultural Valuers. Harrogate. Invited speaker. Why and how to regenerate soil health. |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
Results and Impact | 1st March 2024 Northern Briefing of the Central Association of Agricultural Valuers. Harrogate. 1st March. Invited speaker. Why and how to regenerate soil health. Attendance ~180. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
Description | On-farm Meeting NIAB Duxford: Restoring soil quality through reintegration of leys and sheep into arable rotations. Opening Powerpoint Presentation and field experiment visit at this farmer and stakeholder meeting. |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | We held a project reporting meeting in a marquee at the side of one of the field experiments in which we have tested effects of different ley types on soil quality and subsequent wheat crop performance on returning to cropping by direct drilling or ploughing. My opening presentation provided a synthesis of work conducted in our previous UKRI funded research on effects of leys in arable rotations, as well as new findings from the BBSRC funded SARIC project that specifically has compared herbal leys with grass-clover leys with mowing or grazing for 2-3 years before returning to arable cropping. About 50- people attended the event in addition to the research team members- and we presented posters and talks on the key findings from the research, as well as a tour of the field to see the wheat growth in the different treatments (2 ley types, grazed versus mown, 2 years ley or 3 years of ley, direct drilled or ploughed and harrowed for 1 or 2 years in succession post 3 year or 2 year ley. The wheat post-ley was grown with half the normal N fertilizer and P fertilizer rates, These were compared to long-term arable control area of the same field, with the wheat established by plough and harrowing, and either full or half rate fertilizer application). The key findings of the study of particular interest to farmers were the major savings in N fertilizer that were achieved by the leys, and the yield penalties of direct drilling in the first year post-ley were partly compensated by improved yields of wheat direct drilled for a second year. The BBSRC management team that attended requested a copy of my presentation, which set out the economic, environmental and policy context to the research as well as the key findings of relevance to farmers, research councils, and policymakers. We had a lot of questions and interest from the farmers attending the event. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
Description | Permanent demonstration plots for farmers to view at the NIAB Innovation FArm Site in Cambridge - used for annual NIAB open day and Directors Day |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Other audiences |
Results and Impact | Open days in each of the years 2018 and 2019; different demonstrations were set up for each of these years. for 2018 we had contrasting paddocks containing grass and a complex lay on which Sheep were allowed to graze for the day. the main visitors were farmers agronomists and researchers, but there were others such as members of the press and representatives of retail industry, such as Sainsbury and Waitrose. In 2019, we had a set of contrasting simple to more complex leys for farmers to look at alternative options and discuss which were suited to different soils. The 2018 event was prepared just before the project was awarded, based on the hope it would succeed - which happily it was. The NIAB component of the project started before we drew down funds since it was vital to prepare ground for the ley to enable the project to be delivered. There was considerable discussion about the advisability of introducing a herbal ley into an arable rotation and the sort of agronomy and management that would be required to facilitate it. Many farmers asked to be put on a mailing list |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018,2019 |
URL | https://www.niab.com/shop/civicrm/event/info?reset=1&id=2920 |
Description | Presentation and poster / table stand at Farming For the Future - Novel Crops and Fresh Thinking. AgriTech East Hosted Meeting, in Colchester, February 2023. |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Gave a presentation on Regenerative farming with herbal leys in arable rotations, and novel legume crops for UK arable farming. Presented a poster based on the SARIC project "Restoring soil quality through reintegration of leys and sheep into arable rotations". |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
URL | https://twitter.com/Agri_Tech_E/status/1628773948295901184 |
Description | Regenerating soil health with leys and sheep in arable rotations. Findings through to the 5th year of the SARIC project collaboration. |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Local |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | July 2023. Regenerating soil health with leys and sheep in arable rotations. Findings through to the 5th year of the SARIC project collaboration. Led a knowledge-exchange and stakeholder full day meeting at The Game and Wildlife Trust Allerton Project. Gave four 50 min talks: 1. Introduction - Background context to the research and to the research project 2. The ley phase - ley establishment, composition, sheep and soil health 3. The initial post ley cropping - crop establishment, weeds crop yields 4. Legacy effects of leys and no-tillage - on soil health |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
