Farming events and webinars
Quick links: Agroecology at Scale | Events in Scotland | Innovative Farmers events | Watch again
Understanding the agronomy of intercropping
Monday 3th March, 6-7.15pm, online
Intercropping is growing two or more crops in the field at the same time. This practice can increase farming resilience and reduce chemical and fertiliser use on UK farms. One barrier to its uptake is the lack of knowledge about the agronomy of growing mixed crops, specifically around weed and pest control, but also around species selection and seeding ratios.
This webinar is led by our farming advisor, Jerry Alford. He will offer guidance on successful establishment and growth, weed control, species mixes and more. He will also look at research from industry experts and researchers.
Winter feeding and economics for beef and sucklers
Tuesday 4th March, 2-5.30pm
Bolton Village Hall, Alnwick NE66 2EE
Beef and suckler farmers, join our farming advisor Tabitha Acton and Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB)'s Emily Symonds for a workshop discussing the practicalities and economics of winter feeding. They're joined by Emily Grant from Forrit Consultancy and local upland farmer, George Burrell from Broome Park Farm. They'll look at winter feeding systems and the impact on costs and production.
The workshop covers:
- analysing your business
- understanding fixed and variable costs
- identifying key KPI metrics
- highlighting how key resources are being utilised
Agroforestry at Hall Farm
Thursday 13th March, 10.30-2pm
Brooksby Campus, Melton Mowbray LE14 2LJ
Join us for a farm walk looking at different agroforestry practices adopted at this working mixed farm campus in Leicestershire. It will include information on Biodiversity Net Gain and Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI).
The walk includes:
- 20 acre field, divided into paddocks of herbal ley and mob-grazed predominately with cattle. These paddocks are divided up by alleys of mixed trees, including a range of fruit-bearing and nitrogen-fixing species.
- Six acre field divided up into rows of trees, a mixture of native and fruit and nut trees, and individually guarded with sweet chestnut. This overlays a diverse herbal pasture which is planned to be mob-grazed with sheep.
- The developing third system with pigs, currently in its early stages.
We'll be inviting farmers to join an agroforestry farming focused learning network.
Whole farm approach to feeding dairy cows
Wednesday 26th March, 10.30am-2pm
Godminster Farm, Bruton BA10 0NE
Organic dairy farm manager, Peter Cheek, leads a farm walk. There will also be a discussion about growing high nutrient resilient forage in ways that maximises soil health, biodiversity and climate outcomes.
Topics covered include:
- whole crop silages (oats, bean, rye mix), and how they fit in the rotation - timing and entry point in, establishment, weed management in absence of herbicides
- Westerwold Ryegrass, vetch and clover mix
- benefit of pea / barley mix - establishment, timing in the rotation
- diverse leys – managing to maximise production and longevity
- composting of manures to maximise nutrient stability and return
We'll also look at how these approaches are building organic matter and improving soil structure.
Low Tillage Winter Forage Production
Wednesday 9 April, 10.30am-2pm
Tregooden Farm, Bodmin PL30 3PS
Come along to this farm walk, focussing on the technicalities of growing winter forage crops using non-plough-based systems.
You will:
- see how strip till and direct drilling are reducing the number of cultivations necessary to produce winter forage
- learn more about producing maize and arable silage or wholecrops without the use of tillage and associated negative impacts on soil health.
The event is free to attend, and includes a pasty lunch and refreshments. Thank you to Malcolm and Catherine Barrett for hosting this event, and for being one of our demonstration farms.
Planning for change (Scotland)
Making the most of Whole Farm Plans
Thursday 20th February, 10am-2pm
Lochhouses Farm, near Dunbar EH42 1XP
Join us for a farm walk and workshop. We will explore:
- the upcoming Whole Farm Plans requirements and what these will mean for your farm
- how the Whole Farm Planning framework can be used to improve farm resilience
- potential benefits of reducing climate impacts of farming operations, e.g. using an Integrated pest management (IPM) plan to reduce the need for expensive inputs.
Innovative Farmers events
No events coming up, but they often do, so please check back here or on the Innovative Farmers website
Find out more about Innovative Farmers.
Past events to watch again
Agroecology Transect - Exploring the barriers and levers to Agroecology
The Agroforestry Show 2023: links to audio recordings of all sessions. Find out more about the show on the Agroforestry Show website.
Groundswell 2023: links to recordings of our sessions and panel discussions.
Agroforestry carbon code: find out more, and scroll to the end of the page to see our recent event.
Agroecotech conference: watch our recent event on YouTube
Integrated pest management: watch these case study videos, showcasing participants of the Farming the Future programme with Nature Friendly Farming Network, RSPB, Pesticide Action Network and CoFarm Foundation on the Agricology website.
