Innovation and efficiencies will be in spotlight at Cereals 2024

The latest farming innovations, demonstrations and technical developments will take pride of place at this month’s Cereals event.

To be held on 11-12 June at Bygrave Woods in Hertfordshire, the two-day show will include new products and scientific techniques being developed to improve crop health, farm efficiencies and profitability.

Organisers say the catalogue of exhibitors exceeds 450 arable-focused companies, with some 98 new firms coming on board this year for the first time – showcasing everything from regenerative agriculture to cutting-edge precision techniques.

Arable farmer and new exhibitor James Hart is founder of Husk Data. He will be demonstrating how his business can help farmers eliminate paperwork and save time while collecting data and improving operations.

Unable to find a tailorable digital application, Mr Hart developed his data management system for his own arable enterprise and diversifications. He launched it for other farmers as a desktop and mobile application in 2022.

“Data capture is an increasingly vital element in determining a farm’s efficiency. As we move forward, so is calculating carbon reduction payments and providing proof of action under schemes like the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI).”

With six members of staff, three enterprises, and 1,000ha to manage, Mr Hart designed the HUSK application to be flexible, functional on/offline, and simple to use – be that by a one-man-band or a large, staffed enterprise.

Registering online, the farmer or contractor logs farm and field details and sets up staff user accounts. They can then create a series of tailored forms that prompt the data they want to collect, from cultivations and inputs to diesel usage and grain movement. All users then simply download the mobile app.

Data can be inputted as figures, notes, file attachments and pictures, for which the latter can be time-stamped and geotagged – a valuable feature when submitting evidence of work under schemes.

Regenerative

New exhibitor Regenerate Outcomes is helping farmers and landowners pursue an education-based approach to regenerative farming, to generate both ecological and economic gains for their businesses.

With expertise in farming and project finance, Regenerate Outcomes works alongside soil health consultancy Understanding Ag. It has also partnered with Agricarbon to monitor soil organic carbon stocks under the Verified Carbon Standard (VCS).

Combined, it provides a robust one-to-one mentorship programme which not only improves the ecological condition of land, but also generates new revenue streams, says Understanding Ag director Tom Dillon.

“The programme offers one-to-one soil health training with the aim to help farmers reduce input costs and improve plant health,” he says.

“As soil health improves, it is expected that soil organic carbon stocks increase and the need for greenhouse gas emitting inputs also reduces. This data is collected according to the VCS, so that the farm may qualify to earn third-party verified carbon credits.”

Being adaptive rather prescriptive, the programme works alongside a farm’s changing plans, government schemes, stewardships, and other projects or partnerships, says Mr Dillon.

Farmers who join the programme will also become part of a network of regenerative farms, enabling them to have a sound knowledge-board made up of like-minded farmers, he adds.

For details, visit www.cerealsevent.co.uk.