Strategic Farm Week - Winter 2020

Our Strategic Cereal Farm hosts were joined by our researchers and farmers for a week of online activities based around our themes of managed lower inputs and building diversity above and below ground.

View our Strategic Farm harvest 2020 trial results.

16 - 20 November 2020

David Aglen, Brian Barker and Rob Fox all host AHDB Strategic Cereal Farms. During this week in November they shared the results and findings from their work through a series of videos, webinars and seminars, alongside industry experts and researchers.
Watch back the videos from each of the sessions below, download the harvest reports and make the most of the resources with the results.

Monday 16 November

Harvest 2020 reports and videos released

Watch our video updates to find out what has happened on-farm through the Harvest 2020 season at the Strategic Cereal Farms East, West and Scotland. Hear from the hosts and the researchers about the findings and latest results from our cover crop, flowering strips, catch crop and cultivations demonstrations across the network. Download the harvest 2020 reports for each farm to see the results that have been found, look at the graphs, analyse the costings and see what messages you can put into practice for your farm business.

To see, watch and download, all of this information, please visit: ahdb.org.uk/sfweek-winter-2020/results

Tuesday 17 November

Catch and cover crops seminar - 9am

Over the last year, Brian Barker at the Strategic Farm East has used cover crops and looked at the effect of these compared to ploughed and stubble land. The tough autumn 2019 meant Rob Fox at the Strategic Farm West has taken advantage of using a catch crop on un-drilled land. Both have assessed the effects of these on soil structure, nutrient capture, water quality, nutrient release and ease of establishment for the next crop. Brian, Rob and Kate Smith, ADAS research lead, were hosted by Teresa Meadows, AHDB, for a conversation that discussed the results from this work to-date along with questions from the audience. This was a practical session looking at the pros and cons of using these features in the rotation, balancing the management, costs and wider environmental aspects to ensure success.

Watch catch and cover crops webinar

Download the accompanying information:

Weed management seminar - 3pm

The dominance of autumn-sown arable crops and herbicide resistance means that black-grass remains a major headache for Rob Fox. In his role as Strategic Farm West host, Rob is investigating whether a combination of non-chemical management approaches can still deliver good levels of control, in scenarios combined with and without chemistry.

This session was hosted by Richard Meredith, AHDB, who was joined by Sarah Cook (ADAS Senior Research Consultant for Weed Biology), Poul Henning Petersen (SEGES Senior Crop Specialist, Denmark) and Rob Fox (Strategic Farm West Host).

If you are looking at improving weed management on-farm then this interactive seminar aimed to discuss key practical considerations and lessons from the UK and in Europe.

Watch weed management webinar

Download the accompanying information:

Wednesday 18 November

Managed lower inputs seminar - 7pm

Developing the managed lower inputs theme for the Strategic Cereal Farm network, this webinar brought back the popular discussion from June for a Part II. Host Chris Leslie (AHDB Knowledge Exchange Manager) was joined by Mark Topliff and Georgina Key (AHDB) along with the Strategic Farmer host panel of David Aglen, Rob Fox and Brian Barker. The webinar includes presentations and conversation on topics including: inputs, price and usage trends taken from Farmbench, lessons we can learn from Horticulture in managing crop nutrition and technology to do this (including Brix and sap meters) and how the Strategic Farmers are trying new methods and learning from their on-farm trials and demonstrations to assist with lowering inputs while maintaining productivity and increasing sustainability.

Watch managed lower inputs webinar

Download the accompanying information:

Thursday 19 November

Boosting beneficials through the use of flowering strips seminar - 9am

Can flowering strips – around field margins or in-field be the answer to controlling pests – now and in the future? Our Strategic Cereal Farms are looking at the effect that they might have – both on numbers of pests, beneficials and also on the crop itself. Host Teresa Meadows (AHDB) was joined by Mark Ramsden, ADAS Entomologist, Rob Fox, Strategic Farm West host and Brian Barker, Strategic Farm East host, to talk through what is taking place on the farms currently and what you could do/could look for on your own farm. Hannah McGrath, Rothamsted Research also joined us to talk about the fascinating research that she is doing looking at the impact of flowering strips on carrot crops to control pest levels and harvested yield impacts.

Watch flowering strips webinar

Download the accompanying information:

Friday 20 November

Harvest 2021 demonstration videos released

Watch our videos below, brought to you from the Strategic Cereal Farms in Scotland, West and the East to hear about the demonstrations and assessments in the ground for harvest 2021. Catch up on what to look out for this year in these applied commercial farm situations, putting research into practice.

Live 'ask the researcher' session with all the trials hosts - 9am

There is something for everyone at our Strategic Cereal Farms. The harvest 2021 trials include a focus on the prevention, detection and control of pests, weeds and diseases, while improving the farmed environment. During this session, we provided an overview and discussion of the latest round of on-farm trials taking place over harvest 2021.

Hosted by AHDB Knowledge Transfer Manager, Emily Pope, this meeting via Microsoft Teams gave you the opportunity to speak to Will Smith, NIAB (Strategic Cereal Farm East trials lead), Anne Bhogal, ADAS (Strategic Farm West trials lead) and Fiona Burnett, SRUC (Strategic Cereal Farm Scotland trials lead).

Watch the video

Find out more

AHDB Strategic Cereal Farm East

AHDB Strategic Cereal Farm West

AHDB Strategic Cereal Farm Scotland

Strategic Farm Week - June 2020

Questions?

If you have a question to ask one of our hosts, researchers or AHDB leads, please feel free to email us and we will come back to you with an answer

BASIS and NRoSO points are available if you are catching up with the recording on the AHDB Cereals and Oilseeds YouTube channel later. Please e-mail Teresa Meadows with your name, BASIS/NRoSO membership number and postcode to claim your points.

Get in touch to find out more about Strategic Farm Week - Winter 2020

David Aglen hosts the Cereals & Oilseeds Strategic Farm Scotland

Brian Barker standing in a field of barley

Questions?

If you have a question to ask one of our hosts, researchers or AHDB leads, please feel free to email us and we will come back to you with an answer

Find out more about Strategic Farms