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Innovation
Dynamic Grazing
The pastures are rotationally grazed, the cattle grazing one paddock for 3-6 days depending on the season. Over tall or grazed pastures are topped to spread the cow pats and remove seeding heads. This process ensures plants re-invigorate their root system and the leaf system constantly throughout the season. The distributed cow pats prevent the build up of stale uncomposted pats and facilitate the more even manuring of plants.
Bio-Cultivations
Rather than using steel to till and aerate the soil, we are using plant roots in the diverse leys and cover crops. This is improving the soils' structure, stabilising it with the dead roots and root exudates.
Furthermore microorganisms in the soil living on the plant material convert simple carbon compounds into the polyphenols, polysaccharides and glycoproteins that glues soil particles to facilitate many soil functions. This gluing process not only aids structure but aids protection of the organic matter itself by providing a physical barrier between the organic compounds and other soil biota which may consume such compounds. This process of gluing soil particles together is known as soil aggregation.
This means we need to repair the soil much less frequently with tractors and soil lifting cultivators. Indeed we hope that soil repair with metal and fuel is no longer necessary.
This photo shows mega worm casts Spring 2019, soil fauna engineer soil by digging holes and gluing soil particles together improving soil function.