Land drainage for productive soils: Leicester

Some years, drainage can make the difference between having a crop to harvest and complete crop loss, or whether or not the land can be accessed to harvest. Good drainage is essential for good soil management, helping to reduce losses of nutrients and sediments to watercourses, as well as reducing the risk of compaction.

Dairy herds looking for early turnout to graze efficiently and achieve correct residuals in the first round, will struggle to access waterlogged soils. Wasted feed and soil damage increase costs and lower grass utilisation.

Arable and dairy levy payers are invited to join AHDB and Rob Burtonshaw of Farm Services Ltd. to discover how improved drainage can bring benefits in access to land, speed of work, and fuel use. We will also look at soil structure, poaching and crop/grass yields, plus environmental impacts.

Discussion to include:

• Finding existing drains – do you really need to install a new system?
• Drain maintenance and ditching
• Mole ploughing – why, how, and how long does it last?
• Backfill – why it’s necessary, what to use, recycled material, cost comparison

Date:              Wednesday 13 March 2019

Time:            11:00am coffee and registration; 11.30am start – 2:00pm (including lunch)

Venue:           Yennards Farm (R Jones & Son), Potters Marston Lane, Leicester, LE9 7TR    

                      by kind permission of Geoff Jones

Please ensure you register your attendance for catering purposes. The cost is covered through your levy. 

To assist with biosecurity and conform to government guidelines, please ensure vehicles are clean and wear clean boots that can be disinfected.