Monitor Farms

Camborne Monitor Farm: Talking tackle – considerate cultivations with Andy Newbold

Fri, 13 Dec 2024 15:34:07 GMT

The second of our winter series at Camborne will see us tackle the complex issue of considerate cultivations in the context of high rainfall and vegetable break crops.

Join us to discuss considerate cultivation strategies with Andy Newbold of Tillage Live & Agri Machinery news.

Across the country, harvest 2024 exhibited the perils of tight seedbeds and/or inconsiderate cultivations on all but the most forgiving and free-draining of soil types. The protracted wet weather didn’t allow such crops to get away in autumn nor encouraged deeper rooting in spring. The results of these prolonged field conditions we are all painfully aware of.

So how do we manage water and grow profitable crops in these ‘wet west’ or ‘bulbs in rotation’ scenarios without a wholesale return to intensive cultivations and associated expense? Come along to find out.

We will be meeting at the Trevaskis for breakfast before heading back to Cornhill Farm for some static machinery discussions and field work appraisal.

Please bring suitable footwear and clothing for a field walk & outside discussion.

BASIS and NRoSO points will be available.

Find out more about Camborne Monitor Farm

Pilton Monitor Farm: Finding the ‘levels’ – managing moisture in wet Somerset arable systems

Fri, 13 Dec 2024 15:06:36 GMT

The second of our winter series at Pilton will see us tackle the complex issue of drainage and related cultivations.

Join us to discuss considerate cultivation and drainage strategies with Andy Newbold of Tillage Live and Agri Machinery News and Nuffield Scholar and NAAC member Rob Burtonshaw of Farm Services Ltd.

Across the country, harvest 2024 exhibited the perils of tight seedbeds and/or inconsiderate cultivations on all but the most forgiving and free-draining of soil types. The protracted wet weather didn’t allow such crops to get away in autumn nor encouraged deeper rooting in spring, the results of these prolonged field conditions we are all painfully aware of.

So how do we manage water and grow profitable crops in these ‘heavy land’ or ‘maize in rotation’ scenarios without a wholesale return to intensive cultivations and associated expense? Come along to find out.

This event will be meeting at the Crown in Pilton for breakfast before heading back to Steanbow for some static machinery discussions and drainage appraisal.

Please bring suitable footwear and clothing for a field walk and outside discussion.

BASIS and NRoSO points will be available.

Jason Hendy, Knowledge Exchange Manager - Cereals & Oilseeds

Monitor Farm and Strategic Cereal Farm events

Wed, 11 Sep 2024 11:28:00 GMT

Monitor Farm and Strategic Cereal Farm events

Northumberland Monitor Farm: Producing lambs for the future

Tue, 06 Aug 2024 14:46:51 GMT

Join us at Alnham Farm as we catch up with monitor farmer Harry Sordy and discuss lamb production and reducing days to slaughter.

Agenda

The learnings of system change with Harry Sordy
Insights into what the market wants from an independent buyer
Discussion around where to make better management decisions with Alnham’s vets, Black Sheep Farm Health
Building a case for decision making, backup plans and integrating schemes into production with Emily Grant of Forrit Consultancy – Progressive Production

Registration and refreshments will be available from 10am and the meeting will start at 10:30am.

Lunch will be provided but please make sure you register in advance so we can cater accordingly.

RoSA points will be available for attending.

Find out more about our Farm Excellence programme.

Natural capital debates a hit at Newbury Monitor Farm

Wed, 12 Jun 2024 09:18:19 GMT

Natural capital debates a hit at Newbury Monitor Farm

Resilient beef systems – Lucerne

Wed, 29 May 2024 14:56:46 GMT

Join AHDB and Germinal at this Monitor Farm event where we'll be discussing all things lucerne.

Monitor farmer Ian Farrant is growing lucerne for the first time this year as he looks for more resilient forage options for growing and finishing beef.

Join us as we hear about his experience to date as well as learning more about lucerne from Germinal, an agricultural grass and forage seed company, and Rob Watkins, an independent nutritionist.

Ian Farrant

Ian was the 2023 Farmers Weekly Beef Farmer of the Year. He runs 650 Aberdeen Angus x dairy beef from calves through to finishing for Dovecote Park on a forage-based system.

