Pasture for life growing on many fronts
Pasture for Life, which champions the restorative power of grazing animals, continues to go from…
Turning the Tide: How Digital Intelligence Can Help British Farmers Break the ‘Perma-Crisis’
Let’s be honest — there’s hardly a farmer in Britain today who doesn’t feel like…
Ag Tech Has a Problem
There is a common saying around the industry that “Farmers are slow to adopt technology.”…
Parsnip Pioneers: the world’s first autonomously grown parsnip crop
Huntapac’s parsnip crop, grown without human machinery operation, used Skippy Scout drone monitoring operated by…
New genomic technologies flex their potential
Billions are being invested in gene editing globally, but what innovations will that investment deliver?…
New technology connecting the lab to the field
Drone technology is unlocking the potential of traditional crop trials and helping to bridge the…
Farmer and scientist collaboration helps to unearth soil secrets
Farmers and scientists working on the TRUTH Project have revealed some intriguing findings from their…
A ‘big revolution’ in nitrogen management
Nuffield Recommendations for ‘AgTech’ entrepreneurship and development
Yorkshire entrepreneur Hannah Senior NSch has published her Nuffield Farming report ‘Innovating AgTech Entrepreneurship’, sponsored…
Artificial intelligence is speeding up the development of the next generation of Biostimulants
Written by Syngenta Syngenta Crop Protection and TraitSeq announce a pioneering collaboration which could help…
New sequenced genome sheds light on weed resistance
Written by the Earlham Institute Genomic advances reveal how similar weeds can dominate wheat fields…
What the public think of farming?
I had already written this into based on the IHT announcement and the subsequent farming…
Farmer Focus – Phil Rowbottom
Jan 2025 It’s been a while since I last wrote a Farmer focus article in…
For The Love of Soil…
For a generation, farmers have taken for granted their most valuable resource, often considering it…
Getting a grip on phosphorus
Written by Tim Stephens NSch, Catchment Management Specialist, Wessex Water A vital element Phosphorus (P)…
Soil Winter Blues
Unmoved stubbles can often be the driest land on the farm after heavy rainfall. Yet…
Unlocking the power of soils
Three practical days featuring US soil biology researcher Dr Elaine Ingham about unlocking the power…
Balancing Wildlife and Farming at Lower Pertwood Farm
Written by Nick Adams, Wildlife Consultant, Lower Pertwood Farm The winds of change are blowing…
Cover crop champion update
A network of cover crop champions is providing a practical view on the impact of…
We’re changing how we manage the Claydon farm
In a political environment where farming is battling increasing headwinds, Suffolk arable farmer and inventor…
TFF Direct Drill Demo day 2025
10 years ago now in the early days of TFF we ran a trial here…
Agroforestry options
Dr David Cutress: IBERS, Aberystwyth University. Agroforestry is receiving a lot of focus for its…
The top five things to do this winter
To aid landowners and farmers with their 2025 planning, Knight Frank’s Andrew Martin and Mark…
Farmer Focus – Tim Parton
Another year, another set of problems? I can only feel at the time of writing…
Smart phosphorus management to boost yields in depleted soils
WRITTEN BY JOHN HAYWOOD – UNIUM BIOSCIENCE Standfirst: Environmental conditions play a significant role in…
Welcome to the first tech focussed edition of Direct Driller Magazine. From now on, issues will rotate between soils issues and tech issues.
Contents –
Old-fashioned farming with modern technology – page 4.
It’s 2030, so how have we done? – page 4.
Labour pains push robotic pickers – page 6.
Industry-leading research in robotics and automation – page 12.
Flash, crackle, pop – page 14.
Agronomist in Focus – Todd Jex – page 16.
The win-wins of regenerative agriculture – page 19.
Robots find their way into farmers fields – page 22.
Bayer and Microsoft forge a new frontier – page 26.
Robitics and perception in agriculture – page 28
What will appear at FIRA24? -30
Farmer Focus – Thomas Gent – 36
From hands-free hectare to aerial delivery – 37
Farmer Focus – Daniel Davies – 39
Catapult plans for UK agritech – 41
Shedding light on LED grow lighting – 46
Drilling down into fixed costs – 48
Farmer Focus – Simon Beddows – 50
Making methane practical – 52
Hitting rock bottom – 53
Basics best for hi-tech wine – 56
Biochar venture wins equity investment – 59
Farmer Focus – Clive Bailye – 61
Manufacturer Focus – Vaderstad – 63