Valuing Your Soils: New Guidance for Scottish Farmers & Crofters

It can take 500 years to replace 25 mm (1 inch) of top soil, yet in the UK it is estimated that 2.9 million tonnes of soil are eroded each year, and soil quality is diminished by poor practices.

“Valuing Your Soils”, is newly published guidance, which will help Scottish farmers, crofters and land managers protect and manage their most valuable resource.

This is important because farmers are under increasing pressure from climatic events, like last winter’s heavy rains, which had dramatic effects on farm businesses across Scotland. Poor drainage and waterlogged fields can encourage soil compaction problems contributing to poor nutrient uptake by crops and reduced yields. Less obvious are issues associated with poorly drained grasslands which, for example, can encourage parasites leading to poor livestock nutrition and health.