Turn soil data into action with online training

Date published: 6 November 2025

Andrew and Joshua McClements, early participants of Soil Nutrient Health Scheme (SNHS) speak highly of the benefits it has brought to their business which falls within Zone 1 of the programme.

“It was fantastic to receive free soil sampling and tailored recommendations for each field,” Andrew said.

“We’ve been sampling our cereal ground for years, but this scheme allowed us to assess the entire farm, including fields that have never grown cereals.”

Andrew and Joshua manage a 450-acre mixed farm on the scenic Ards Peninsula. The business includes 200 acres of cereal crops - Winter Wheat, Spring Barley, and Winter Barley - grown both for sale and to feed their herd of 100 suckler cows. In a move towards greater financial and environmental sustainability they also produce beans to replace imported soya in their cattle feed. Additionally, they produce oats for porridge production. 

The cattle enterprise which runs on 250 acres of grassland also includes a pedigree herd, Emerald Salers, focuses on producing breeding heifers. All other cattle are finished on farm.

The McClements’ focus is on maximising cereal yields to ensure profitability, though farming on the coast presents unique challenges. The farm’s scenic location has a wide range of soil types. From shore gravel and light black soils to heavier clay, it is subject to both winter flooding and summer droughts. These conditions significantly impact both grass and cereal yields.

Andrew said of the soil sampling: “If you don’t soil sample, you don’t know what to apply, so it makes business sense. It is important for us to minimise fertiliser costs to ensure profitability. You need to know where you stand. It is important to look at all aspects of soil health, the organic matter, structure, soil fertility and earthworm activity.”

The results from the SNHS include the organic matter of each field which revealed significant variations across the farm. “Our black soil has four inches of high organic matter over grey clay,” Andrew explained. “Knowing what’s beneath our feet is vital for managing soil effectively.”

The father and son duo praised the digital tools available through the scheme, Andrew also found the online map viewer very useful to match the fields’ numbers with the results, while Joshua appreciated the flexibility of the online training: “The training was very good. There were great videos that were ready to go at a time that suited us to complete them. I didn’t have to be logged on for a certain time, I could access the training at a time that suited me and work through it at my own pace. It was a good reminder of aspects of soil health and was easy to follow and understand.”

One section of the training covers how to use the CAFRE Nutrient Management Calculator, available through DAERA’s Online Services. Andrew and Joshua have been using the calculator for years and find it to be a very useful tool for their farm business. “It is very useful,” Andrew said. “We use it to show the balance of artificial fertiliser to use for each crop. Because you can change the crop going into each field easily it makes it easy to get the relevant recommendations for that year.”

Andrew finished off by saying: “The overall soil health is very important, and you do need all the smaller bits of information to lead and guide decisions.”

Commenting on the training, Mary Ann Alexander, CAFRE Adviser said: “Training has been developed to support farmers increase their knowledge around soil health. Through a series of short videos and quizzes, training helps farmers understand and interpret their SNHS soil analysis report, make best use of organic manures, and learn how to create a Nutrient Management Plan.”

Farmers who have yet to complete the training are strongly encouraged to act now and complete their training online and can be accessed by logging in using your Government Gateway details.