Ayrshire farm adopts carbon-saving practices

As more farmers seek to understand their farm’s carbon footprint, many are questioning how this information can be turned into improvements in efficiency and productivity. At Low Ballees in Ayrshire, one of our Strategic Dairy Farms, the team has been working to cut their carbon footprint while boosting forage production and making more effective use of existing resources.

Last year, Low Ballees was also selected as one of 35 Environment Baselining Pilot farms in Scotland, representing a broad cross-section of British agriculture.

The pilot, launched late last year, aims to help 170 farms across England, Scotland, and Wales gain a clearer picture of their environmental impact.

Led by AHDB and supported by Quality Meat Scotland (QMS), the pilot will measure carbon stored in soil, trees, hedgerows, and other things. It will also include run off risk maps as well as carbon audits and action plans.

The farms in the pilot span a variety of soil types and landscapes and include producers of dairy, beef, lamb, pork, cereals and oilseeds, ensuring the data reflects the diversity of the farming industry in Great Britain.

Sampling and data collection have been ongoing throughout the year. The results will help farmers better understand their carbon stocks, greenhouse gas emissions and sequestration/removals, which will support informed, future-facing decision-making.

As part of the Strategic Dairy Farm programme, David, Tom, and Marion from Low Ballees sat down with Doreen Anderson, Senior Knowledge Exchange Manager, along with wider team members and their steering group to plan their goals for the programme.

They began by identifying strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT). From this, the family decided to focus on strengthening their business and meeting key objectives, including reducing their carbon footprint, initiating soil mapping to improve soil health, and reducing the use of inorganic fertilisers.

They also set goals for genomic testing of calves and made infrastructure improvements, such as adding more robotic milkers and enhancing calf-rearing facilities.

Before joining our Strategic Dairy Farm programme, Low Ballees already demonstrated a commitment to improving biodiversity.

Trees were widely planted across the farm, and a constructed wetland provides a habitat for birds and waterfowl. A local beekeeper maintains six hives on the farm, and a wide variety of bird species were recorded during the recent RSPB Birdwatch event.

The farm also includes 1.3 ha of unimproved peatland, which serves as a valuable wildlife habitat and a historic carbon store. They intend to preserve this peatland in its current state to ensure the stored carbon remains locked in the soil.

David said:

“Protecting and improving farm soils can make your business more profitable – you have to measure to manage.”

David explained that soil mapping at Low Ballees was first carried out in summer 2022, revealing that much of the farm's land had low pH levels.

Most fields had pH levels between 5.3 and 5.7, with only a few reaching around 6.1. For optimal nitrogen availability and overall soil health, they targeted pH 6.5 for arable fields, 6.3 for silage, and 6.0 for grazing land.

Some fields required up to 8–9 t of lime per ha, so applications were split into two stages, making logistics more manageable and spreading the cost. Although precise yield measurements weren’t taken, they are clearly growing more grass than before.

The main action following the soil analysis was a targeted, large-scale lime application using variable rate technology based on the mapping data.

David and Tom Campbell worked with Jack Wilson from Agrii to interpret the results using the RHIZA system, which uses satellite imagery to assess crop biomass, health, and performance. This allowed them to identify management zones across the farm and tailor inputs accordingly.

David said:

“By understanding the variable rates required for each field, we’ve been able to optimise our inputs.”

Over the last three years, variable-rate lime application has become a key management practice, helping to balance pH levels and improve nutrient availability.

Utilising the results from initial mapping and ongoing satellite data has enabled the team to make data-driven decisions that enhance soil health, crop performance, and input efficiency.

David added:

“One of the biggest wins for me was being able to use the fertiliser spreader we bought back in 2008 – I just had to buy a new cable to enable it to work with the soil mapping data.”

He explained that understanding variable rates has already helped them reduce phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) inputs, and in the future, they aim to reduce nitrogen use as well.

As part of the Environment Baselining Pilot, Low Ballees conducted further soil mapping earlier this year. Once the results are in, they’ll be able to compare them to the 2022 data, assess changes in soil pH, and refine their fertiliser strategy.

Low Ballees also underwent LiDAR scanning as part of the pilot. This technology works by emitting laser pulses that reflect off the ground, trees, and other surfaces, enabling a 3D image to be built of the landscape.

LiDAR helps identify trees and hedgerows and highlights areas at risk of soil erosion or nutrient runoff during heavy rainfall.

Mary Vickers,  Senior Environment Manager (Baselining) at AHDB, said:

“The LiDAR scanning took place during winter last year, when the leaves had fallen from the trees and hedgerows, as that is the basis of the algorithms used to predict the carbon stocks in woody biomass. We’re looking forward to seeing the results this autumn.”

Although Low Ballees has completed their Strategic Dairy Farm journey, they will continue to participate in the five-year Environment Baselining Pilot.

David said:

“We’re excited to reflect on what we’ve learned throughout the Strategic Dairy Farm programme, particularly how we’ve already improved soil health, increased forage production, and reduced our carbon footprint.”