November 28 · 11:00 – 16:00pm – Be amongst the first to hear about the findings from Year 1 of the NCS and TRUTH projects! Our Pulse Pioneers and Root Rangers have been working hard alongside our teams of scientists and researchers. Now is your chance to hear what they have discovered so far, and about their plans for the upcoming trial year. Taking place on Day 2 of CropTec in The Oaktree (adjacent to the main CropTec halls) we welcome anyone with an interest in soil and root health or growing pulses to come along.
Please indicate when securing your free ticket whether you will be joining us for both morning and afternoon sessions, or just one. See agenda below. Spaces are limited so please be sure to book your ticket soon!
** As well as registering for your free place for this event via Eventbrite you will also need to register for a free CropTec ticket which you can do here: https://agrc.im/bofin **
November 27 · 11:30 – 13:30pm – Do you have an interest in the future of farming and food production?
Join us for the first workshop as part of the PROBITY Project where we will be discussing the benefits and stumbling blocks of introducing precision-bred crops with a range of people from across the agri-food supply chain. This is the first opportunity for you to have your say and get directly involved in the conversation around gene-editing and how leading scientists and industry experts will bring these revolutionary crops to farms in England.
Taking place on Day 1 of CropTec in The Oaktree (adjacent to the main CropTec halls) we welcome anyone with an interest in gene-editing and agriculture. You dont need to have much knowledge about it, be supportive of its introduction or even have a fully formed option. We are keen to hear your current perceptions, thoughts and feelings about the technology and its future use, whatever they are. Your views will help shape our work within the PROBITY Project over the next three years. Spaces are limited so please be sure to book your ticket soon!
** As well as registering for your free place for this event via Eventbrite you will also need to register for a free CropTec ticket which you can do here: https://agrc.im/bofin **
November 27 · 9:30 – 11am – Introducing The Sequence Circle – your chance to have a say, get involved and be at the forefront of changes in UK agriculture as we introduce gene-edited crops to English farms for the first time! Taking place on Day 1 of CropTec from 09:30 – 11:00am in The Oaktree (adjacent to the main CropTec halls) we welcome anyone with an interest in the future of farming to come along. Hear from the PROBITY Projects’ leading scientists and industry experts about the revolutionary crops being introduced, ask questions and find out how you can get involved. Secure your free place today as spaces are limited!
** As well as registering for your free place for this event via Eventbrite you will also need to register for a free CropTec ticket which you can do here: https://agrc.im/bofin **
The search is on for forward-thinking farmers to take part in trials exploring soil health, the potential of pulses and sustainable slug control.
The British On-Farm Innovation Network (BOFIN) is looking to increase the number of farmers taking part in its Defra-funded projects bringing scientific innovation onto real farms. The number of on-farm trialists will double in two of its three current projects.
Participants are required to run trials on their farms, and to share findings and observations within and outside the project. In return they receive full back up and support from BOFIN and other project partners, as well as a payment for their involvement.
Oxfordshire farmer and founder of BOFIN Tom Allen-Stevens said: “We’ve had a hugely successful year across three projects. Farmers have proven across the trials and monitoring that they can deliver scientifically valid data, adding real value to the progress we’re making towards a more sustainable agriculture.
“We’re now looking to build on this success in 2024-25 and welcome farmers wanting to help shape the future of our industry to register their interest via our website.”
BOFIN co-partners with scientists and researchers to deliver three projects which put farmers centre stage to trial innovative ideas and techniques:
The Nitrogen Efficient Plants for Climate Smart Arable Cropping Systems (NCS) project currently has 10 farmers carrying out trials and BOFIN is looking for an additional 10 for the 2024-5 season. Participating farmers who are known as Pulse Pioneers compare the effects of pulse crops on the health of their soil and subsequent crops.
Meanwhile the Thriving Roots Underpin Total soil Health (TRUTH) project is creating a farmer-led platform to quantify and evaluate soil/root interactions and explore the capabilities of a novel sensor. The farmers – known as Root Rangers – are trained to use soil testing tools to inform practices and evaluate novel genetics and bioproducts. The first year saw 10 farmers sign up as Root Rangers, and BOFIN is looking to enlist another 10 for 2024-5.
Finally, the Strategies Leading to Improved Management and Enhanced Resilience against Slugs (SLIMERS) project is trialling ‘slug resistant’ wheat and developing two commercial services from current proof-of-concept: Patch prediction and precision mapping, and autonomous slug treatment using nematodes. Farmers involved are known as Slug Sleuths, and with 27 already on board the team is looking to boost this to 30 for 2024-5, with 10 of those trialling slug resistant wheat.
Cambridgeshire farmer Rhys Jones, who is a Slug Sleuth and Root Ranger said it was important that farmers are part of the conversation about the industry’s future. “Being involved with agricultural trials helps us to look at new ways of doing things and means we can influence the direction we go in,” he said.
Slug Sleuth Andrew Barr, who farms in Kent added that learning was a vital part of success in farming: “There’s so much we need to learn, and farming keeps changing and evolving. I’ve been frustrated in the past that academic trials were not targeted to what farmers really needed solutions for, or that the results of the academic trials were not communicated to farmers. That’s not the case if we do the on-farm trials that we think are necessary, in conjunction with the academics.”
Any farmers interested in taking part in trials and playing a part in the future of farming can find out more and register interest by visiting the BOFIN website www.bofin.org.uk/getinvolved
