Olvier Moore: Heavier cattle are compacting soil

Pat Lalor, Jim Cronin and Klaus Laitenburger all spoke at the recent soil symposium in Galway.

I asked Pat Lalor about whether conventional farmers can learn anything about soil from their organic counterparts. Lalor, who went organic in 1999, was the first secretary of the Irish Cattle and Sheep Association, which he was instrumental in founding in 1993.

“I see little relevance,” said Lalor. “As an organic farmer, your main focus is on building soil fertility by building soil microbiology whereas in conventional farming, the main focus is on building soil chemistry.