In this week’s @farmersjournal we’ve an interview with @peatyGHG on the unintended consequences of draining peat soils and how it leads to C02 emissions from the soil https://www.farmersjournal.ie/the-unintended-climate-consequences-of-draining-peat-soils-562993

The photos I used in this week’s article are from my own family’s farm in Offaly right on the edge of Bord Na Mona. Like many farmers, we’ve tried to improve the land we had by draining these difficult soils and making them more agriculturally productive

We must not forget that the policy, research advice and knowledge transfer for the past 50 years has been totally geared towards urging farmers to drain these peat soils and bring them into production

It’s only recently that our knowledge in this area has changed. And policy is trying to (slowly) catch-up. The big challenge is to work with farmers to help them understand a new way of managing these soils that’s totally contrary to what they’ve been told for years