Farmers urged to consider FETF opportunities as applications open
Innovative farmers are being encouraged to take advantage of the Farming Equipment and Technology Fund (FETF) which opens for applications on 17 March.
Tom Allen-Stevens, Oxfordshire farmer and founder of the British On-Farm Innovation Network (BOFIN) said: “The Farming Equipment and Technology Fund is a fantastic opportunity for farmers to invest in kit that improves productivity of their business. I urge anyone wanting to innovate, to take time to look through the list to see what could work for your business.
“If you’re thinking about applying it’s also worth asking whether it could form the basis of an ADOPT project. It’s a great way to test something out on your farm, see how it performs, and share the results with other farmers. As approved project facilitators BOFIN is always happy to discuss potential ADOPT applications with farmers who want to explore what’s involved.”
Applications for the FETF fund, which includes three grants to help farmers buy items to improve productivity, manage slurry, or improve animal health and welfare, will be open from 17 March until midday on 28April.
Farmers can submit one application for each of the three grant ‘themes’ if they wish. Each application must be for between £1,000 and £25,000. For full details including how to apply are available online.
BOFIN calls for clarity on Defra funding announcement
Tom-Allen Stevens responds to the Defra Secretary’s recent announcement at the NFU conference.
The £345 million announced by Defra secretary Emma Reynolds at the NFU conference yesterday (24th February 2026) is welcome news, but without further clarification it raises further questions.
Tom Allen-Stevens, Oxfordshire farmer and founder of the British On-Farm Innovation Network (BOFIN) Tom Allen-Stevens said: “It is good to see that Defra is continuing to fund the Farming Innovation Programme which supports farmer-led research and that there is a further £50 million for the Farming Equipment and Technology Fund. The question is whether this is enough.
“When Defra first announced plans to move away from direct support to the Environmental Land Management schemes, some 9-10% of the £2.4 billion farm transition budget was safeguarded for ‘Improving Farm Prosperity’ which included the innovation measures announced today.”
It is unclear how many years the £345m headline figure covers, he continued. “The £225m for capital measures for ELMs should sit outside that Farm Prosperity Fund. Paying for fences, hedges and pond restoration should not be branded as supporting innovation.
“But what farmers are crying out for is clarity on ADOPT. The scheme was originally backed by a commitment of £43m, yet only £20.6m has so far been allocated to a number of excellent farmer-led projects. Will Defra now commit to making the rest of this fund available? We have pioneer farmers queuing up ready to take up the opportunity.”
Mr Allen-Stevens also called on the Government to fully future-proof the FIP. “Defra has led the way on investing in farmer-led research, and the current FIP is ground-breaking. The funds announced today will take us to the end of this Parliament. It will be up to this government to take the strategy forward and propose the next stage of the programme.
“Defra says it wants farm businesses that are productive, profitable, and resilient. FIP can deliver on that, but needs a long-term strategy beyond 2030, giving farmers and researchers the confidence to invest in innovation.”
Emma Reynold’s announcement, made to the NFU Conference today, can be found here.
UK farmers are invited to examine new evidence on the use of hyperspectral satellite imaging to inform nitrogen management, at a webinar on Thursday 26 February (8.30am).
The British On-Farm Innovation Network (BOFIN) is working with agri-tech company Messium to explore how this next-generation satellite technology performs on commercial farms and the value it can realistically deliver.
Unlike conventional satellite imagery such as NDVI, which measures crop greenness or biomass, hyperspectral imaging can detect the specific wavelengths associated with nitrogen concentration in the crop itself.
“Previous satellite tools couldn’t tell whether a crop was short of nitrogen or just low biomass,” explained Messium CEO George Marangos-Gilks. “Hyperspectral satellites can now do both. That allows us to identify where crops are under or over-fertilised and where nitrogen is likely to lead to an uplift in yield.”
George Marangos-Gilks, CEO of Messium
Messium’s approach is underpinned by more than 21,000 crop samples analysed in laboratories and linked to satellite imagery to train its models. Independent blind testing has shown accuracy of around 85% compared with lab results, with further UK validation underway.
Results from more than 150 on-farm trials across the northern hemisphere suggest the technology can help farmers move closer to optimum nitrogen levels. Across its trials, Messium reported a net profit benefit in 65% of cases, with an average yield uplift of 0.3t/ha and margin improvements of around £50/ha.
The live online Q&A sessionwill be held at 8.30am on Thursday February 26. It will include side-by-side comparisons with NDVI imagery and a discussion on costs, complexity and where hyperspectral data may add value. Hosted by Tom Allen-Stevens, Oxfordshire farmer and founder of BOFIN, the session will focus on the farmer experience with input from growers who have first-hand experience of Messium’s technology.
“Nitrogen is one of the biggest cost, productivity and environmental levers on farm, so any tool claiming better insight needs proper scrutiny,” said Tom. “This session is about looking at the evidence, the limitations and how it works in practice on real farms.”
A £2.5m, three-year project bringing the first precision-bred oilseed rape onto commercial farms in Europe has been launched this week, marking a major step towards rebuilding the UK’s most important break crop.
The project, Light Leaf Spot Enhancing Resistance And reducing Susceptibility with EDiting (LLS-ERASED), is led by BOFIN Farmers and funded through Defra’s Farming Innovation Programme, delivered in partnership with Innovate UK. It brings together farmers, plant breeders, crop scientists and agronomists to tackle light leaf spot, oilseed rape’s most damaging disease, using precision breeding alongside new disease-management tools.
Light leaf spot has become the number one disease threat to UK oilseed rape, with yield losses estimated to have risen from £94m in 2017 to more than £300m in 2022. Despite widespread fungicide use, control has become increasingly unreliable as pathogen populations evolve and resistance to azole fungicides spreads. At the same time, currently available varieties struggle to offer strong, durable resistance.
LLS-ERASED aims to change that by delivering oilseed rape varieties with significantly reduced susceptibility to light leaf spot, developed using precision-breeding techniques that accelerate the introduction of beneficial traits without introducing foreign DNA. Crucially, the project will move these traits beyond the laboratory and into farmer-led field trials on commercial farms, supported by real-time disease forecasting and decision-support tools.
“This project is game-changing for farmers,” says LLS-ERASED project lead Tom Allen-Stevens of BOFIN Farmers.
“It will put precision-bred oilseed rape technology on to their farms for the first time across Europe. This is combined with risk forecasting and a new decision support tool that will bring growers effective disease control that is truly risk-based and data-driven. That is the reboot the industry needs, and that is what will help reverse the decline in the crop’s planted area.”
Tom Allen-Stevens, BOFIN
At the heart of the project is a newly identified plant susceptibility gene. By switching off this gene using precision breeding, researchers have shown it is possible to reduce the ability of the light leaf spot pathogen to infect the crop, offering a more durable form of protection than traditional resistance genes that pathogens can quickly overcome.
The science is being led by John Innes Centre and the University of Hertfordshire, working alongside ADAS and Scottish Agronomy to integrate the new trait into practical, farm-ready disease-management strategies. A consortium of leading UK and European oilseed rape breeders is involved in developing the disease-forecasting and testing material in elite commercial backgrounds. UK Agri-Tech Centre is overseeing project delivery and integration, supporting effective collaboration across partners and ensuring outputs remain focused on adoption, scalability and real-world impact.
A key element of the project is collaboration with US-based Cibus (NASDAQ: CBUS), whose Rapid Trait Development System™ (RTDS®), a suite of technologies including non-transgenic processes, enables precise genetic edits to be introduced directly into elite breeding lines with scale and speed, dramatically shortening the time needed to bring new traits to market.
“I am really excited to move our resistant material from the laboratory to field scale trials to see how it performs in a real-world setting,” says LLS-ERASED technical lead Dr Rachel Wells of John Innes Centre.
Dr Rachel Wells, John Innes Centre
“Precision Breeding offers us an excellent opportunity to develop material to combat our pests and pathogens while supporting sustainable farming. Developing a trusted pipeline to streamline the process from research to variety release will be invaluable for crop improvement. Bringing this work together in an integrated pest management package looking at multiple, combined solutions, is the future of crop protection.”
For airborne diseases like light leaf spot, information on timing of pathogen spore release and virulence in pathogen populations is essential for effective disease control, adds Yongju Huang, Professor of plant pathology at University of Hertfordshire. “Combined with host resistance information about the pathogen, this project will develop an evidence-based real-time decision support system for farmers to achieve effective disease control and reduce the reliance on chemicals.”
Alongside new varieties, LLS-ERASED will deliver a farmer-led delivery platform designed to support the adoption of precision-bred crops. This includes a new disease-management tool combining weather data, pathogen monitoring and on-farm trial results to guide fungicide use more accurately, reducing unnecessary applications while protecting yield.
“The project offers a well-timed opportunity to focus on improving the control of light leaf spot, and the field-based guidance available,” comments Dr Faye Ritchie, technical director at ADAS. “Farmer collaboration and knowledge is essential to build effective disease management tools and IPM testing protocols that are practical and cost-effective.”
Dr Faye Ritchie, ADAS
Farmers will play a central role in LLS-ERASED through on-farm trials across England, feeding results directly into a grower-led knowledge-exchange network. The approach is designed not only to bring the first precision-bred oilseed rape varieties to commercial farms, but also to establish a pipeline for future traits. This will include resistance to other diseases and pests such as cabbage stem flea beetle, which is widely reported as a major limiting factor for UK oilseed rape growers.
“By combining precision breeding with integrated disease management and farmer-led testing, the project positions the UK at the forefront of efforts to rebuild oilseed rape production in a more resilient, sustainable way,” says BOFIN’s Tom Allen-Stevens.
“What’s more, building on similar precision-breeding grower-led platforms, it establishes the UK as a world leader in the technology and an on-farm testbed for future traits. This has potential benefits for farm profitability, pesticide reduction and food security, not just for the UK, but across Europe, as the EU moves towards greater acceptance of new genomic techniques.”
Farmers prioritise crop resilience in precision breeding poll
Farmers have placed rooting ability at the top of their priority list for future crop breeding efforts, according to results from a poll by the British On-Farm Innovation Network (BOFIN). It comes as BOFIN Farmers prepare to trial a wheat with a novel rooting trait.
The ‘Wellies of Wisdom’ poll, held at five major agricultural events this summer – including Cereals and Groundswell – asked visitors: “If precision breeding could introduce any of the following traits to crops, which would be most important to you?” Respondents cast their votes by placing a token in a wellington boot labelled with their preferred trait.
Among farmers, rooting abilitycame out on top, followed closely by pest and disease tolerance/resistance and nutrient use efficiency. Together, these results reveal a clear farmer focus on crop resilience, soil health and reducing inputs.
“The Wellies of Wisdom were a fun, engaging way to get people talking about precision breeding and its potential benefits,” said BOFIN managing director Tom Allen-Stevens. “But these results also send a strong message – farmers are looking for practical traits that deliver real benefits above and below ground, improving both their resilience and their bottom line.”
Other groups shared slightly different priorities. Scientists and researchers favoured pest and disease resistance, human nutritional needs, and nutrient use efficiency, reflecting a balance between agronomic performance and food quality. Agri-industry professionals aligned with farmers on nutrient use efficiency and pest resistance, but also flagged food safety as a key concern. Meanwhile, those describing themselves as ‘just curious’ placed more emphasis on drought and salinity tolerance and human nutrition, highlighting broader environmental and consumer interests.
The poll is part of BOFIN’s PROBITY project, which is bringing precision-bred crops onto commercial farms for the first time in Europe. BOFIN is now actively recruiting PROBITY Pioneers – farmers willing to join paid on-farm trials in 2025–26.
“In the first year of PROBITY trials, we’ll be growing varieties developed through a technique called TILLING to assess traits also being introduced by gene editing,” Tom explained. “Two of these varieties show enhanced gravitropism which means they develop deeper roots that could make them more drought resilient.
“But we don’t know yet whether they are – these lines haven’t been tested in the field, and scientists need to know how this trait will perform before they can develop it further. We’re particularly keen to work with growers in drought-prone areas to really put these deeper-rooting varieties to the test.”
Interested in joining the PROBITY project to help test new traits? Visit www.bofin.org.uk/LeadtheField to find out more.
Farmers are being called to the forefront of innovation by the British On-Farm Innovation Network (BOFIN) which is recruiting more growers to four Defra-funded projects.
In its latest campaign BOFIN is encouraging farmers to ‘lead the field’ by committing to take part in funded, on-farm trials which give them a hands-on role in shaping the future of UK agriculture while being paid for their contribution.
One of the projects, PROBITY, is bringing precision-bred crops onto farms for the first time in Europe. In 2025-26, this will involve growing varieties produced through TILLING* (Targeting Induced Local Lesions in Genomes) to test traits also being introduced by gene editing.
Two of the three TILLING varieties demonstrate ‘enhanced gravitropism’, resulting in deeper rooting. The project team is particularly interested in hearing from growers in drought-prone areas to test these varieties.
‘PROBITY Pioneer’ trialists need to be committed to the project’s goals and able to demonstrate high standards of practice and professionalism, explains Andrew Newby, who drafted the grower guidelines for the trials.
“There are some important stipulations for our PROBITY Pioneers in order to retain integrity of the trials. This includes a requirement for separate storage for the PROBITY grain and the ability to clean down all farm equipment used in the trial after use,” he said. “We will also need them to be meticulous with their record-keeping and be happy to share their experiences with other farmers.”
Andrew Newby
Other opportunities include joining the NCS project as a ‘Pulse Pioneer’, which involves running a pulse trial. This is a pea or bean field in which an area is not growing a pulse crop (eg spring oats) that then comes back into the same crop as the rest of the field the following year. An additional product/practice should be trialled across at least two tramlines. Pulse Pioneers are also required to take samples throughout the project, a process managed through ADAS YEN, and to complete an annual carbon footprint through Farm Carbon Toolkit.
The SLIMERS project is also seeking additional ‘Slug Sleuths’ to join the team for the 2025-26 season. For 2025-6 this will involve patch-treating against the pest this autumn, guided by novel risk-prediction maps.Additionally, BOFIN is interested in hearing from farmers intending to grow spring wheat in 2026 who would like to join the TRUTH project as a ‘Root Ranger’, to explore soil and root health.
Tom Allen-Stevens, Oxfordshire farmer and managing director of BOFIN, says: “The future of farming is being shaped right now. BOFIN trialists have the opportunity to lead the field – taking part in vital research and driving agricultural innovation – while getting paid for their time.
“Our on-farm trials are opening doors for forward-thinking growers to test cutting-edge innovations, influence research, and directly benefit from the results but also from collaboration with leading scientists.
“Anyone interested in finding out more can attend a free webinar at 8.30am on 16th July. In this we will introduce BOFIN and our projects, outline the opportunities available for forward-thinking farmers and hear from some of our experienced trialists.”
*TILLING (Targeting Induced Local Lesions in Genomes) is a powerful reverse genetics method which has been used since the mid 20th century in plant sciences and allows the introduction of point mutations. Using chemicals or radiation, mutagenesis is randomly introduced throughout the whole genome to bring about new traits, TILLING mutants can then be backcrossed with parental lines to introduce the desired trait. Plants produced under this method are not subject to approval under the legislation passed in 2025, so can be grown without restriction on commercial farms.
