Environment

Castle Douglas: Unlocking slurry nutrients for healthier soils

Wed, 07 Oct 2026 15:06:39 GMT

Unpredictable weather, fluctuating fertiliser prices and pressure on forage production mean your soil productivity and the nutrients you’re applying matter more than ever. But do you know what's really in your slurry or whether your soils are making the most of it?

Join us at one of our dairy soils events to discover how slurry and soil testing can help you make informed nutrient decisions, reduce reliance on bought-in fertiliser and build healthier, more resilient soils.

We'll explore:

How slurry testing can provide more specific nutrient information than average RB209 book values
Why slurry values vary between farms and what that means for nutrient planning
The role of soil condition and soil indices in nutrient use efficiency
How sustainable soil management practices and improved nutrient use can maximise forage production
How leading farmers are using soil and slurry information to improve decision-making

Our nutrient management guide (RB209) provides average nutrient values for slurry and livestock manures. However, each farm is unique and the best information you can use is what’s actually in your slurry.

By sampling slurry and understanding your individual soil profile, you can tailor your applications to create the healthiest productive soils.

Whether you're already soil and slurry testing or just getting started, this farm event will help you make every nutrient count while optimising your soils, extending your grazing season and maximising forage output.

Arrival and refreshments from 10:45am, prompt 11am start.

Relocating to local pub for lunch and afternoon session.

Cheshire: Unlocking slurry nutrients for healthier soils

Fri, 02 Oct 2026 09:07:35 GMT

Unpredictable weather, fluctuating fertiliser prices and pressure on forage production mean your soil productivity and the nutrients you’re applying matter more than ever. But do you know what's really in your slurry, or whether your soils are making the most of it?

We'll explore:

How slurry testing can provide more specific nutrient information than average RB209 book values
Why slurry values vary between farms and what that means for nutrient planning
The role of soil condition and soil indices in nutrient use efficiency
How sustainable soil management practices and improved nutrient use can maximise forage production
How leading farmers are using soil and slurry information to improve decision-making

The nutrient management guide (RB209) provides average nutrient values for slurry and livestock manures. However, each farm is unique, and the best information you can use is what’s actually in your slurry.

By sampling slurry and understanding your individual soil profile, you can tailor your applications to create the healthiest productive soils.

Whether you're already soil and slurry testing or just getting started, this farm event will help you make every nutrient count whilst optimising your soils, extending your grazing season and maximising forage output.

Arrival and refreshments from 10:30am. A light lunch will be provided.

New industry group to tackle environmental risks in outdoor pig production

Thu, 01 Oct 2026 14:32:15 GMT

New industry group to tackle environmental risks in outdoor pig production

UK dairy farmers ramp up activity to cut greenhouse gas emissions

Wed, 23 Sep 2026 12:42:26 GMT

UK dairy farmers ramp up activity to cut greenhouse gas emissions

Cumbria: Unlocking slurry nutrients for healthier soils

Wed, 23 Sep 2026 09:25:16 GMT

Unpredictable weather, fluctuating fertiliser prices and pressure on forage production means your soil productivity and the nutrients you’re applying matter more than ever. But do you know what's really in your slurry, or whether your soils are making the most of it?

We'll explore:

How slurry testing can provide more specific nutrient information than average RB209 book values
Why slurry values vary between farms and what that means for nutrient planning
The role of soil condition and soil indices in nutrient use efficiency
How sustainable soil management practices and improved nutrient use can maximise forage production
How leading farmers are using soil and slurry information to improve decision-making

The nutrient management guide (RB209) provides average nutrient values for slurry and livestock manures. However, each farm is unique and the best information you can use is what’s actually in your slurry.

By sampling slurry and understanding your individual soil profile you can tailor your applications to create the healthiest productive soils.

Arrival and refreshments from 10:30am. A light lunch will be provided.

Lessons from the drought – how to build a more resilient grazing system

Thu, 17 Sep 2026 11:27:22 GMT

During this webinar we'll explore the key lessons learned from this season's drought and provide practical actions you can take to improve grazing system resilience, maintain productivity and prepare for future weather challenges.

You'll gain insights into how soil function, rooting depth, grazing management, plant species diversity and enterprise decisions can strengthen business performance during periods of weather variability.

What the webinar will cover

Lessons learned from the 2026 grazing season and drought conditions
How soil health and soil function influence grass growth and resilience
The importance of rooting depth in maintaining forage production during dry periods
Grazing management strategies to improve pasture performance and recovery
The role of plant species diversity in resilient grazing systems
Enterprise management considerations, including:

Stocking rates
Mating dates
Weaning strategies
Livestock sales and purchases

Practical actions to help maximise spring grass availability and prepare for future weather extremes
Live audience questions and discussion

Speakers

Katie Evans, Senior Engagement Manager, AHDB (chair)
James Daniel, Precision Grazing

James Daniel

James is an independent grazing consultant who works with livestock farmers across the UK to improve grassland management, grazing performance and business resilience.

He's dedicated to driving innovation in pasture-based production and works with farmers across the UK, implementing pasture-based systems that deliver measurable results.

GREATsoils events

Wed, 16 Sep 2026 13:42:00 GMT

GREATsoils events

Devon: Unlocking slurry nutrients for healthier soils

Mon, 14 Sep 2026 16:26:47 GMT

Unpredictable weather, fluctuating fertiliser prices and pressure on forage production means your soil productivity and the nutrients you’re applying matter more than ever. But do you know what's really in your slurry, or whether your soils are making the most of it?

We'll explore:

How slurry testing can provide more specific nutrient information than average RB209 book values
Why slurry values vary between farms and what that means for nutrient planning
The role of soil condition and soil indices in nutrient use efficiency
How sustainable soil management practices and improved nutrient use can maximise forage production
How leading farmers are using soil and slurry information to improve decision-making

By sampling slurry and understanding your individual soil profile you can tailor your applications to create the healthiest productive soils.

Arrival and refreshments from 10:30am. A light lunch will be provided.

Speaker bio:

John Morgan, Creedy Associates director

John has over 30 years’ experience as an agribusiness advisor, having worked as a senior consultant for Genus Management (Promar) and ADAS before founding Creedy Associates in 2001. He works across the South of England providing face-to-face, and virtual advice to a range of rural-focused businesses. This includes national and regional companies and individual farm businesses. Alongside his commitments with Creedy Associates LTD, John supports wife, Suzi, in the running of their diversified farm, which includes holiday cottages and a renewable energy business encompassing solar and biomass technologies.

Carmarthenshire: Unlocking slurry nutrients for healthier soils

Mon, 14 Sep 2026 16:18:31 GMT

Unpredictable weather, fluctuating fertiliser prices and pressure on forage production means your soil productivity and the nutrients you’re applying matter more than ever. But do you know what's really in your slurry, or whether your soils are making the most of it?

We'll explore:

How slurry testing can provide more specific nutrient information than average RB209 book values
Why slurry values vary between farms and what that means for nutrient planning
The role of soil condition and soil indices in nutrient use efficiency
How sustainable soil management practices and improved nutrient use can maximise forage production
How leading farmers are using soil and slurry information to improve decision-making

By sampling slurry and understanding your individual soil profile you can tailor your applications to create the healthiest productive soils.

Arrival and refreshments from 10:30am. A light lunch will be provided.

If a business partner attends, the participation hours (2 hours) will count towards SFS UA4 Continuing Professional Development (CPD). A certificate will be provided post event. CRN numbers will be able to be added on the day.

Speaker Bio:

Professor Andrew Neal, Director of research at Centre for Dynamic Soils

Professor Andy Neal's research looks at how soil biology, organic matter and soil structure interact to create healthy, productive soils. He has published over 80 research papers and is well known for helping explain how soils function as living systems. Andy regularly works with farmers, policymakers and industry groups and is passionate about promoting the value of healthy, living soils.

