In this update, Dr Dave George, Chair of the Farmer Scientist Network and Lecturer at Newcastle University, explains how technology and innovation give him great hope for farming’s future.
Tensions around the Strait of Hormuz are a blunt reminder that farming is exposed to global shocks. When energy routes are disrupted, fuel, fertiliser and food costs rise fast.
For UK farmers already juggling tight margins and policy change, that volatility raises the stakes. It’s why resilience matters, and why innovation is no longer optional, but essential protection against forces far beyond the farm gate.
Against that backdrop, it would be easy to focus only on risk, but working day-to-day with farmers, scientists and rural innovators, I’m struck by how much positive change is happening in agriculture, and how quickly.
Join our tour of The Allerton Project
This June, on Monday 8th, we are hosting a coach trip to The Allerton Project in Leicestershire through the Farmer Scientist Network, open to everyone in farming, with pick-ups along the A1 and breakfast thrown in, all for just £12 per person.
A project of the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust, Allerton is a working farm that has spent decades testing ideas that many of us are grappling with now: how to stay productive, profitable and environmentally responsible at the same time.
The visit is about seeing research applied in the field, understanding what works, what doesn’t and what that means for farm businesses like yours that are trying to stay resilient.
Technology and innovation hold a lot of the keys to meeting these challenges. Across the country, better data, smarter systems and stronger collaboration are changing how farms operate.
From precision livestock monitoring to low impact feed solutions, digital tools are becoming part of everyday decision-making. Used well, they help manage risk, improve efficiency and support animal health and welfare, rather than adding complexity for its own sake.
This progress is being backed by investment.
Innovative ideas can grow with grant funding
Recent grant funding to support agricultural innovation shows how much is being driven by UK-based businesses, with funding from Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation.
These projects are focused on practical challenges: productivity, emissions, animal health and resilience, and show the determination within the industry to meet challenges head-on.
The ADOPT programme is designed to help bridge the gap between innovation and on farm use. Round 7 closes on 3 June 2026 at 11am, and for anyone thinking about how technology could support efficiency or sustainability, it’s worth a serious look.
Closer to home, a recent Future Farmers trip to the Amazone factory raised the importance that there’s nothing quite like seeing cutting-edge machinery being built from the ground up to remind you how much innovation is already shaping farming’s future.
Visit the Great Yorkshire Show’s Agri-Innovation Village
The Farmer Scientist Network will be telling this story at the Great Yorkshire Show on Tuesday 14 – Friday 17 July, in the Agri-Innovation Village with displays of new technologies and a showcase of the research that is finding solutions to farming challenges.
A series of talks will give you the chance to hear directly from innovators and industry leaders, and the GYS Innovation Awards celebrating all of this ingenuity will take place on Tuesday at 2pm.
Farming has always adapted to a changing world and with the right support, funding and strong partnerships, we can face the future of farming with confidence.
The visit to The Allerton Project is kindly funded by:
