Farmers invited to ‘Inspiration Day’ on Hertfordshire farm
Farmers with an eye for innovation are invited to Thrales End Farm, Harpenden on 8th May to explore trial results and farmer-led innovation.
The ‘Inspiration Day’ in Hertfordshire – organised by the British On-Farm Innovation Network (BOFIN) – is the first of three national events. This one will focus on the TRUTH (Thriving Roots Underpinning Total soil Health) project, with discussions on soil health and its role in resilient crop production systems.
TRUTH is a three-year £1m project with twin aims of boosting productivity while improving soil health. The project is Defra-funded and led by BOFIN with four partners UK Agri-Tech Centre, the John Innes Centre, University of Nottingham and PES Technologies.
The project is now in its third year, with 20 Root Ranger farmer trialists undertaking trials to validate on-farm soil and root health testing tools, including a sensor that can detect more than 10 soil health indicators through a “scent fingerprint”.
The day will include sessions to share results from the TRUTH trials and a farm walk to see the trials at Thrales End.
Other sessions include a talk from Hutchinsons Soil Services Specialist Zara Northern, and a workshop by BOFIN founder Tom Allen-Stevens on peer-to-peer learning in farming.
Event host and Thrales End Farm manager Ted Allen-Stevens, has been a Root Ranger since 2023.
He said: “I’m looking forward to sharing our learning from the project which has been really significant for us. Our results so far have given us some real evidence that soil health has improved since we brought in regenerative practices.
“I hope the day will encourage other farmers to get involved with on-farm trials. It’s only when you drill down into the detail of your own farm that you can get that substance and reassurance of what you’re actually achieving.”
Details of the other two Inspiration Days (in Oxfordshire and Angus) will be announced soon. To register for a free place visit https://tinyurl.com/eastinspiration26.