John Keyes

I came across this article in the Irish Independent on Andrew Bergin a tillage farmer in Co. Kildare. In it he discusses healthy soil and changing farming practices to be kinder to nature.

“Our soils are degrading and we think we have to start knitting our own muesli to change things. A lot of conventional advice is very conservative and maybe too science-based. To change the soils you need to open your mind.

“Direct drilling is good as I don’t disturb the ground too much, which means I don’t lost moisture and nutrients, so there’s steadier growth and less weeds.

I’ve been reading about these practices recently, and two good sources I’ve found are Base Ireland and Base UK.