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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
What is your job role at the ORC? Business and Markets Researcher How long have you worked at the ORC? I started at the beginning of 2021 Where are you from/ where are you based?…
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…
The Centre for Agroecology Water and Resilience and the Organic Research Centre are looking to recruit farmers near Shropshire (16th June) for a participatory study on the use of bioindicators in arable farming systems. Bioindicators…
The fifth European conference on agroforestry, EURAF 2020, was held online recently (17th - 19th May 2021) and ORC was represented by Colin Tosh, Will Simonson and Lindsay Whistance. This conference was postponed in 2020…
A team of six farmers is trialling growing a living mulch under cash crops – if they’re successful, they say the practice could eliminate the need for artificial inputs, cut costs and boost productivity. The…
ORC's Ambrogio Costanzo is a guest co-editor of a forthcoming special issue of Agronomy entitled Organic Agriculture at the Heart of Agroecological Transition. The deadline for manuscript submissions is 15 September 2021. "Agroecological transition is…
Cereals 2021 returns to Lincolnshire on Wed 30 June & Thurs 1 July 2021. Amongst many interesting workshops and demonstrations, ORC's Lucy MacLennan will be chairing the It's all about Biology session on Thursday 1st July…
A new INRAE led study has been published looking into a clear option space for expanding organic agriculture despite nitrogen limits. Recognising that one of the limits of widespread organic farming is the limited nitrogen…
The European database for organic seed has been developed within the EU project LIVESEED. Its objective is to create more transparency for the EU member states and for seed suppliers regarding available offers of organic…
LIVESEED is organising an online (Zoom) workshop on the current organic seed market trends, the results of research on organic seed businesses and on the different policy measures to boost the production and use of…
Rothamsted Research has applied for permission to plant a field trial of GM Wheat and a statutory public consultation is now open. Field trials always carry a risk of escape and wheat is a staple food in…
A new book Regenerative Agriculture: Farming with Benefits by Marianne Landzettel is reviewed by ORC's Senior Agroforestry Researcher Colin Tosh. I approached the book with a few misgivings. The cover said ‘textbook’ while the text…
One day course on Herbal Leys Establishment and Management brought to you by the FarmED team and Cotswolds Seeds. A herbal ley is a complex seed mixture of grasses, legumes and herbs, which bring a…
Looking to integrate trees into your farming business this coming planting season but don’t know which trees to plant, how many, or where? Unsure about fencing, or how to market your tree products? Discover the…
What is your job role at the ORC? Sustainability Researcher How long have you worked at the ORC? Just over two and a half years Where are you from/ where are you based? I grew…
BBC Farming Today visited Andy Gray one of the farmers participating in the new Innovative Farmers Silvopasture field lab. " A field lab being run by Innovative Farmers - a not-for-profit group which links up…
A new DIVERSify legacy website http://plant-teams.org/ has been launched. It includes the Farmer Guide ‘InfoHub’ “for practical information on intercropping agronomy, resilience and ecosystem service provision, on-farm experiences and innovations” and a Policy Toolbox that…
In the light of the UK government's ambitious tree planting targets - what is the role for agroforestry? Draft agenda: Role of agroforestry and hedges in UK climate targetsDefra’s agroforestry vision, response to tree strategy…
Can vineyards support both #Biodiversity and production? 🍇
The answer is yes, especially when organic farming is paired with regenerative practices, such as less tilling or mowing.
Find out more ⬇️
https://environment.ec.europa.eu/news/biodiversity-and-production-wine-can-be-optimised-simultaneously-where-organic-management-enhanced-2023-08-02_en
🌳 Though often seen as incompatible, grazing livestock can be integrated with trees, woodlands and grasslands to deliver a wide range of benefits that – if applied at scale – could be transformative. #GrazingForGood
Find out more in our new report ➡️ https://sustainablefoodtrust.org/our-work/sustainable-livestock/
3 #organic winter cereals all drilled 2nd week of October – Wheat (Mayflower/Extase/Nelson blend), Tayo Rye and Mascani oats.
Wheat doing remarkably well, rye unsurprisingly good and oats shocking. Anyone else struggling with oats this spring?
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