Soilcrates Farm Walk - Considine’s Farm

As part of the SOILCRATES Ireland Living Lab, a series of farm walks has been organised to learn more about the SOILCRATES project and on-farm soil self-assessments. Farmers from Counties Limerick, Tipperary and Clare will open their doors to tell us more about their farm history and management and to facilitate soil demonstrations with the help of scientists from the Technological University of The Shannon. Soil demonstrations include soil pH, nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium measurements, compaction, water infiltration and earthworm count.

To kick off the proceedings yesterday, we had a busy afternoon on sunny Loop Head Peninsula with local farmer Seamus Considine welcoming guests and hosting a farm walk on his land for the Soilcrates Project. We found ourselves on clay loam soils exploring practical ways to improve soil structure, drainage, and grassland resilience on heavy, compacted soils.

We were educated on soil testing by the TUS scientists, and learned a lot on what we can do to help improve our soil health. Instead of just handing out reports, the walk featured a practical, hands-on sampling demonstration. The group learned exactly how to use a stainless steel soil corer to get the correct sampling material. From here, we were shown how to use Soil Testing Kits (which can be purchased at any garden center if you fancy a go) by adding indicator liquid to soil samples to immediately see acidity levels.

A very enjoyable afternoon was had by all, and a special thank you to all who travelled to be with us, we look forward to the next one.