Defra Future Farming Innovation Programme: applications open
26th Oct 2021
Defra and UKRI have released further details on their programme of long-term funding to support agricultural innovation. Bioeconomy and agroforestry is one of the themes In partnership with UKRI, Defra is encouraging farmers, growers, foresters and businesses to get involved in…
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Mark Measures' dedication to organic farming celebrated at 40th anniversary event
11th Oct 2021
Mark Measures, who had been at the ORC since joining Elm Farm Research Centre as the Farm Manager in 1983, was commended on his dedication and support for organic farming, advice and research at ORC's…
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40 years of industry-leading organic research celebrated
11th Oct 2021
Originally established as the Elm Farm Research Centre in 1981, over the last forty years the organisation has delivered pioneering research that has helped transform the organic sector in the UK and beyond. During this…
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The future of organic farming and priorities for research
11th Oct 2021
Andrew Burgess (Chair of the NFU Organic Forum), Christine Watson (Professor at SRUC/ORC Trustee), Ian Wilkinson (Co-founder of FarmED) and Ashley Wheeler (YOFY 2021 award winner and grower) joined a panel discussion chaired by Janet…
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Winner of ORC's Young Organic Farmer/ Grower of the Year Award announced
11th Oct 2021
Ashley Wheeler and Kate Norman of Trill Farm Garden, Musbury, Devon, were announced as winners of ORC's first YOFY award at a special 40th anniversary event at FarmEd on 30th September 2021. YOFY winners Kate…
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NEW REPORT: The Promise of Agroforestry (LWA)
4th Oct 2021
The Landworkers' Alliance have released a new report which takes a close look at eight different agroforestry projects in the UK, highlighting the benefits of these agroforestry systems as well as teasing out some the lessons…
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Defra unveils 'plans to unlock power of gene editing'
29th Sep 2021
New plans to 'unlock the power of gene editing to help our farmers grow more resistant, more nutritious and more productive crops' have been published today as part of the UK Government response to the…
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Boosting hedgerows by 40% would create 25,000 jobs, new ORC research for CPRE reveals
6th Sep 2021
In this research, commissioned by CPRE, the countryside charity, and undertaken independently by the Organic Research Centre, we provide an evidence-based analysis of the environmental and economic benefits of hedgerows. The research investigates what 40%…
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Free farm resilience support and advice
26th Aug 2021
We’re pleased to be part of a successful collaborative bid to Defra's Future Farming Resilience Fund led by the Landworkers Alliance and partnering with the Pasture-Fed Livestock Association (PFLA). This fund aims to support farmers…
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OF&G's National Organic Combinable Crops 2021
2nd Aug 2021
Ambrogio Costanzo presenting at NOCC21. Photo: OF&G Now in its fourteenth year OF&G’s #NOCC21 was an amended version due to the coronavirus pandemic and the restrictions still in place at the time. A full report…
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New paper on farm network field-scale, cultivar evaluation of organic wheat
23rd Jul 2021
A new open access paper on our work on organic wheat variety trialling, arising out of the LIVESEED project, has been published in Agronomy for Sustainable Development. Cultivar choice and post-emergence weed management strategies are…
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Historic reform to food system needed to protect the NHS, improve the health of the nation and save our environment
22nd Jul 2021
The National Food Strategy has called on the Government to commit to a historic package of reforms in order to build a better food system for a healthier nation. In a landmark report, food entrepreneur…
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Ten minutes with Lubna Arif-Schmidt
22nd Jul 2021
Would you like to get to know the ORC staff, learn more about what they are working on at the moment and find out what inspired them to pursue a career in organic research? To…
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The Case for Local Food
21st Jul 2021
Building better local food systems to benefit society and nature This report from Sustain presents a vision for a revival in localised, nature-friendly food systems, supported by investment in infrastructure, skills and co-ordination, alongside policies…
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'State of Seed' survey results and Seed Diversity and Resilience Exchange Opportunity
21st Jul 2021
'The State of Seed' survey results and report. In Spring 2021 the Landworkers’ Alliance and the Gaia Foundation Seed Sovereignty Programme worked together to survey farmers and growers across the UK to gather the views…
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New report highlights benefits of organic farming for biodiversity
19th Jul 2021
A new report by IFOAM Organics Europe highlights the contribution of organic farming to protecting Europe’s biodiversity. The report recommends Member States to fully use Eco-schemes and agro-environmental measures in their CAP Strategic Plans to…
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Defra: multi agency response to GM wheat trial 21/R08/01
2nd Jul 2021
GM Freeze, the Organic Research Centre and twenty six other organisations came together to ask Defra not to allow Rothamsted Research to plant an open field trial of genetically modified wheat. Read the response hereDownload…
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Exploring the impact of crop diversification on workload and quality of life of farmers
2nd Jul 2021
Crop diversification results in a fundamental change in activities: production, management, processing, crop sales and new relationships with the value chain all need to be re-assessed. The Organic Research Centre led an explorative study using…
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Living mulch field lab on Farming Today
30th Jun 2021
The No-till with living mulches field lab was featured on BBC Radio 4's Farming Today programme on 29th June 2021. Listen to the feature with Rebecca Rooney talking to James Alexander, Mark Lea and Jamie…
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Farmers collaborate to find hop varieties for the growing organic beer market
30th Jun 2021
Innovative Farmers field lab is bringing organic hop growers, breeders and brewers together with the Organic Research Centre to co-design practical on-farm research Brewers and hop merchants say demand for organic beer and locally-sourced ingredients…
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New report explains why UK farmers still aren’t planting trees on their land
29th Jun 2021
A Defra-funded systematic review by a team of progressive UK farming and woodland advocacy organisations points the way to increased adoption of agroforestry by farmers post-Brexit. An influential new report written by researchers at the…
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Organic Research Centre strengthens Board with the appointment of three industry leaders
28th Jun 2021
Appointments will bring senior experience in food policy, agricultural economics, rural policy and food retailing to ORC’s Board. The new appointments – Janet Dwyer, Honor May Eldridge and Jake Pickering – will bring a breadth…
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New Pacific free trade agreement could bring 119 banned toxic pesticides to UK
11th Jun 2021
The UK could be opening the door to 119 pesticides banned for health and environmental reasons, warns a new report looking at implications of signing up to a Pacific free trade agreement. The deal with…
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