Our panel session on the ‘Seed to Shelf’ main stage (sponsored by KWS) will delve into the potential of gene editing to transform food and farming. We will discuss what precision breeding is, the recent regulatory changes and the BOFIN-led PROBITY project which is bringing precision-bred cereals into trials on commercial farms for the first time in Europe!
The session will run twice over the two days of Cereals – at 1pm on day one and 11am on day two.
Meet the panellists:
Rt Hon George Eustice – Former Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, George brings a wealth of policy insight and a lifelong interest in farming.
Tom Allen-Stevens – As managing director of the British On-Farm Innovation Network (BOFIN) and an Oxfordshire arable farmer, Tom is at the cutting edge of agricultural innovation. His commitment to collaboration and asking the tough questions guarantees a lively, thought-provoking session.
Andrew Ward MBE – Lincolnshire farmer, Forage Aid founder, and social media star, Andrew is a tireless advocate for British farming. His experience hosting Cereals and engaging with the wider community makes him a familiar and trusted voice.
Dr. Evan Ellison – A postdoctoral researcher at Cambridge, Evan’s expertise in gene editing and crop improvement brings a global perspective and fresh ideas to the panel.
Dr. Emily Harrison – With a background in molecular plant biology and sustainable crop production, Emily’s insights will be invaluable for anyone interested in the science driving agricultural progress.
Whether you’re a farmer, researcher, or agri-business professional, this panel is your chance to hear from experts, ask questions, and consider how precision breeding could shape the future or arable production.
Use BOFIN’s discount code I42K5X for a 50% discount on tickets at www.cerealsevent.co.uk
ADOPT fund enables farmers to ‘harness innovation’
Farmers are invited to register for a webinar exploring the opportunities created by the Accelerating Development of Practices and Technologies (ADOPT) Fund, which launches on 28th April.
The funding is part of Defra’s Farming Innovation Programme which is delivered by Innovate. It aims to accelerate the adoption of cutting-edge practices, from sustainable techniques to agri-tech solutions by providing grants of up to £100,000. Support grants of £2,500 are also available to kickstart applications.
The British On-Farm Innovation Network (BOFIN) is one of the programme’s approved project facilitators and is ready to encourage farmers to explore the opportunities through a free one-hour webinar on 1st May 2025, starting at 8.30am. It follows the official Innovate UK launch webinar the previous day.
The BOFIN webinar will include a panel discussion chaired by managing director Tom Allen-Stevens. Experts taking part are Kate Pressland of CEIA, Belinda Clarke of Agri-TechE, Becky Swinn of Innovative Farmers, Siwan Howatson of Farming Connect and Holly Shearman of Innovation for Agriculture.
Belinda Clarke, Agri-TechE
Kate Pressland, CEIA
Holly Shearman, Innovation for Agriculture
Becky Swinn, Innovative Farmers
Siwan Howatson, Farming Connect
They will discuss the details of the programme, opportunities for farmers, and give advice on how to develop ideas into projects.
“The long-awaited ADOPT Fund puts farmers in the driving seat of innovation, enabling them to harness the new technologies or innovations they believe could bring productivity gains,” said BOFIN’s Tom Allen-Stevens. “We want to make sure all farmers are aware of the opportunities this fund creates, which is why we are hosting this webinar. I encourage anyone interested to register to learn more and start developing their ideas.
“Going forward, our role as facilitators will be firstly to help farmers apply for grants. Then, for those that are successful, to ensure farmers can focus on what matters – running trials that boost productivity and sustainability for their own businesses and the wider industry – while we handle the paperwork, partnerships and project management.”
Join the British On-Farm Innovation Network (BOFIN) for an exclusive webinar on Wednesday 21st May (6.30pm), offering insight from former Defra secretary George Eustice.
In a discussion with BOFIN managing director Tom Allen-Stevens hear George Eustice’s views on the legislation that has challenged and shaped farming including the ban on neonicotinoids and metaldehyde, and why he believes the rules around biopesticides should be changed.
