Hemp4Soil Diary
Hemp4Soil is a community project undertaken by Loop Head Together looking at how regenerative farming and hemp cultivation could support soil biodiversity on the Loop Head Peninsula while providing an alternative income for farmers
Diary Posts from 20th April - 24th April - Field Work
Hemp4Soil Diary 20th April
Dr Kate Randall, University of Essex and Dr Carol Melody Teagasc arrived in Loop Head for a week of field trial preparation. There was a lot to do in a short time, and everyone was on deck to give a hand.
We started in Kilbaha, near the Bridges of Ross. Today is our first opportunity to mark the three plots required in each field. Dr Randall led the trial design and implementation; her focus was to ensure we had three equal-sized plots in each project. The quantity of amendments to go on each plot had been calculated, so each location needed to have a similar plot size.
We had prepared markers from wood cut to lengths of 3 feet and sprayed painted at the top with bright red paint—these markers were hammered into the ground, 12 in all on each plot.
We had three plots, “Hemp”, “Hemp and Biochar”, and “Hemp Slurry and Biochar” once we measured out the plots for each heading, we tied laminated signs identifying the plots. Each plot also got a coloured ribbon so the contractors could easily distinguish them from a distance. Hemp was lime green, Hemp and Biochar blue, and Slurry was pink.
Once each plot was marked and identified, baseline soil samples were taken from each plot, bagged, labelled and put in a refrigerated box for transport to UCD and TUS.
Soil sampling methodology was to take five samples from within each plot, mixed thoroughly in a container, and the samples for testing were taken from the mix. This allowed for any variation in the field to be accounted for.
Dr Melody also undertook a worm survey as part of her visit. Dr Melody invited her students from the Teagasc Horticulture programme to join her for a couple of days to support the baseline worm count. The worm count was a fun job. A sod of earth a foot squared was dug from each plot and placed on a tarp. Breaking the soil up gently, we collected any worms for weighing and identification. The three plots of every field were sampled and will be sampled again later in the project
Hemp4Soil Diary 21st April
Our first location today is at Kilcredaun, near the village of Carrigaholt. The location faces onto the sparkling blue Shannon Estuary. You can see Ballylongford and Mount Brandon in County Kerry and the neighbouring Rehy hill from the site. The weather for the week is looking good and it makes life conducive to sitting in a field teasing worms out of the soil.
The field in Kilcredaun, an organic pasture, was alive with biodiversity. We identified an emperor moth, bees, ladybirds and butterflies. Wildflowers such as the marsh orchid and cuckoo flower were abundant. This data was collected by Dr Melody and her student and will form part of her report.
The last field for the day was in Querrin, overlooking the Shannon Estuary and the Kerry coastline. Purecamping Ireland is a peaceful yoga centre, campsite and native woodland. The location is the site of a hempcrete chalet used daily for a yoga practice at the centre. Having pre-existing hempcrete structure on the peninsula is an inspiration for what is possible with the Loop Head hemp harvest.
Hemp4Soil Diary 23rd/24th April
Over the weekend we repeated this process across all farms, joined by Dr Lena Madden of Technological University of the Shannon. Lena brought a unit to capture and measure the gases released from the soil as a baseline once the amendments had been added. The measurement aims to see any changes in gases emitted from the ground due to ploughing and the treatments being applied.
We finished the week with an in-person operational group meeting in Cross Community Digital Hub . The event was a bringing together of the farmers, researchers, and project coordinators to discuss the next steps and get an opportunity to chat about potential outcomes from the project. It was a very successful event attended by researchers from NUI Galway who are undertaking an economic and environmental assessment of the potential benefit of the project to the area.
Of course we headed into Foleys bar in Cross village to celebrate.