A total of 704 delegates attended day two of the Groundswell Show – the No-Till Day – at Lannock Farm, Hertfordshire.

The day opened with an introduction from the Event Sponsor, Affinity Water who outlined the role that no-till farming can play in reducing contaminants from run-off into water supplies. 

The No-Till Day featured direct drilling demonstrations into a range of challenging cover crop mixtures. The drills demonstrated were: CrossSlot, Dale Drills, John Deere, Ryetec, Sly Agri, Weaving, Horsch, Agri-Linc and Simtech Aitchison. 

The Cover Crop area was supplied by the Groundswell Cover Crop Partner, Kings, who had a Cover Crop Trial area in the Roadshott Field where they showcased different cover cropping varieties.

The Conference Barn featured talks from speakers spanning the spectrum of Conservation Agriculture, including Keynote speaker Dr Christine Jones, whose talk ‘The Liquid Carbon Pathway’ explained how farmers can increase their output at the same time as cutting down, or even eliminating, inorganic fertiliser use. 

“We all need reminding what a valuable resource our soils are, and it's time to reverse the slide in the long-term decline in soil organic matter,” explained Paul Cherry, host farmer. 

“We have a lot to learn from experts from drier parts of the world who have had many more years’ experience than we have of using Conservation Agriculture and no-till. We are fortunate to have attracted an incredible line-up of speakers from the USA and Australia, some of whom, like Keith Thompson and Rick Bieber from the USA have been farming no-till systems for 30 years.”

The Conference Barn and Seminar Barn were busy with a diverse range of speakers, while out in the Pasture Field there were 25 exhibiting companies linked to sustainability and Conservation Agriculture. 

“After a sell-out first show in 2016, Groundswell has grown this year reflecting the growing enthusiasm of British and European farmers for a viable alternative to the status quo.” Paul added. 

“We are delighted that so many people have made the effort to come to Groundswell to hear and see the terrific range of speakers and demonstrations which we offer. We are the first to admit that switching to a no-till system can be daunting, which is why we want to bring together experienced farmers with specialist scientists, to provide resources across both the theory and practice of no-till farming”.

“We have learned so much from other farmers over the six years we’ve been no-till,” says John Cherry, Paul’s brother and the other host farmer. “Half the joy of Groundswell is the chance to talk to the other delegates.”

Groundswell aims to grow into a resource for farmers across the Conservation Agriculture spectrum. After the enthusiasm from attendees and speakers this year, it’s sure that the event will continue to thrive.