Description | Regenerative Agriculture marquee at the Great Yorkshire Show July 2022 . Showcasing the effect of leys in arable rotations- including SoilBioHedge and MycoRhizaSoil project findings-over all 4 days of the show. Stand funded by the Yorkshire Agricultural Society |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Presented posters, gave talks, and had soil profile slices from SoilBioHedge to illustrate soil quality improvement by 3 year grass-clover leys introduced into arable rotations by the SoilBiohedge project, the MycoRhizaSoil Project and the BBSRC "Restoring soil quality by reintroduction of leys into arable rotations". All the publications arising from the projects were printed and displayed and used to explain the key findings of the effects of leys on recovery of earthworm populations, and the effects of the leys on soil structure, carbon sequestration and soil hydrological functioning. Spend 4 days on the stand meeting farmers, agronomists, local and regional counselors, and explaining our key findings. Over 100 people visited the stand including some school groups. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
Description | Regenerative Farming stand in the Innovation Zone at the Great Yorkshire Show |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | July 2023. Great Yorkshire Show. Invited by the Yorkshire Agriculture Society to co-lead (with collaborators at the University of Leeds) the Regenerative Farming stand in the Innovation Zone at the Great Yorkshire Show (11-15 July, with the marquee, power, tables and infrastructure and free entry tickets to the sell-out event, provided by YAS). Four full days of attendance plus a half-day setting up the stand with posters and 120 slide continuously rolling presentation I have created on our research related to regenerative farming practices. This was accompanied by banner posters and a soil monolith demonstration. I served as one of the judges of the Innovation Zone Award, (1 half day of judging duties, plus preparation). I co-ran a soil health clinic for farmers, which was highly successful and have been invited to repeat this in 2024. I gave an invited talk in the Innovation Zone: Biological regeneration of soil health and fertility using leys, to farmers and land managers. Met with Adam Henson from Countryfile - and was able to demonstrate our soil health metric and the effects of leys on soil structure. Considerable follow-up interest from farmers and will be contributing in a similar way to the Great Yorkshire Show 2024, by inviation. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
Description | Regenerative farming with diversified rotations using herbal leys and legume cropping- 2 day Workshop hosted by the University of Sheffield, funded by UKRI BBSRC Seeding Awards for novel crops for UK arable farming |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | The two day meeting aimed at knowledge exchange and building new collaborations with UK farmers involved in arable cropping and mixed farming who are interested in growing leys and novel legume crops. At the meeting farmers explained their experiences with growing legumes including soya (with limited success) and showed interest in some of the other legume crops that are starting to be grown for human consumption in the UK. The research teams at Sheffield showcased our work on novel arable rotations with herbal leys and no-till cropping, and the potential benefits of reduced stomatal density in soya to improve drought resistance. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
Description | SARIC Winter 2018 Dissemination Event 10th October 2018 Manchester |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
Results and Impact | Overview of the project "Restoring soil quality through re-integration of leys and sheep into arable rotations" by Jonathan Leake to the SARIC Industry-Club members and to the other researchers and invited stakeholders and funders of the club. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
Description | Submission to the UK parliamentary Inquiry into soil health |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
Results and Impact | Our written evidence was published online: https://committees.parliament.uk/work/7139/soil-health/publications/written-evidence/?page=2 In this evidence we provided a clear statement and supporting evidence for the adoption of routine measurements of organic carbon in >2 mm water stable aggregates, and in the remaining soil mass as a key indicator of soil health- integrating biological, chemical and physical soil health variables in a single consistent and quantitative measure that is responsive to field management practices, and which directly reflects soil functionality (carbon, water and nutrient storage, drainage and functional biology (earthworm activities, mycorrhizal fungi etc.). Our written evidence was cited in repeatedly in the first report of the committee, but the importance of the soil health metric we have shown to be invaluable and effective for soil health monitoring has received no comment, which is surprising given the committee was specifically requesting advice of effective soil health metrics. Many of the other points made in our submission were included in the report- so have potential to influence policy. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
