91Pro

Applications open for Farm of the Future demonstration event

Posted 15 February 2023

The work of the Hands Free Farm will be among the subjects under discussion at the event

Applications are now open for a demonstration event at 91Pro where farmers can see and discuss technologies, approaches and techniques set to transform agriculture as the industry works towards Net Zero.

Delivered by Innovation for Agriculture (IfA), in partnership with The Royal Agricultural Society of England (RASE) and 91Pro, Farm of the Future: Net Zero in Practice will be free to attend and will take place at the University on Thursday April 13.

There’s a lot of information out there on decarbonising , but what about the chance to see and discuss the solutions of tomorrow first-hand?

The Farm of the Future: in Practice event is a not-to-be-missed opportunity to do just that

— Innovation for Agriculture (@InnovationforAg)

The event has been organised with input from the contributors to the report, which was published by RASE last year. 

Chair of RASE, Philip Gready, said: “The report showed how land can be used for efficient and profitable production of food and to sequester more carbon than is emitted, while improving soil health, water quality and biodiversity,” he says.

“The event will go a step further, by demonstrating the technologies expected to shape the future of the industry and equipping farmers with the insights needed to plan for the future of their business.”

The day will include farming panel discussions and technical sessions, with a focus on small group discussion. The number of tickets available has been limited to 150, to maximise opportunities for asking questions and interacting with technologies first-hand.

Lord Deben, the chair of the Committee on Climate Change, will present the opening keynote address.

This will be followed by a panel debate with four leading farmers sharing their unique perspectives on how their respective sectors can decarbonise, and what is already being achieved.  

Panellists include contract farmer Tim Williams, dairy farmer Abi Reader, poultry farmer and researcher Louise Manning and Helen Browning OBE, an organic farmer and chief executive of the Soil Association.

Pig farmer Flavian Obiero, pedigree beef farmer Paul Westaway, and Farm of the Future report contributor Nigel Davies will form the panel for the concluding debate, on the linkages, synergies and collaborations which exist between farming sectors and how they can help farming reach Net Zero.

Between the two panel sessions, attendees will have opportunity to take part in two of three technical sessions. These will focus on:

• Autonomous vehicles and robotics – including outdoor demonstration of kit on the Hands-Free Hectare site at Harper Adams
• Decarbonisation of livestock production - breeding, feeding and health 
• Circular solutions for biowastes - clean energy, nutrients and future fuels

Senior Engagement Fellow at Harper Adams, Kit Franklin, will lead the autonomous vehicles and robotics session, which will include a demonstration of the driverless tractors developed as part of the Hands Free Farm project, plus demonstrations from FarmDroid.

Really please to be helping bring this event together .

Farm Of the Future: in Practice will be a fantastic and positive learning experience for all attending.

— Kit Franklin (@AgEngResearch)

He added: “Seeing is believing.

“Farmers will be able to see the agri-tech of tomorrow in action and will have the opportunity to ask tricky questions.

“My expectation is for every attendee to come away from the event thinking about how they might apply the solutions on-farm, and to start considering the changes they’ll need to make to be ahead of the curve and ready to adopt the technologies when the time comes.

“Agri-tech solutions will shape future farms, enable agriculture to simultaneously become more efficient, more profitable and more environmentally friendly.”