Agri-tech developments can impact everything from herd health to monitoring of carbon flows in the soil, and include the introduction of robotic systems to carry out tasks which historically have been done by people. The Riseholme Campus at the University of Lincoln is a fantastic place to explore agri-tech developments, with numerous examples of putting technology into practice on the university farm. There are also many nature-based solutions being used to increase farm resilience, showcasing how use of technology and farming with nature can co-exist and enhance farm business resilience together. The following blog includes five of the key themes from the ‘Farm of the Future: Agri-tech in Action’ day which was hosted at the Lincoln Institute for Agri-food and

Methane inhibitors fed as part of a ruminant’s ration can reduce the quantity of methane produced in the rumen and emitted by the animal. This can reduce the overall emissions associated with meat and milk production. A recent Farm of the Future webinar brought together Annie Williams from the UK Agri-Tech Centre, Philip Ingram from Cargill, Adrian Packington representing DSM-Firmenich and Stephen Kenyon from Harbro. The speakers discussed what methane inhibitors are, why there is such a high level of interest in them and the specifics of some of the products available. What are methane inhibitors? Methane inhibitors are feed supplements that reduce emissions by inhibiting enteric methane reduction from ruminants. While providing an overview of what methane inhibitors, Annie

Farmers can register to attend a demonstration event at Plumpton College in East Sussex, to see and discuss how to future proof their livestock businesses.

Regenerative agriculture can restore soil fertility and increase the levels of organic matter in the soil remarkably fast, but how do regenerative farming practices impact the nutritional quality of food?

Artificial intelligence (AI) has a multitude of uses in livestock farming. In livestock farming, a lot of the uses of AI so far have been using data analytics, rather than deep learning.

Root crops present a particular challenge to farmers who are trying to adopt regenerative practices.

Putting any type of new approach into practice on-farm tends to involve a certain amount of trial and error, as no farm system is identical and what works for one farm may need adjusting significantly to work for another. In a recent RASE Farm of the Future webinar, three farmers shared their experiences of putting regenerative farming theory into practice. One speaker, Andy Gray from Elston Farm in Devon, shared how he is trialling growing maize with a permanent living mulch, which is part of an Innovative Farmers field lab trial. To do this, he is establishing a living mulch of dwarf white clover and using a strip till to drill maize into it. Why grow a living mulch with

RASE award winner talks of how he has applied his ecological training to farming decisions.

On Thursday 4th January, 2024, RASE held a panel discussion at the Oxford Real Farming Conference, which was titled ‘Family farming decisions: Bringing together old and new thinking’. The session delved into how two farming families are making decisions to increase the resilience of their farm businesses. The session was chaired by Philip Gready, chair of the RASE board of trustees. The speakers were Lucinda and Billy Lewis from Boycefield Farm in Herefordshire, and Tony, Edward and Thomas Gent from Gentle Farming. Both businesses have adopted regenerative farming practices to minimise financial risk and improve the resilience of the farm business. Farm profile – Boycefield Farm Billy and Lucinda are working with nature to produce pedigree Hereford cattle, from the

Introducing livestock to an arable system can improve the biological function of soil. This impact can be maximized by using diverse leys and adopting grazing techniques to promote the build up of organic matter and soil fertility.   The impact of eliminating livestock from arable rotations   In the 20th and early part of the 21st century, the increasing availability of artificial nitrogen meant farms could reduce and even eliminate livestock from their rotations and still grow acceptable yields of grains and plant proteins. This allowed specialisation to occur and resulted in the investment in fewer, but much larger and heavier machines.   The combination of the loss of livestock in the rotation, the increased weight of machinery and the