URL | https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm5804/cmselect/cmenvfru/245/summary.html |
Description | Sustainable Soils Alliance guidance to Defra on soil structure target |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
Results and Impact | As one of the panel of scientific advisors to the Sustainable Soils Alliance, I helped to edit and guide the development of a policy document submitted to Defra outlining the arguments for a soil structure monitoring target in England as part of the Environmental Land Management Scheme payment for public goods and the importance of linking soil structure and soil organic carbon assessments. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
URL | https://static1.squarespace.com/static/58cff61c414fb598d9e947ca/t/601937623b83b724e29e1492/161226531... |
Description | The Wildlife Trusts- Invited speaker- Future Farming webinar. The Importance of Healthy Soils |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Third sector organisations |
Results and Impact | Gave an invited plenary webinar lecture to staff from the Wildlife Trusts on "The importance of healthy soils". The talk showed how intensive arable cultivation and annual cropping has degraded soil organic matter, soil structural stability and hydrological functioning and depleted key functional groups of soil organisms. From our research on leys reintroduced into arable rotations (SoilBioHedge, MycoRhizaSoil and SARIC grants)- showed how these leys can regenerate soil health - and the biological mechanisms by which this regeneration occurs. We also presented the evidence that soil health can be monitored effectively by measurement of the organic carbon amounts in water-stable macroaggregates >2 mm compared to the organic matter content of the whole soil. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
Description | Welsh Radio broadcast - research conducted on herbal leys and grass-clover leys by Emily Cooledge (Bangor University) |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press) |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Dr Prysor Williams from Bangor University discussed Emily Cooledge's research and the multispecies ley field trial at Bangor's research farm in Welsh on BBC Radio Cymru. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
URL | https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m00113d1 |
Description | West Cambridgeshire 100's Farm Cluster Soil training: Biological regeneration of soil health for food security and climate regulation. |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | This was a soil analysis and soil management training day for Farmers in the West Cambridgeshire Farm Cluster- the event was hosted on a farm and was organized by Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group East (FWAG East). The event started with an illustrated talk from Jonathan Leake on soil management practices on arable land that regenerate soil health for food security and climate regulation, showing findings from the SoilBioHedge, MycoRhizaSoil and SARIC "Restoring soil quality through reintegration of leys and sheep into arable rotations" projects, and setting out the soil sampling goals of the BBSRC H3 "Healthy Soil Healthy Food Health People" project with which the farmers are collaborating i trials of regenerative agriculture. After the presentation, Jonathan Leake led in-field soil sampling and observations, and demonstrated aggregate-stability testing, on soils in adjacent fields under contrasting management history. . |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
Description | Workshop and oral pesentation at 2020 Oxford Real Farming Conference day 2; Rotation Rebellion: Can Plants Alone Regenerate Soil? |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Other audiences |
Results and Impact | While the need for drought tolerance and less reliance on chemical fertilisers and other costly inputs is increasing the focus on regenerative farming systems which incorporate soil improvement, there's some controversy about how best to achieve this. Some farmers argue that soil improving plants/crops such as herbal leys, green manures and cover crops can only be used in a diverse farming system that includes livestock in the rotation. However other farmers argue that livestock are not necessary and that the use of the right plants alone can achieve improved soil health. The session was of interest to livestock and non-livestock farmers; the outcome was a clear indication of farmer views and an early assessment of the interest in take up of our research once the results are all in |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
URL | https://www.cotswoldseeds.com/articles/568/science-and-research-sheep-into-arable-rotation |
Description | Written submission from the Sustainable Soils Alliance to Defra consultation on headline indicators for meeting the goals of the 25 year Environment Plan |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
