Farm Trial Results

Parsnip Pioneers: the world’s first autonomously grown parsnip crop

Farm Trial Results, Machinery, Research, Robotics, Tech Farmer / By

Huntapac’s parsnip crop, grown without human machinery operation, used Skippy Scout drone monitoring operated by Agrii’s technical experts in the world’s first instance of entirely autonomous vegetable agronomy and production. Huntapac, in collaboration with Autonomous Agri Solutions, AutoSpray Systems and Agrii, funded by the Marks and Spencer Plan A Accelerator Fund, successfully grew a crop …

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Farmer and scientist collaboration helps to unearth soil secrets

Farm Trial Results, Research, Tech Farmer / By

Farmers and scientists working on the TRUTH Project have revealed some intriguing findings from their first year of working together. TRUTH (Thriving Roots Underpinning Total soil Health) is a three-year £1m project with twin aims of boosting productivity while improving soil health. The project is led by the British On-Farm Innovation Network (BOFIN) with four …

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A ‘big revolution’ in nitrogen management

Biodiversity, Carbon, Farm Trial Results, Tech Farmer / By

Witten by Clemmie Gleeson from BOFIN Could hyperspectral imaging revolutionise nitrogen management in agriculture? Clemmie Gleeson spoke to George Marangos-Gilks, CEO of agritech startup Messium to find out. Hyperspectral imagery can overcome the limitations of existing nitrogen assessment methods, equipping farmers with high level insights that could optimise fertiliser applications according to George Marangos-Gilks. Conventional …

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Nuffield Recommendations for ‘AgTech’ entrepreneurship and development

Farm Trial Results, Research, Tech Farmer / By

Yorkshire entrepreneur Hannah Senior NSch has published her Nuffield Farming report ‘Innovating AgTech Entrepreneurship’, sponsored by the Elizabeth Creak Charitable Trust. The full report is now published and available on the Nuffield Farming report library. A recording of Hannah presenting at the Nuffield Farming Conference watch via the QR Code. During her Scholarship, Hannah travelled …

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BYDV-Resistant Wheat

Farm Trial Results, Soils Farmer / By

BYDV-resistant wheat is a relatively new concept in the UK that is creating significant interest among farmers and the seed trade.

Pressure from BYDV is building after the ban in 2019 of seed treatments that controlled the aphid vectors, while resistance to insecticide sprays is increasing and government policy on insecticide use is tightening.

Navigating the Storm: Challenges in agriculture

Farm Trial Results, Soils Farmer / By

As I write this in the third week of March, I can reflect on challenging times both behind and ahead. On the heavy Hanslope-Denchworth series clays of the Allerton Project, we are yet to get so far even as to have terminated our cover crops, let alone apply any spring inputs to those autumn-sown crops which have survived the onslaught of one of the wettest winters on record – though we judge that only some 35% of our winter wheat area is even salvageable. Even were the incessant rains to cease today, we are likely looking at planting our wheat, beans, oats and barley well into the middle of April, significantly compromising potential.