Ian’s farming ethos focuses on sustainability in all senses of the word, with healthy soils, reducing fertiliser use and imported feed, and profitable beef production, being of utmost importance to him.

What we'll cover

What’s been happening at Underley
The pros, cons and considerations of growing and feeding lucerne
Field walk to look at the lucerne: Establishment, management, cutting and feeding
Panel discussion answering the question: What does resilient beef for the future look like?

Speakers

Ian Farrant, monitor farmer and Farmers Weekly Beef Farmer of the Year 2023
Paul Morgan, Germinal
Rob Watkins, independent nutritionist
Emma Steele, AHDB Beef & Lamb

Registration and refreshments will be available from 10.45am, the meeting will start promptly at 11:00am and lunch will be provided.

This event will include a farm walk on uneven ground that may be wet. Please wear appropriate footwear that can be disinfected for your safety, comfort and biosecurity.

The event is free to attend, but please register to allow us to cater accordingly.

Newbury Monitor Farm: Summer farm walk

Thu, 21 Mar 2024 11:56:32 GMT

Join us for the final summer farm walk at Newbury Monitor Farm, hosted by Rob Waterstone. We will look at the cropping for harvest 2024 with stimulating discussions around the season so far and Rob’s experiences over his tenure as a Monitor Farm manager. George Mason of Heygates will present “A Miller's Perspective”, exploring the UK milling wheat market and its requirements.

This meeting will cover

Rob’s three years as a Monitor farmer
A presentation from George Mason – “A Miller's Perspective”
Farm walk

Registration and refreshments will be available from 2:00pm, with presentations commencing at 2:20pm, and a buffet will be provided before departure at 5:00pm.

This meeting is free to attend, but please book a place so we can organise catering.

BASIS and NRoSO points will be available for attending.

Please bring suitable footwear and clothing for a field walk.

What three words address: /// lobster.dried.tripled

Find out more about AHDB Farm Excellence

On-farm research opportunities pitched to arable farmers

Thu, 07 Mar 2024 13:48:59 GMT

On-farm research opportunities pitched to arable farmers

Hereford Monitor Farm: final summer farm walk

Mon, 04 Mar 2024 16:08:17 GMT

Join us for the final instalment of our Hereford Monitor Farm as Adam Lewis, Rob Beaumont, Martin Carr and Jack Hopkins talk about the developments that have been made on the farm over the last four years.

What will this meeting cover?

Reflections on their journey over the last four years
A walk around Adam’s farm as we look at how he’s coped with this year
The future plan for our monitor farmers

Registration and refreshments will be available from 3pm with presentations commencing at 3:30pm, dinner will be provided.

BASIS and NRoSO points will be available for attending.

The event is free to attend, but please register to allow us to cater accordingly.

Find out more about AHDB Farm Excellence.

Advanced soil testing and Monitor Farm update

Fri, 01 Mar 2024 14:13:55 GMT

Join this webinar to hear from monitor farmer David Cross and independent consultant Dr Liz Genever as we discuss soil health and other updates from the Monitor Farm.

This event will be hosted by Dr Nerys Wright, AHDB, and monitor farmer David Cross.

During the webinar we will provide an update on activity at the Monitor Farm. We will also share the details of the initial soil testing undertaken on the farm as part of a collaborative project with Dr Liz Genever, which forms part of Integrity Soils' CREATE UK course and Regenerate Outcomes.

We will explain what the results mean in terms of soil health and discuss the recommended next steps to address the findings.

Agenda

Monitor Farm update – the last 12 months, new enterprises and why we want to look at soil health; David Cross
Detailed results from soil tests of four fields, including soil food web and plant tissue tests; Dr Liz Genever
Exploring the impact of the 5Ms – Mindset, Management, Organic Matter, Minerals and Microbes
Initial ideas about trials/split fields

ROSA points will be available for joining this online event.

The event is free to attend, but please register to be sent a joining link.

Find out more about AHDB's Farm Excellence programme

Wainfleet Monitor Farm: Which break crop?

Wed, 01 Nov 2023 09:46:32 GMT

Join us at the next Wainfleet Monitor Farm meeting when we will be discussing options for maximising your returns.

We look forward to welcoming you to catch up on what has been happening at the Monitor Farm since we last met.

