Farmer Scientist Network
Regenerative Agriculture Open Event
Regenerative agriculture practices will be the focus of an open event for farmer and landowners at The Pavilions at The Great Yorkshire Events Centre on Thursday 6th March.
Organised by the Farmer Scientist Network at the Yorkshire Agricultural Society, the network seeks new ways for science and technology to underpin agricultural innovation.
The open event, starting at 9.30am and drawing to a close at 3.15pm, is an occasion is for farmers who are at any stage of their regenerative agriculture journey, with experts on-hand to offer guidance on how best to nurture soil on both arable and livestock farms.
Line up
The Farmer Scientist Network welcomes back soil scientist Neil Fuller who captured the imaginations of farmers at a previous open event by putting soil samples under the microscope.
Neil returns to offer new take home tips for farmers during a session which explore how regenerative practices are transforming the food we eat.
Farmers will also hear from mixed North Yorkshire farmers, Fraser Hugill, director of the Beef Shorthorn Association, and Angus Gowthorpe, founder of The Green Farm Collective.
The pair will lead a workshop covering how to use herbal leys effectively in livestock and arable systems.
There will also be an opportunity for farmers and landowners to pitch questions to the panel about their first-hand experiences when putting theory into practice on-farm.
Organisations with specialist knowledge of regenerative agriculture will be available to speak to, including Catchment Sensitive Farming, NIAB, Newcastle University, Sheffield University and University of Leeds.
Dr Dave George, Chair of the Farmer Scientist Network, said:
Getting started with regenerative practices on your farm can be daunting and it does take patience and perseverance to realise the considerable benefits.
This event is all about bringing farmers and experts together to drive better understanding and more informed application of principles that put soil health first on your farm.
How to register your place
Places are £20 per person and include a locally-sourced lunch.
Please click on the button below to book your place, and scroll down the page for speaker profiles and the full running order.
Join us from 9.30am as we hear from:
Angus Gowthorpe
Angus farms 450 acres in the Vale of York on a variety of soil types. About 350 acres of combinable crops are grown, as well as 100 acres of permanent and temporary grassland for a pedigree Saler suckler herd.
Angus changed to regenerative agriculture in 2014 to concentrate on soil health. All crops and grassland are established by no-till and he has seen the soil health improve significantly since. No seed treatments, insecticides, PGRs or fungicides are used and nitrogen is used at reduced rates.
Angus is a founder member of The Green Farm Collective and was runner up ‘Soil Farmer of the Year’ in 2018, and has won several other awards.
Fraser Hugill
Fraser farms approximately 400 acres just outside Helmsley, running a pedigree beef Shorthorn Herd and arable unit and also runs his own environmental consultancy.
Fraser will talk about a Grassland Sustainability Project which came out of consultancy work with farmers in the Ryevitalise catchment project area after a number of independent grassland experts highlighted cocksfoot as a useful grass to consider as an alternative to ryegrass.
Working with Karen Stanley at the Yorkshire Farming and Wildlife Partnership, the project team was developed with nine other farmers, Leeds University and independent agronomist Jonathan Holmes.
Funding from Farming In Protected Landscapes and Innovative Farmers was instrumental to making research happen which tested the merits of cocksfoot within grass leys at 10 participating farms.
Neil Fuller
Soil scientist Neil is a farm consultant with more than 40 years’ experience. He studied soil science at Newcastle University, graduating with a BSc (Hons) in Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. His post-grad studies majored in crop ecology, eco-system modelling and soil microbiology.
He started a farm consultancy in 1986 that has been actively engaged on farming, food and nutrition projects around the world.
Neil’s involvement with agricultural soil carbon featured in the finals of the COP26 Climate Challenge Cup. He is technical lead on the Good Soil Guide, an online reference and knowledge-sharing platform for farmers, sponsored by Yorkshire Water, which has subscribers in more than 40 countries.
Running order
9.30am – Arrival and refreshments
10am – Welcome from Dr Dave George, Chair of the Farmer Scientist Network
10.15am – Session 1 – Regenerative Agriculture: Challenges and opportunities with soil scientist Neil Fuller
12.30pm – Lunch
1.30pm – Session 2 – Workshops: Good rotations and incorporating livestock with farmers Fraser Hugill and Angus Gowthorpe
2.15pm – Comfort break
2.30pm – ‘Ask the Experts’ panel: Benefits and challenges of regenerative agriculture
3pm – Chair’s summary and closing remarks
3.15pm – Event ends
Supported by the Yorkshire Agricultural Society, the aim of the Farmer Scientist Network is to work with the crop and livestock sectors to find new ways in which science and technology can find solutions and underpin innovation in agriculture.
