AGENDA

10:00 – 10:15 meet at Calmsden Farm and introduction from Farmer Mark Tufnell

10:15 – 10:30 Jenny Phelps MBE: UK Soil Carbon Code project update

10:30 – 11:45 Niels Corfield: visual soil assessment and worm count

11:45 – 13:00 Kelly Jowett: beneficial insects

13:00: Pasties in open barn

This event will cover two themes closely linked and key to adopting a regenerative system: soil health and integrated pest management. Attendance of this event will provide practical tips and knowledge for visually assessing soil health, monitoring worm populations and reducing reliance on insecticides for pest control.

The new era of ‘public goods’ and ecosystem services reflect the significance of obtaining baseline data from self-monitoring. FWAG Senior Adviser Jenny Phelps MBE will provide an update regarding the UK Soil & Farm Carbon Code project which is investigating regenerative agriculture and carbon, aiming to propose a UK Farm and Soil Code in 2022 for the monetisation of soil carbon, for which host farmer; Mark Tufnell from Calmsden Farms is a case study farm.

The soil health theme will be delivered by industry expert; Niels Corfield who specialises in regenerative agriculture. This session will cover:

· Training on how to undertake a visual soil assessment (bring your own spade)

· How to grade using a Visual Evaluation of Soil Structure (VESS) score

· Worm identification and monitoring

· Indicators for soil management

Feel free to bring your own spade for the soil assessment tutorial and see Niels Corfield’s blog https://nielscorfield.com/soil-health/how-to-take-the-perfect-spade-sample/

The second theme will explore how beneficial insects from farm habitats can support Integrated Pest Management (IPM). Kelly Jowett, Applied entomologist from Rothamsted Research will provide insight on the main arable crop pest predators and how these populations can be enhanced and monitored to reduce reliance on insecticides.

· Understanding of main types of beneficial insects

· Habitats and strategic placement for crop benefit

· Self-monitoring techniques