West Sussex: Unlocking slurry nutrients for healthier soils

Mon, 14 Sep 2026 11:34:42 GMT

Unpredictable weather, fluctuating fertiliser prices and pressure on forage production means your soil productivity and the nutrients you’re applying matter more than ever. But do you know what's really in your slurry, or whether your soils are making the most of it?

We'll explore:

How slurry testing can provide more specific nutrient information than average RB209 book values
Why slurry values vary between farms and what that means for nutrient planning
The role of soil condition and soil indices in nutrient use efficiency
How sustainable soil management practices and improved nutrient use can maximise forage production
How leading farmers are using soil and slurry information to improve decision-making

By sampling slurry and understanding your individual soil profile you can tailor your applications to create the healthiest productive soils.

Arrival and refreshments from 10:30am. A light lunch will be provided.

Speaker bio:

John Morgan, Director at Creedy Associates

John has over 30 years’ experience as a agri business advisor having worked as a senior consultant for Genus Management (Promar) and ADAS before founding Creedy Associates in 2001. He works across the South of England providing face to face, and virtual advice to a range of rural focused businesses. This includes national and regional companies and individual farm businesses. Alongside John's Creedy Associates LTD commitments, John supports wife Suzi in the running of their diversified farm with holiday cottages, and a renewable, solar and biomass, energy business.

Leicestershire: Unlocking slurry nutrients for healthier soils

Thu, 10 Sep 2026 11:50:02 GMT

Unpredictable weather, fluctuating fertiliser prices and pressure on forage production means your soil productivity and the nutrients you’re applying matter more than ever. But do you know what's really in your slurry, or whether your soils are making the most of it?

We'll explore:

How slurry testing can provide more specific nutrient information than average RB209 book values
Why slurry values vary between farms and what that means for nutrient planning
The role of soil condition and soil indices in nutrient use efficiency
How sustainable soil management practices and improved nutrient use can maximise forage production
How leading farmers are using soil and slurry information to improve decision-making

By sampling slurry and understanding your individual soil profile you can tailor your applications to create the healthiest productive soils.

Arrival and refreshments from 10:30am. A light lunch will be provided.

UK dairy sector unites behind shared pathway to a resilient, sustainable future

Tue, 08 Sep 2026 13:48:17 GMT

UK dairy sector unites behind shared pathway to a resilient, sustainable future

Dumfries: What makes a calf thrive?

Thu, 27 Aug 2026 18:09:11 GMT

Join us for a practical on-farm session exploring how nutrition, housing and performance monitoring can help improve calf health, growth and long-term performance.

We'll get hands-on with the host farm's calf system, looking at how to:

Spot housing and ventilation issues that could be holding calves back
Get nutrition right to support healthy, consistent growth
Use monitoring and technology to identify problems early and assess whether calves are meeting their targets

Hear from Julia Wadeson, independent nutritionist, David Ball from AHDB and MSD Animal Health, and take the opportunity to ask questions, compare approaches with other calf rearers and discuss practical ideas to apply on your farm.

Whether you're rearing dairy replacements, dairy-beef calves or contract rearing, this event will help you assess calf performance and identify opportunities for improvement.

Arrival and refreshments from 10:00am. A light lunch will be provided.

Speakers

David Ball

David is AHDB's Technical Manager specialising in livestock buildings and the farm environment. With extensive practical dairy experience, including managing dairy herds, David's work focuses on livestock housing, ventilation and creating environments that support animal health and performance. For this event, David will look at how to assess calf housing and identify practical improvements.

Julia Wadeson

Julia is an independent youngstock consultant and founder of Calf To Cow Consultancy, specialising in practical calf and youngstock nutrition and management. With postgraduate study in ruminant nutrition and production, Julia works directly with farmers to improve calf health, growth and performance through practical, evidence-based approaches. She is also a signatory to the GB Calf Strategy 2025–2030.

MSD Animal Health

MSD Animal Health will focus on how technology can help farmers understand whether calves are genuinely thriving. The session will demonstrate SenseHub Dairy Youngstock, which uses electronic ear tags to monitor youngstock behaviour around the clock, helping farmers identify animals that may require attention and providing another tool for monitoring health and performance.

