Farmers with an eye for innovation are invited to attend an Inspiration Day to explore trial results and farmer-led innovation.
Organised by the British On-Farm Innovation Network (BOFIN), the one-day event will focus on ways of boosting productivity with discussions on soil health and its role in resilient crop production systems.
It is part of a £1m three-year project called Thriving Roots Underpinning Total Soil Health (TRUTH). The Defra-funded initiative is led by BOFIN with the UK Agri-Tech Centre, John Innes Centre, Nottingham University and PES Technologies.
Now in their third year, some 20 Root Ranger farmer trialists undertaking trials to validate on-farm soil and root health testing tools, including a sensor that can detect more than 10 soil health indicators through a “scent fingerprint”.
The Innovation Day on 8 May will include sessions where the farmers will share results from the TRUTH trials alongside a farm walk with farm manager Ted Allen-Stevens to see the trial sites at Thrales End Farm, Harpenden, Hertfordshire.
“I’m looking forward to sharing our learning from the project which has been really significant for us,” he said. “Our results so far have given us some real evidence that soil health has improved since we brought in regenerative practices.”
“I hope the day will encourage other farmers to get involved with on-farm trials. It’s only when you drill down into the detail of your own farm that you can get that substance and reassurance of what you’re actually achieving.”
Other sessions include a talk from Hutchinsons Soil Services specialist Zara Northern, and a workshop by BOFIN founder Tom Allen-Stevens on peer-to-peer learning.
To register for a free place, visit tinyurl.com/eastinspiration26.