Last weekend’s rain served to remind many farmers that winter is very much here.

Rainfall totals around the country are close to normal, with many ahead of normal in some cases.

During a period of high rainfall, the risk of soil runoff from the surface of fields increases.

In previous springs, the sight of gullies and trenches cut through fields from excessive rainfall has been common for many.

Pool of sediment

At the end of these gullies often lies a pool of sediment, consisting of soil and clay particles.

Where fields contain hills and slopes which are close to waterways, these particles can make their way into these water courses.

This year, we decided to demonstrate just how much top soil can potentially be washed away during the winter months.

Last week, we constructed and set up a basic clay and silt trap in an area which is likely to suffer from runoff.

We will return to the trap in spring, examine what we caught and discuss what can be done to prevent this in the future.

Watch the full video below.

Watch: setting up a clay and silt trap in the fields

As we enter the depths of winter and with rainfall amounts and frequency returning to normal levels, we set up a basic trap to measure soil runoff during the wet period.