Cheshire: Suckler beef – health, nutrition and what’s next

Thu, 27 Aug 2026 15:12:54 GMT

Join us as we bring farmers and industry experts together to look at how the suckler beef sector can remain profitable, efficient and sustainable for the future.

The evening is part of our ‘Stronger herds for stronger returns’ campaign to recognise the value of suckler beef and build a productive and resilient future for the sector.

Each event includes a panel discussion on cattle health, nutrition and market insights, with opportunities to share experiences and consider how suckler beef systems can adapt for the future.

What to expect

Beef nutritionist David Hendy brings over 25 years’ experience and will share practical advice on efficient, simple feeding systems to optimise performance
Hollie Edwards of Wright & Morten Vets will discuss how to identify issues affecting herd performance
AHDB analyst Becky Smith will give an industry overview of beef production figures and the current market outlook
An opportunity to ask the experts questions and share experiences with fellow beef farmers

What you’ll take away

You’ll leave with a clearer understanding of:

The nutritional needs of your herd at different points in the production year
How to improve herd performance through animal health planning
New insights, perspectives and contacts from talking to fellow producers and technical experts

Others in the series

20 October: North Yorkshire

29 October: Gloucestershire

4 November: West Sussex

Important information

This is a fully funded event with food and refreshments provided at the start of the meeting.

Spaces are limited so early booking is advised.

If you have any questions about these events, contact your regional knowledge exchange manager.

West Sussex: Suckler beef – health, nutrition and what’s next

Thu, 27 Aug 2026 14:53:37 GMT

Join us as we bring farmers and industry experts together to look at how the suckler beef sector can remain profitable, efficient and sustainable for the future.

The evening is part of our ‘Stronger herds for stronger returns’ campaign to recognise the value of suckler beef and build a productive and resilient future for the sector.

Each event includes a panel discussion on cattle health, nutrition and market insights, with opportunities to share experiences and consider how suckler beef systems can adapt for the future.

What to expect

Beef nutritionist David Hendy brings over 25 years’ experience and will share practical advice on efficient, simple feeding systems to optimise performance
Livestock Partnership Vet who will discuss how to identify issues affecting herd performance
AHDB analyst will give an industry overview of beef production figures and the current market outlook
An opportunity to ask the experts questions and share experiences with fellow beef farmers

What you’ll take away

You’ll leave with a clearer understanding of:

The nutritional needs of your herd at different points in the production year
How to improve herd performance through animal health planning
New insights, perspectives and contacts from talking to fellow producers and technical experts

Others in the series

20 October: North Yorkshire

21 October: Cheshire

29 October: Gloucestershire

Important information

This is a fully funded event with food and refreshments provided at the start of the meeting.

Spaces are limited so early booking is advised.

If you have any questions about these events, contact your regional knowledge exchange manager.

Gloucestershire: Suckler beef – health, nutrition and what’s next

Thu, 27 Aug 2026 14:25:00 GMT

Join us as we bring farmers and industry experts together to look at how the suckler beef sector can remain profitable, efficient and sustainable for the future.

The evening is part of our ‘Stronger herds for stronger returns’ campaign to recognise the value of suckler beef and build a productive and resilient future for the sector.

Each event includes a panel discussion on cattle health, nutrition and market insights, with opportunities to share experiences and consider how suckler beef systems can adapt for the future.

What to expect

Beef nutritionist David Hendy brings over 25 years’ experience and will share practical advice on efficient, simple feeding systems to optimise performance
A vet who will discuss how to identify issues affecting herd performance
An AHDB analyst will give an industry overview of beef production figures and the current market outlook
An opportunity to ask the experts questions and share experiences with fellow beef farmers

What you’ll take away

You’ll leave with a clearer understanding of:

The nutritional needs of your herd at different points in the production year
How to improve herd performance through animal health planning
New insights, perspectives and contacts from talking to fellow producers and technical experts

Others in the series

20 October: North Yorkshire

21 October: Cheshire

4 November: West Sussex

Important information

This is a fully funded event with food and refreshments provided at the start of the meeting.