What will this meeting cover?

Monitor Farm update
Which break crops would work best in your rotation?
Options for overcoming loss of direct payments
Making SFI work for you

Registration and refreshments will be available from 9:30am, presentations will start at 9:45am. Lunch will be provided.

The event is free to attend, but please register to allow us to cater accordingly.

BASIS and NRoSO points will be available.

Find out more about AHDB Farm Excellence.

Discover our monitor farm network.

Norwich Monitor Farm: Labour and machinery review

Tue, 31 Oct 2023 08:47:03 GMT

Join us at our Norwich Monitor Farm meeting with host Michael Balls and Ceres Rural as we discuss Michael’s recent labour, power and machinery review.

We look forward to welcoming you to catch up on what has been happening at the Monitor Farm since we last met.

This meeting will cover

The importance of comprehensively reviewing fixed costs using a local, real-world, case study – the Norwich Monitor Farm
Practical strategies for optimising a farm business’ budget, with a focus on the factors at play when replacing machinery, such as depreciation, maintenance, operational expenses and technological advancements
What a labour, power and machinery review entails
A comprehensive review of the labour, power and machinery costings in modern farming practices and how to use the data to inform decision making

Registration and refreshments will be available from 9:30am, with presentations starting at 10:00am.

Lunch will be provided.

The event is free to attend, but spaces are limited, so please register to secure your spot and allow us to cater accordingly.

BASIS and NRoSO points will be available for attending.

Find out more about AHDB Farm Excellence

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Lean thinking saves Monitor Farm money

Tue, 17 Oct 2023 09:39:57 GMT

Lean thinking saves Monitor Farm money

Bingham Monitor Farm: Crop nutrition

Wed, 11 Oct 2023 09:24:01 GMT

Join us for the next Bingham Monitor Farm meeting, where we will be catching up on what has been happening at the monitor farm since we last met.

We will also be joined by Syed Shah, NIAB Regional Agronomist (South) & Technical Innovation Lead, to discuss crop nutrition and nitrogen use efficiency.

This meeting will cover

Monitor farm update including harvest and drilling
Crop nutrition try-outs at the monitor farm
Results of comparison of treatments between conventional approach and more expensive product – was the cost justified?
Using biostimulants
Nitrogen use efficiency
Using yield maps
Other crop nutrition considerations

Registration and refreshments will be available from 9:30am with presentations commencing at 10:00am. Lunch will be provided.

BASIS and NRoSO points will be available.

The event is free to attend, but please register to allow us to cater accordingly.

Find out more about Farm Excellence.

Discover our monitor farm network.

Farmer focus – Staying safe on the farm

Wed, 11 Oct 2023 09:00:30 GMT

Join us for the next Wainfleet Monitor Farm Meeting, where we will catch up on what has been happening at the monitor farm since we last met.

We will also be joined by Mark Smith, an award-winning health and safety manager (British Safety Industry Federation Health and Safety Manager of the Year Award Winner 2023) and independent consultant.

This meeting will cover

Monitor farm update
Staying safe on the farm
Well-being, safety and health
Links between safety, occupational health and mental/physical well-being

Registration and refreshments will be available from 9:30am with presentations commencing at 9:45am. Lunch will be provided.

BASIS and NRoSO points will be available.

The event is free to attend, but please register to allow us to cater accordingly.

Find out more about AHDB Farm Excellence.

Discover our monitor farm network.

Harvesting sustainability: Strategies for maximising profit with environmental considerations

Mon, 02 Oct 2023 13:13:13 GMT

Join us for the first Cambridge Monitor Farm meeting of the season hosted by Matt Redman. We will be catching up on what has been happening at the Monitor Farm since we last met.

Focusing on the latest insights and best practices, we will be delving into the critical areas of crop benchmarking, arable gross margins, break crop profitability and SFI.

The meeting will cover

Enhancing decision-making and improving business performance
Benchmarking crop performance
Evaluating gross margins
Maximising break crop profitability

Registration and refreshments will be available from 9:30am, with presentations commencing at 10:00am, and finishing with lunch at 1:00pm.

The event is free to attend, but please register to allow us to cater accordingly and advise us of any special dietary requirements.

BASIS and NRoSO points will be available for attending.

