The Organic Research Centre at Elm Farm, in Hamstead Marshall near Newbury, is holding a technical Open Day on Friday 16 July from 10am to 5pm. The staff of the Centre hope to welcome large numbers of farmers, both organic and those considering conversion, as well people involved in food production, agricultural research and information from the cutting edge of organic best practice.
The day, organised as part of the Organic Research Centre’s 30th Anniversary celebrations, will be packed with activities and offers a valuable opportunity to anyone who would like more information about organic principles, agro-ecological methods and details of the Organic Research Centre’s current research and policy work. In addition to workshops, discussions, exhibits and advisory clinics on a wide range of topics, there will be visits to organic trial sites at Sheepdrove and Dove’s Farm and films on food, farming and environmental themes. A key focus will be ORC’s participatory approach to research involving farmers across the UK, involving new approaches to wheat breeding, management of legumes in arable rotations and agro-forestry.
For those made dizzy by all the information on offer, there will be sustaining organic burgers and salads available from Helen Browning’s famous “Flying Pig” outside catering and organic wines and beers from Vintage Roots! Admission is free of charge and everyone is welcome.
The Organic Research Centre’s Open Day has been planned to coincide with the ORC’s 30th anniversary celebrations. For three decades the Organic Research Centre has been carrying out ground-breaking research into organic agricultural techniques which have supported the development of organic farming in the UK. On 24 May, HRH The Prince of Wales visited the Centre at Elm Farm to thank the Organic Research Centre for their help in transforming his own farm at Highgrove into a thriving organic concern. He also wished them well for the coming decades and for the breakthrough research which they would continue to undertake.
ENDS
NOTES FOR EDITORS
Further information is available from:
Nic Lampkin, Executive Director, Organic Research Centre +44 (0)1488 657646
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