Cereals like wheat, barley, maize, and oats are among the most important crops in the world. They are essential for food supplies, including human consumption and livestock feeds. There are also industrial applications for many of them. However, it can be tricky to grow them successfully. Bad weather, poor soil, disease, and pests can wreak havoc. Fertiliser is important, but can add significantly to costs. Plus, it can cause serious environmental problems. Luckily, UK cereal farmers could have a silver lining in the future with the development of a low carbon alternative.

New funding

Recently we got news that Defra will give £1.34m in grant funding from their Farming Innovation Fund to a British consortium. The group, including Healthier Earth and Cetefra, will use the funds on a project to develop a product based on biochar. It could massively reduce carbon emissions and the environmental impacts of nitrogen run-off. Ultimately, it could improve soil health and also maintain crop yields.

The product

The idea to use biochar to create a fertiliser is really interesting. It could provide a number of benefits for cereal farmers, including locking away carbon, improving water retention, and also reducing the need for nitrogen fertilisers.

An impressive thing here is a large part of the product derives from farm waste. There is a process to convert it into biochar. What happens is organic biomass, such as crop residue and manure, is heated to turn it into charcoal. Heating without oxygen makes it very rich in carbon. The end material can then be mixed with poultry fly ash, a material made from burning manure, feathers, etc. The final product contains an impressive mix of nutrients and minerals, including potassium.

The consortium is bringing together leading experts and organisations to develop the biochar product. Interestingly, British company Biochar Innovations has been developing it for years. Field tests saw a 23% reduction in nitrogen without an impact on yields, so there is lots of potential.

The advantages for UK cereal farmers as well as the environment are fantastic. The hope is producing biochar here in Britain would give them a low cost, low carbon fertiliser. It could reduce emissions, nitrogen run-off, and improve soil health to make the farming industry more sustainable.

Chief R&D Officer at Healthier Earth, Alastair Collier, said the announcement of the funding was “an exciting time for us”. Crucially, he believes biochar is “one of the most promising forms of carbon removal” on offer at the moment. Developing a science backed cutting edge product will “create clear economic value”.

Do you want to order quality fertiliser?

As you can see, the future could be very bright for cereal farmers in the UK. If the consortium is successful they will have access to a fantastic locally made low cost product. The main obstacle is increasing adoption by further developing it and showcasing the benefits.

In the meantime, if you need to order fertiliser and want to work with a reliable supplier, you can trust JS Hubbuck Ltd. We’ve been supporting clients in North England and parts of Scotland for decades. So, contact us to find out what we have in stock and arrange delivery.