Our blog
The latest ideas, opinions and innovations from people working in sustainable agriculture
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How do English farmers learn and finance agroforestry? New insights from the Agroforestry ELM Test project
Following a well-received evidence review in which the main factors holding back agroforestry in England were identified, the Agroforestry ELM Team, led by the ORC,...
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FREE environmental and business support for English farmers through Farm for the Future programme
The Prince’s Countryside Fund (PCF) is inviting farm businesses to join our new Farm for the Future programme, which is being delivered both virtually and...
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The Potential for Cell Grazing Herbal Leys
Dr Jordana Rivero, Head of the Grazing Livestock Systems cluster at Rothamsted Research, is involved in interesting research exploring the potential and impacts of cell...
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Delivering Greener Grassland - A Cross-Industry Partnership to Grow Pasture Based Solutions to Climate Change
How can the farming industry be efficient, sustainable and proactive, whilst maintaining profitability, regenerating biodiversity and contributing to ambitious carbon Net Zero targets at national...
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Call on Government to Increase UK Hedgerow Network by 40% by 2050
Who even cares about hedgerows? This would have certainly been my view as a young boy, cycling many unnecessary extra miles to see friends on...
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Allowing bees to 'be' - Reflections of a bee keeper...
I am a beekeeper in Derbyshire with six apiaries on six farms (totalling over 40 hives). They include 20 acres of apple orchard, 120 acres...
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Understanding farmer and soil microbial interactions - farmer input needed!
Mary Eliza, a PhD student at the Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, is looking for farmers to fill out a survey...
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Calling arable farmers!
A joint industry and Research Council funded project looking at how to reintegrate sheep into arable systems for the improvement of soil quality is seeking...
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Call out to farmers to take part in a survey about IPM and what it means to you!
Increasingly, farmers and other land managers are looking for ways to reduce their reliance on pesticides. This is due to a number of reasons including...
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A researcher's reflections on EURAF 2021 - the fifth European agroforestry conference
The fifth cross-European conference on agroforestry, EURAF 2021, was recently held online and attended by several members of the ORC. This conference was delayed in...
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Planting a living textbook for agroforesty at FarmED
Whether conventional, organic, regenerative, agroecological, or any other flavour of farming, it seems more and more farmers are getting interested in agroforestry. I’m not sure...
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The Agroforestry ELM Test project: Transforming the English agricultural landscape with trees
Interest among UK farmers in planting trees on their land has skyrocketed recently. Only ten years ago a survey indicated that very few farmers know...
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#30minworms survey - get involved!
Due to popular demand, the #30minworms survey is back! Following feedback, this spring farmland survey is trialling a new way to support your earthworm identification...
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Feeding pigs and poultry on 100% organic and regional feed - what have we learned in the OK-Net EcoFeed project?
Background For organic pig and poultry farmers, living up to the ideal of feeding 100% regional and organic feed is difficult and especially for protein...
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Living mulches for sustainable cropping systems: A step towards 'Regenerative Organic' Agriculture in the UK?
Reducing tillage and chemical inputs can be beneficial for soil and the environment, so could a permanent clover understorey acting as a 'living mulch', moving...
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The seeds of diversity - the challenges of seed supply in extraordinary times
It is not an easy time with the combination of the COVID-19 pandemic and Brexit. It is great that the pandemic has highlighted for people...
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Regenerative agriculture - a new silver bullet for agriculture and the environment?
In 1992 I started my career as a newly fledged post-doc working on the Integrated Farming Systems project and so have been intrigued to see...
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How hay makes meadows
A healthy floodplain meadow in June is a spectacular sight, teeming with life in every hue. So, it may seem odd that this is also...
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Herbal leys - making the green stuff more nutritious
Variety is the spice of life When we think of a balanced diet, we think of eating a range of foods to give us different...
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£100 cash for farmers that join our focus groups. Limited places!
Agricology and the University of Reading have been awarded a DEFRA Environmental Land Management scheme test to research in partnership, how effective videos and podcasts...
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