How we collect and use data, how farming businesses can stack up financially and environmentally, and how growers can make the most out of novel markets are questions that need answers in the short- and long-term of this industry.
The Cereals Event, which takes place on the 8th and 9th of June, near Duxford, Cambridgeshire, will be looking to provide answers with its New Era Theatre seminars, which will cover new industry-wide initiatives to support farmers in transitioning their businesses to a sustainable future.
Profitable arable farming will be the subject of a session chaired by Johann Tasker. “It will look at how growers can ensure their business is on a sure footing at a time of rapidly rising costs and volatile commodity prices,” he said.
“It is about replacing lost farm income from BPS. We will look at increasing business resilience and securing a more sustainable future for farms, financially and environmentally. We will have speakers from across the combinable crops sector including farm business consultants and agronomists.”
The unprecedented level of political, economic and legislative change for farmers has led to the development of Environment Bank’s Habitat Banks. The chairman, Professor David Hill, CBE, will chair a session on biodiversity net gain, explaining the concept of Habitat Banking and how landowners can secure a long term income through the delivery and management of diverse habitats.
“There are a lot of misconceptions concerning biodiversity net gain. We are not looking for prime arable land which we need to feed the country. We are looking at more unproductive land – Grade 3 or 4 where there is a greater chance of biodiversity generating a better income for the landowner,” he said.
“We will explain how we differ from a traditional brokerage model and outline the process for landowners,” he says. “This includes site assessments and land management agreements, guaranteed payments, expert support through our ecologists, and ownership retention.”
Will Oliver, who took home the Cereal Grower of the Year 2022 at the National Arable and Grassland Awards, will speak on how he is driving efficiencies on-farm in a session chaired by Yagro’s co-founder Dan Jolly.
Rather than following his gut, he measures metrics like nitrogen use efficiency and how this varies between fields. He also applies nitrogen at variable rates and looks at the differences between digestate, chicken manure and artificial N and their impact on input costs.
“What is measured can be managed,” said Mr Oliver, who is questioning each decision made on-farm in 2022 and 2023, exploring field, variety and crop performance and understanding how the attitude to risk and rates applied can have an impact.
The Cereals Event will be held near Duxford, Cambridgeshire on 8-9 June 2022. For more information or to purchase tickets visit the relaunched website at www.cerealsevent.co.uk.
