Farming for a Better Climate has been working with farmers and land managers across Scotland to test and trial practical, low and no-cost efficiency measures that could benefit the farm business and reduce the farm carbon footprint.
Read the full Scottish Government “Preparing for Sustainable Farming” guidance on the Rural Payments & Services website.
Carbon auditing
The starting point for our Climate Change Focus Farmers was a carbon audit, another way to look at the farm business and highlight activities that may be above or below average in terms of emissions. We used Agrecalc, and have continued with this tool so as we can compare year on year and across farms. Other tools such as Farm Carbon Calculator, Cool Farm Tool and Solagro are available.
Learn more about what the Climate Change Focus Farms did here, and visit our carbon auditing page here.
Soil testing
Knowing the nutrient and pH status of farm soils will allow you to better target fertiliser applications and help to achieve optimum yields. Including a ‘loss on ignition’ test can measure organic matter in soils.
Visit our Soils, Fertilisers and Manures page, which includes links to our Practical Guides on soil sampling, nutrient budgeting and soil organic matter.
See the ‘Valuing Your Soils’ booklet, which looks at a range of ways you can protect and enhance farm soils.
We are currently working with five farmers looking at Soil Regenerative Agriculture Techniques – you can follow their journey here
Help & Support
Details of the ‘Preparing for Sustainable Farming’ scheme is available on the Scottish Government’s Rural Payments & Services website.
Via Scotland’s Farm Advisory Service (FAS), every farm and croft in Scotland can apply for up to £3,700 of bespoke advice. This includes a range of topics under Specialist Advice, Integrated Land Management Plans and Carbon Audits.
For further information and advice, take a look at our Practical Guides.
A free nutrient management programme tailored to Scottish Conditions is available through PLANET Scotland.
For advice on making the best use of fertilisers, protecting soils and to see what other farmers have done, see our range of Practical Guides, Farmer Case Studies and notes from Climate Change Focus Farm meetings and work with the Soil Regenerative Agriculture Group.
Farming and Water Scotland and the FAS Soil & Nutrient Network can also provide useful information.
Related Practical Guides
- Valuing Your Soils: Practical guidance for Scottish farmers (3.53 MB, PDF)
- Greenhouse gas emissions
- Soil Sampling I
- Soil Sampling II
- Nutrient Budgeting I
- Nutrient Budgeting II
- Improving resource use efficiency on arable farms
- Benefits from carbon footprinting on the beef farm
- Benefits from carbon footprinting on the dairy farm