Find out more about our Farm Excellence.

Thriving in the future farming environment

Thu, 28 Sep 2023 15:49:22 GMT

You are invited to join us for the next Buckinghamshire and Bedfordshire Monitor Farm meeting.

We look forward to welcoming you to catch up on what has been happening at the Monitor Farm since we last met.

We will be joined by an industry panel to discuss how we can meet the aims of our businesses, with the increases in fixed costs and the reduction in subsidies, and still make a margin.

Lunch will be provided.

What will this meeting cover?

Monitor Farm update including harvest and drilling
Managing increases in fixed costs and the reduction in subsidies
How we can continue to meet the aims of our businesses
How we might make a margin going forward

Speakers

Martin Lines, chair of the Nature Friendly Farming Network
Will Tongue, a consultant with Berrys
Simon King, farm manager, J Wharton (Agriculture) Ltd.

Registration and refreshments will be available from 9:30am with presentations commencing at 9:45am.

BASIS and NRoSO points will be available.

The event is free to attend, but please register to allow us to cater accordingly.

Find out more about AHDB Farm Excellence.

Using cover crops and companion cropping to build soil health

Thu, 28 Sep 2023 15:11:59 GMT

Join us for the next Wainfleet Monitor Farm meeting.

We look forward to welcoming you to catch up on what has been happening at the Monitor Farm since we last met.

We will also be joined by Joe Martlew, AHDB Senior Knowledge Transfer Manager, and David Purdy, Soil Health Specialist, to discuss soil health monitoring and how you can use cover and companion crops to improve soil health.

The meeting will cover

Monitor Farm update, including harvest and drilling
Soil health monitoring
How cover crops and companion cropping can improve soil health

Registration and refreshments will be available from 9:30am, with presentations commencing at 9:45am. Lunch will be provided.

BASIS and NRoSO points will be available.

The event is free to attend, but please register to allow us to cater accordingly.

Find out more about AHDB Farm Excellence.

Discover our monitor farm network.

Wisbech Monitor Farm: Business resilience

Thu, 28 Sep 2023 13:57:05 GMT

Join us for the first Wisbech Monitor Farm meeting of the season and catch up with what has been happening at Wisbech since we last met.

Our hosts, Andrew and Sam Melton, will be joined by Gary Markham, Director of Farms & Estates at Rural Tax Accountants, Land Family Business.

Gary Markham specialises in setting up farming joint ventures and solving problems in larger family-owned agricultural businesses – particularly relating to strategic growth, inheritance planning and succession. He is well experienced in benchmarking data and using it to help clients to identify strengths and weaknesses and to challenge business structures and practices.

This meeting will cover

Understanding your cost of production
Benchmarking and the impact on farm businesses
Case studies
Diversification options

Registration and refreshments will be available from 8:30am, with presentations commencing at 9:00am.

The event is free to attend, but please register to allow us to cater accordingly and advise us of any special dietary requirements.

BASIS and NRoSO points will be available for attending.

Find out more about AHDB Farm Excellence

Northumberland beef and lamb Monitor Farm: Winter bale grazing

Wed, 06 Sep 2023 15:28:28 GMT

Join us, alongside Pasture for Life and Innovative Farmers, for an on-farm discussion covering what you need to know about bale grazing. Find out how it could work for your farm as an effective way to cut expensive cattle wintering costs.

The event is hosted by one of our monitor farms, G. Sordy & Sons; they are part of an Innovative Farmers field lab, coordinated by Pasture for Life and supported by AHDB. The project is exploring the impacts of bale grazing across a range of different farms with varying soil types and herd sizes. Last year, the Sordy family managed to outwinter 160 suckler cows on deferred grazing and bales of silage and they plan to expand this further in 2023.

What you will learn

Why bale grazing can play an effective role in reducing wintering costs in beef systems
How to set up and manage bale grazing on your farm, including setting up paddocks, management throughout the winter and options to fit your farming system
Top tips from suckler beef farmers already bale grazing

Itinerary

10:00am Arrival
10:30am Introductions
10:45am Why you should bale graze
11:00am Visit to a bale grazing field to explore the grazing system in operation
12:30pm Return to the shed
1:30pm Lunch and finish

We look forward to seeing you there.