Results and Impact | I contributed (as a scientific advisor to the Sustainable Soils Alliance) to the submission made to Defra in advance of their publishing the draft plans for Headline Indicators to be used to monitor progress and meeting goals of the UK government 25 year Environment Plan, making the case for including sioil health in the indicators: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/58cff61c414fb598d9e947ca/t/5ca36476a4222f9042035c14/1554211960015/SSA-DEFRA+Soils+Workshop+Recommendations_Nov+18.pdf Defra appeared to ignore our recommendations when they published their draft proposals in 2019. I helped draft the submission from the Sustainable Soils Alliance, to the Defra public consultation on their proposals. We (the Science Panel of the Sustainable Soils Alliance) restated the need to include 'Healthy Soils' as a Headline Indicator in the government's draft 25 Year Plan for the Environment, alongside three underlying 'Condition of Assets' indicators. The text of our submissions are mounted and openly available on the Website of the sustainable Soils Alliance. Defra substantially altered their text in the final (post consultation revised) document on indicators to be used to develop the 25 Year Environment plan- with Soil Heath being raised in status to Headline Indicator 8, and no longer linked exclusively to land productivity and private goods, but is now correctly recognized as a "National Asset". |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
URL | https://static1.squarespace.com/static/58cff61c414fb598d9e947ca/t/5ca362828165f5ff06964ad5/155421146... |
Description | Written submission to Defra Consultation on headline indicators for delivery of the 25 year Environment Plan from Jonathan Leake |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
Results and Impact | In response to the Defra consultation on the 25 year Environment plan in January 2019 I submitted a written report drawing attention to deficiencies in the structure, definitions and order of the draft headline indicators, and provided scientific advice on how these could be improved . My primary concern was that soil health was not properly prioritized and was incorrectly presented only under the headline "production and harvesting of natural resources", which fails to reflect its role in underpinning and delivering a wide range of essential public goods and services. Soil does far more than support farm production, and whilst it is important that our cropland soils are more sustainably managed in future, it is also critical that all of our soils are properly protected and their contributions to environmental goods and services maintained and enhanced not only in the context of production and harvesting. We await the next draft of the Defra proposals to see how they respond. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
Description | Written submission to Defra consultation on headline indicators for meeting the goals of the 25 year Environment Plan |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
Results and Impact | My formal written submission to Defra (one of 100 submissions to them) highlighted the inconsistency in the proposal to only consider soil as private goods, and the lack of adequate commitment to soil health and soil monitoring in the proposed headline indicators to be used to deliver the 25 year Environment Plan. Soil Health was not proposed as a headline indicator. I argued strongly for giving a higher and correct priority to soils, and their contributions to public goods and services. The outline framework proposed was inconsistent with the goal for all of England's soils to be sustainably managed by 2030. Without the development of soil health indicators and monitoring there was no effective policy developed to (a) assess the current status of soils and (b) monitor changes in soil quality over time- and the stated goals were unachievable and unverifiable. Defra substantially altered their text In the final (post consultation revised) document on indicators to be used to develop the 25 Year Environment plan- with Soil Heath being raised in status to Headline Indicator 8, and no longer linked exclusively to land productivity and private goods, but is now correctly recognized as a "National Asset". |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
URL | https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/8020... |
Description | iCASP Confluence Conference Where Next for Yorkshire's Soils? |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Live webinar presentation and questions and answers at iCASP Confluence meeting, involving a range of farming / agricultural and catchment focussed agencies, water companies, Natural England and Environment Agency representatives. Presented key issues facing Yorkshire soils and their sustainable management, building on the SoilBioHedge project research findings. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
URL | https://icasp.org.uk/resources-and-publications/confluence-resources/confluence-2020-resources/ |
Description | production of three short videos to replace the Cereals open days in 2020 normally attended by mnay farmers, agronomists |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | In collaboration with a farmer based in Suffolk a soil pit was excavated to see the below ground impact of soil improvement strategies. Once produced this was used to produce three short connected videos that were made available on the internet for all viewers. We anticipate that the main viewers will be farmers agronomists students and researchers, but all can see this via You-Tube. The project and it s aims and outcomes was discussed and the farmer perception of its value was also covered see also https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uVGn0We1aDk |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
URL | https://www.facebook.com/NIAB.UK/videos/215510026770308/ |