Suntory, Viking Malt and a group of Finnish farmers collaborate around cover crops

The aim of the project is to study the effect of cover crops on soil structure and the ultimate goal to make production of barley more sustainable. The group of 11 farmers in the project will also be the first ones to test the new sustainability data collection platform that Improvin’ is developing for Viking Malt.

Deputy Director Taro Kuzuno and General Manager Hiroo Matsui from Suntory Holdings Limited visited two of Viking Malt’s contract farmers at the end of March in order to discuss regenerative farming and cover crops in malting barley cultivation.

First we visited Taneli Vuori and his family in Pornainen. The farm produces many different crops and can thus ensure a healthy crop rotation and support biodiversity. The cover crop is established normally at the same time as the malting barley is sown.

We also visited Jussi Myyrinmaa’s farm in Nurmijärvi. The farm has been in the family since 1782. Today, the combinable area is about 440 ha and is mainly no-tillage cultivation. This year Jussi has made a trial, where part of the cover crop was sown already in mid-March on the snow layer lying on the field! Under the snow a winter rye was waiting and the small seeds should germinate with help of the moisture from the melting snow. We are very excited to learn how this method worked out!

▶️ Cover crop sowing in mid-March