They will also explore the background to the Genetic Technologies Act (2023), why it was prioritised and what government hoped it would enable.
Tom will also raise questions on the Farming Innovation Programme which Mr Eustice put in motion, and his thoughts on the ADOPT programme and how farmers can benefit from the new scheme.
Participants will have the opportunity to put forward their own questions on policy, innovation, and the future of farming.
Register now and join us for an enlightening discussion!
About George Eustice
George Eustice was Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs from 13 February 2020 to 6 September 2022. He was previously Minister of State at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) from 11 May 2015 to 13 February 2020.
He was elected as the Conservative MP for Camborne and Redruth in 2010 and served on the EFRA Select Committee from 2010.
George is from a farming background, and his family still run a fruit farm, restaurant and farm shop in Cornwall where they also have a herd of South Devon cattle and the country’s oldest herd of British Lop pigs.
When Arla announced towards the end of November it was to trial Bovaer, a feed additive used to reduce methane emissions from dairy cows, it prompted a maelstrom of concern from consumers and some farmers. This was reportedly fuelled by misleading information designed to debunk the technology.
The question is why? And following on from that, was it a step backwards for advances in farming or were there lessons learned?
An important question – not just for partners in The PROBITY Project but the wider industry too – is whether there will be a similar backlash when precision-bred crops are introduced into commercial field trials for the first time here in England later this year.
BBC Verify has looked into the media storm that followed the announcement of the trial. It has also received coverage in The Guardian, among others.
It will be a matter of personal choice for dairy farmers as to whether they use it. For some, adding a small amount of 3-Nitrooxypropanol to the feed intake of their herd is no different to an arable farmer who applies a small amount of isoflucypram (as in Iblon) to their wheat crop. It’s a simple solution to quite a major problem with clear benefits.
For others this is meddling with nature. It’s a cheat, which introduces an imbalance that is not sustainable. There are other ways for dairy farmers to reduce emissions, as there are other ways to reduce disease pressure on wheat crops.
What lies at the heart of this is the gut microbiome. Like the soil microbiome it is incredibly complex. Science is only just beginning to understand them.
For farmers, we know the two are inextricably linked. Both the soil and gut microbiomes have a massive influence on the performance of farming systems. Use the soil microbiome effectively to grow nutrient-dense food and this will engender a healthy gut microbiome, both for the livestock in our care and for those we feed.
But we actually know precious little about how to do this, nor how to use potentially powerful technologies in our quest to do it better.
Take gene-editing for example.
Bold claims are made by scientists about how plant signalling pathways can be influenced and the extraordinary abilities to interact with the soil microbiome this then confers.
So how should farmers respond? We can choose to take the scientists at their word. They are the experts. We can rely on them to develop commercial products with industry partners. We don’t need to know how they work, just how they add to our profitability.
Or we are better off without this technology. We can work with scientists to gain knowledge about these complex natural systems without creating an imbalance and skewing our view of what’s truly sustainable.
Or we can work with scientists as they introduce these new traits. We can use the technology to understand this complex science better. We can co-develop the products and tailor them to how we’d like them to work in the field.
It’s an important choice. Because until farmers truly understand the living organisms in our care, and that’s all of them – animals, plants, microbes – we will continue to be misunderstood by consumers and misrepresented by our politicians.
And it’s the backlash that we witnessed with Bovaer, and a rational perspective on how a new technology is perceived was lost in a noisy, thrashing sea of misinformation.
There is more information on the Sequence Circle about gene-editing and precision-bred crops. How do we do better with gene-editing and precision-bred crops this than we did with Bovaer?
Join the discussion on The Sequence Circle.
Tom Allen-Stevens is founder of the British On-Farm Innovation Network (BOFIN), which leads PROBITY, a £2.2M Defra-funded project bringing precision-bred crops to commercial farms in England for the first time in Europe
