VI attends AHDB Strategic Cereal Farm Open Day - Balbirnie, Fife

19 June 2024

The VI Ops Director Dr Neal Evans and VI Scotland Chair Amy Geddes attend and exhibit at the AHDB Strategic Cereal Farm Open Day, near Glenrothes, Fife, Scotland

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On a day when sun-burn was  followed by a soaking to the skin, the VI's Neal Evans and Amy Geddes attended and exhibited at the AHDB Strategi Cereal Farm Open Day, Tuesday 18th June.  Neal and Amy shared a stand with Farm and Water Scotland, a joint venture between SEPA, SRUC, NFUS and Scottish Government.  Information on the stand highlighted the problem of diffuse pollution, soil erosion and preventing plant protection products from finding their way to water courses.  Neal and Amy were also able to advise farmers where to find the VI Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Plans.

For the open day,a varied programme saw in-field presentations on optimising inputs, optimising nutrition and the value of cover crops and the effect that grazing of those cover crops had on subsequent weed populations.

The AHDB Strategic Farm Scotland, managed by David Aglen at Balbirnie Home Farms in Fife, spans 1,200 hectares and focuses on integrating research and practical approaches to enhance economic and environmental resilience. Key areas include regenerative agriculture, plant and soil health, and reduced inputs. Current trials explore the benefits of cover crops and optimizing crop nutrition. The farm's aim is to build confidence among farmers by sharing findings through field-scale and farm-scale demonstrations.

For more information on the AHDB Strategi Cereal Farm, see here.