‘Make use of knowledge exchange opportunities’
Farmers are being encouraged to take part in sharing knowledge and ideas via a series of specialist online forums.
Exchanging knowledge is a key part of the projects coordinated by the British On-Farm Innovation Network (BOFIN).
Founder Tom Allen-Stevens said: “On-farm trials are advancing expertise in sustainable farming, but we don’t want to keep our findings to ourselves. As well as hosting in-person events and publishing knowledge guides, leaflets and articles we have the Knowledge in Farming section on The Farming Forum to enable online discussion.”
This is a dedicated section for farmers – and anyone else interested – to learn from the BOFIN trials but also to host wider discussion around specific areas of interest.
Sections on the forum are the Soil Circle, Slug Circle and Pulse PEP reflecting the work being carried out within the TRUTH, SLIMERS and NCS projects respectively. Each Circle has a resource hub hosting a range of useful resources as well as the discussion forums. A fourth Circle to host discussion and resources on precision bred crops will be launched later this year.
Expert input
“This month our research partners are launching a new series of discussion threads to bring in their areas of expertise,” added Tom. “It’s an excellent opportunity to learn from scientists, researchers and other innovative farmers. I strongly encourage farmers to make time to use of this fabulous resource.”
BOFIN members are automatically registered and allocated a username and password for The Farming Forum when their first join the network, allowing them to access and join in the discussions straight away. Anyone who has mislaid their log-in details can enter their email address and click on ‘forgotten password’ at The Farming Forum for a reminder via email.
For tips on engaging with forum discussions read ‘Online discussion top tips’ and visit www.thefarmingforum.co.uk to get involved.