Spaces are limited so early booking is advised.

If you have any questions about these events, contact your regional knowledge exchange manager.

Yorkshire: Suckler beef – health, nutrition and what’s next

Thu, 27 Aug 2026 14:00:59 GMT

Join us as we bring farmers and industry experts together to look at how the suckler beef sector can remain profitable, efficient and sustainable for the future.

The evening is part of our ‘Stronger herds for stronger returns’ campaign to recognise the value of suckler beef and build a productive and resilient future for the sector.

Each event includes a panel discussion on cattle health, nutrition and market insights, with opportunities to share experiences and consider how suckler beef systems can adapt for the future.

What to expect

Beef nutritionist – to share practical advice on efficient, simple feeding systems to optimise performance
Vet – who will discuss how to identify issues affecting herd performance
AHDB analyst – to give an industry overview of beef production figures and the current market outlook
An opportunity to ask the experts questions and share experiences with fellow beef farmers

What you’ll take away

You’ll leave with a clearer understanding of:

The nutritional needs of your herd at different points in the production year
How to improve herd performance through animal health planning
New insights, perspectives and contacts from talking to fellow producers and technical experts

Others in the series

21 October: Cheshire

29 October: Gloucestershire

4 November: West Sussex

Important information

This is a fully funded event with food and refreshments provided at the start of the meeting.

Spaces are limited so early booking is advised.

If you have any questions about these events, contact your regional knowledge exchange manager.

Cumbria: What makes a calf thrive?

Tue, 25 Aug 2026 16:42:56 GMT

Join us for a practical on-farm session exploring how nutrition, housing and performance monitoring can help improve calf health, growth and long-term performance.

We'll get hands-on with the host farm's calf system, looking at how to:

Spot housing and ventilation issues that could be holding calves back
Get nutrition right to support healthy, consistent growth
Use monitoring and technology to identify problems early and assess whether calves are meeting their targets

Whether you're rearing dairy replacements, dairy-beef calves or contract rearing, this event will help you assess calf performance and identify opportunities for improvement.

Arrival and refreshments from 10:00am. A light lunch will be provided.

Speakers

David Ball

Julia Wadeson

MSD Animal Health

More about the Environment Baselining Pilot

Fri, 21 Aug 2026 08:49:00 GMT

More about the Environment Baselining Pilot

Cornwall: Suckler beef farm walk

Mon, 10 Aug 2026 11:45:03 GMT

During this practical on-farm event, we’ll explore the role suckler beef plays within the wider beef supply chain.

Our ‘Stronger herds for stronger returns’ campaign recognises the value of suckler beef and supporting a resilient future for the sector.

Join us for a day of practical learning, discussion and collaboration with fellow producers and industry experts.

The farm walk will incorporate a series of stations focusing on productivity, efficiency and profitability.

What to expect

Interactive discussions with fellow suckler beef farmers and industry representatives
Farm system overview – hear from the host farmer about their suckler beef system, key challenges and how they have overcome them
Housing management – housing expert Jamie Robertson will talk about shed designs to suit your suckler system
Using the right genetics – our genetics team will explain how to select genetics that suit your system and introduce some of the AHDB tools available to support your decisions
Positive environmental focus – using farm-specific examples Rachael Madeley-Davies, AHDB Head of Environment, will explore how suckler beef systems can support positive environmental outcomes and contribute to the future of sustainable beef production

What you’ll take away

You’ll leave with a practical understanding of:

Approaches to using genetic data to support herd improvement decisions
How productive cattle can contribute to both environmental and business outcomes
Simple steps to improve housing to benefit animal health and performance

You’ll also take away new insights, perspectives and contacts from discussions with fellow producers and technical experts.

Others in the series

Important information

Kindly supported by Kepak

This is a fully funded event with lunch provided.

Spaces are limited so early booking is advised.

If you have any questions about these events, contact your regional knowledge exchange manager.