Soil

At GrowIN, soil health is where most conversations begin. Because it underpins everything else on the farm: grass growth, animal health, input costs, resilience to weather, and long-term profitability.

Practical learning from the ground up

Our soil health work is farmer-led, practical, and rooted in real farms across Northern Ireland. We focus on observation, shared learning, and testing ideas together rather than prescribing one “right” system.

Our soil health work happens through:

On-farm walks / workshops / talks
Small group discussions
Shared trials and observations

Farmers learn best from other farmers, especially when they can see and question things for themselves.

Here are a few of some of the topics we discuss

These follow closely to the themes of our farm walk, webinars, workshops and WhatsApp discussions.

Grazing

At GrowIN we discuss how grazing decisions affect root depth, soil structure, organic matter, and recovery times.

We look at:

stock impact
rest periods
infrastructure and water
grazing plans & trials

Soil Structure

Healthy soils handle water differently.
We explore how compaction, roots, and biology influence infiltration and drainage, especially on our heavy soils.

We share how to:

Simple infiltration tests
Spading ease and soil inspections
Comparing fields under different management

Nutrient Cycling

We discuss how nutrients move:

From soil to plant
From plant to animal
Back to soil through dung, urine, slurry & manures and composts.

And how biology plays a role in unlocking what’s already there.

Soil Biology & Microbes

We try to make soil biology understandable and relevant.

Learning about:

Bacteria, fungi, protozoa, worms
How biology supports nutrient availability
How management helps or hinders life below ground

Forage Diversity & Plant Function

Different plants play different roles in the system, and can also signal what’s happening in the soil. Plant and soil work together to support overall farm health.

We explore:

Multi-species swards & plant varieties
Natural regeneration of latent seed bed
Weeds as indicators

Context matters

Every farm is different.
Soils, stock type, weather, labour, finances, and personal goals all shape what makes sense for you.

GrowIN creates space to explore soil health within your own context, not against someone else’s benchmark.

Why farmers get involved

Farmers involved in GrowIN’s soil health work often say they:

Understand their land better
Feel more confident making decisions
Ask better questions of advice and inputs
Learn from others without judgement
Make gradual changes with low risk