What if your muck heap could hold onto its nitrogen, keep its carbon, and feed soil life the moment it hits the ground? We sit down with Andrew Sincock of Agriton to demystify Bokashi—an anaerobic, lactic-led fermentation of farmyard manure that turns a “waste problem” into a high-value fertiliser strategy. No turning windrows. No mystical inputs. Just weekly microbes on deep bedding, a sensible handle on carbon-to-nitrogen ratios, and a sheet to finish the job.

Andrew takes us from first principles to field results. We compare aerobic composting, anaerobic digestion, and fermentation, and unpack why carbon and nitrogen losses plummet when oxygen is kept out. If you understand silage, you already understand the logic: inoculate, exclude air, and let biology do the heavy lifting. We connect the dots between rumen microbes and soil microbes, showing how pre-digested, fermented FYM accelerates the soil food web, enabling practical moves like applying around eight tonnes per hectare between silage cuts without messy residue at harvest.

This is as practical as it gets. You’ll hear how to apply mixed microbes on bedding once a week, balance materials from straw to woodchip to poultry manure, and decide when to muck out, sheet, and spread. We dig into economics—independent comparisons reported about £15 per treated tonne more NPK against roughly £1 per tonne in treatment cost—and talk through where shortcuts still work and where they don’t. We also address slurry and lime: where microbes help, where acidification looks tempting but risky for soil biology, and why better management beats heavy-handed fixes.

If you’ve written off biological farming as “muck and magic,” this conversation gives you the science and the steps to test it on your own ground. Start small, measure your FYM like you measure your forage, and let the results guide your next move. If it’s simple to explain and easy to fit into chores, you’re more likely to stick with it—and your soils, crops and margins will follow.

Enjoyed this deep dive? Follow, share with a neighbour, and leave a quick review. Your feedback helps more farmers find practical, no-nonsense ideas that work.

This was recorded in September 2025, and all information was correct at the time of recording.

Send a text

For more information about our podcast visit www.chewinthecud.com/podcast or follow us on Instagram @chewinthecudpodcast. ChewintheCud Ltd is also on Facebook & LinkedIn. You can email us directly at podcast@chewinthecud.com