The British On-Farm Innovation Network (BOFIN) encourages farmers to ‘lead the field’ in agricultural innovation by taking part in Defra-funded projects that are changing the shape of the industry. Here we catch up with the latest updates across its collaborative projects. SLIMERS project advances in the battle against slugs Farmers involved in a major slug …
As the pressures on agriculture mount—from climate instability to rising input costs—farmers are increasingly turning to smarter, more sustainable technologies to protect both yields and margins. Among the most promising of these is Variable Rate Application (VRA), a precision farming approach revolutionising how crop inputs are managed. With its ability to fine-tune inputs like fertilisers, …
Variable Rate Application: The Economic and Agronomic Edge for Modern Spraying Read More »
Written by the Earlham Institute Genomic advances reveal how similar weeds can dominate wheat fields that are geographically separated by over 5,000 miles. Two new Alopecurus genomes have been sequenced, providing important additions to the growing body of community resources for weed genomics. Access to the genomes for blackgrass and orange foxtail, sometimes called shortawn foxtail, will …
New sequenced genome sheds light on weed resistance Read More »
Tom Allen-Stevens travels forward to 2030 and looks for the farmers who would emerge strengthened if the bubble burst on the carbon market. Here in 2030, it’s very easy to claim the benefit of hindsight. But it’s fair to say few could have foreseen the depth of the scars that would lash the farming landscape …
With harvest wrapping up and the new farming season underway, many farmers are turning their attention to implementing sustainability practices through the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI), which is set to become integral to many farm’s businesses. As the Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) phases out, the SFI provides a valuable opportunity to support farm incomes while …
Although artificial intelligence can help achieve wondrous things, it’s only as good as the information it’s learnt from. Tech Farmer looks at how synthetic imagery could take green-on-green precision to new levels. Written by Lucy de la Pasture Although per plant farming may have suffered a setback with the loss of the Small Robot Company, …
Around 2,500 delegates attended the World AgriTech Innovation Summit in San Francisco in March. Mike Abram went along to hear about some new exciting innovations. If you’re the CEO or founder of an agritech start-up, or looking to find such companies, it’s the place to be. If you’re the global head of sustainability or digital …
First look: Innovations that might be on your farm  Read More »
Effectively managing natural capital is crucial for optimising land use, conserving soil health, preserving water resources, promoting biodiversity and ensuring long-term sustainability. However, this requires a deep understanding of ecosystem dynamics and the ability to monitor changes over time writes Kevin Fennelly of Farmeye. Advances in remote sensing technology have made the Normalised Difference Vegetative …
By Nick Badger, Frontier Agriculture Modern sprayers are managed by advanced computer systems, equipped with precision tools and GPS technology to optimise applications and operated by highly skilled, qualified specialists. It’s a practice that has certainly seen advancements over the years. However, the filling of sprayer tanks has remained a labour-intensive and time-consuming task. The …
Safety and stewardship with closed transfer systems Read More »
Which digital technologies hold the most commercial value for UK farms and how can they best be developed, integrated and managed to deliver that value in practice? Agrii digital agronomy development manager Lucy Cottingham explores a novel farm network set up to answer these and other future-focussed questions. The pace of digital development is truly …
Digital Technology Farm Network explores data-driven ‘fields of the future’ Read More »
