Everything you wanted to know ... but were afraid to ask

The arable sector has pressing challenges. To hit imminent net zero and biodiversity targets whilst adapting to a changing climate, rapid withdrawal of pesticides, altered supply chains and an altered policy environment means the time for change is now.

Farming innovation and adaptation will be key to success and collaboration across the farming sector is the catalyst for farming to adapt at speed to the changing environment.

“What’s this?” I hear you say, “Henderson speaking some sense at last?”

Sadly, however, I can’t lay claim to the above paragraphs – they were penned by the organisations involved in organising last week’s Arable Scotland event which took place at the James Hutton Institute’s Balruddery farm just outside Dundee – with the specific aim of encouraging that collaboration and catalysing the aforementioned speedy transformation towards a more sustainable approach in the cropping sector.

It was an excellent event for catching up on the latest science – and seeing the demonstrations which ranged from evaluating the latest in new varieties coming through the crop trial plots to catching up on the latest agronomic practices and even keeping abreast of novel monitoring and data technologies.

And for the first time the event also hosted a pretty spectacular turn-out of machines and equipment from a dozen dealerships and manufacturers all giving live field demonstrations on kit which ranged from the latest ploughs to the super-large scale no-till drills.

But it was the panel sessions – which gave growers the chance to question not only top scientists, economists, grain traders, policy makers and farming leaders but also growers with feet on the ground who were already taking moves – which have become the centrepiece of the event and possibly presented us with one of the best opportunities to gather the sort of information we’ve all wanted to know (but were afraid to ask).

So, with such a wealth of talent, knowledge, wisdom and experience all available at Arable Scotland the question I found myself asking was why did it seem to be so relatively poorly attended?

Now, having been involved in the task of organising the event in its previous guise of Cereals in Practice, I’m in no way setting out to undermine the huge efforts which went into setting up what is surely now a much more demanding undertaking.

What I do want to know is what it would take to stir up a bit more enthusiasm amongst those in the arable sector for an event which, when judged on a per head attending basis, must be amongst one of the most expensive in the country – with not only the Hutton but also the AHDB, the SRUC and many commercial organisations contributing funding to the event, to say nothing of the time and energy put into both the day itself and also the mammoth and protracted task of pulling together all the arrangements – yet for which entry is free.

For, as a recent study into the attitudes of producers which was discussed at the event clearly highlighted, there are many challenges facing the industry. Amongst those identified in a survey of stakeholders were increasing pest and disease pressures being exacerbated by climate change, the continual erosion of the armoury of pesticides, high input costs, labour availability, regulations and trade across borders and global events.

As one of the event’s organisers, the Hutton’s Ali Karley said that while some of these threats were already coming into effect, others were anticipated in the near future:

“Innovations for future farming come in many guises, technology is part of the picture in the form of breeding advances, machinery improvements, new types of agro-inputs – and new policy mechanisms are critical in supporting the transformation envisioned for Scottish agriculture.”

However, she went on to add:

“But most important is knowledge – and this always tops the list when we talk with growers about the barriers they see to changing practice.

“And this is what Arable Scotland is all about.”

So, if we’re all desperate to learn more and get the low down on the most recent developments which will help us stay afloat in the Brave New World we’re about to enter, why was there such a modest turnout at the event?

With, I believe, around 250 registered attendees at what is now an event with a fairly well established slot in the farming calendar, it’s difficult not to notice that the regenerative farming festival GO Falkland which opened its gates for the first time the previous weekend drew a bigger crowd.

True, the Falkland event might have drawn from a different pool, ranging from smallholders and new entrants to landowners with a social conscience, the usual NGO representatives and a heavy smattering of consultants and land agents (who were perhaps scenting business to be done) – with a wedge of either committed or curious commercial farmers sandwiched in between.

And while I’d hesitate to use the term evangelical, there seemed to be more of a buzz amongst those attending the GO Falkland event – which saw talks and panel discussions interspersed with poetry and music sessions, giving it a bit of a different feel to the usual round of farm shows and demonstrations.

Conversely, it was a more hard-core farming audience which went along to Scottish Agronomy’s crop trials open day which also took place recently – where 13,500 trial plots over 40ha were on display, looking at everything from new varieties to cover crop evaluations and the effects of different agronomic and management practices as well as detailed assessment of soil conditions.

And with more than a dozen other trial sites across the length and breadth of the country, Scottish Agronomy’s stated aim is not only to provide information on new varieties but also to give the 240 members of the co-operative the sort of evidence-based information they need to help decision making on all aspects of the crops which they grow.

And I think it would be fair to say that as a group dedicated to gathering such information, the members attending had flesh in the game – in the form of their subscriptions to the co-op.

So maybe it’s because Arable Scotland, by its very nature, is a bit stuck the middle ground, not carried along by a new wave of enthusiasm for a trendy new approach or underwritten by business-minded individuals seeking a return on their investment.

It would be easy to say that an event needs to up its game to attract more people along – but with the information, knowledge and wisdom which was available at the event, the industry itself has a responsibility to grab such opportunities and, in the process, to allow itself to up its game and meet the challenges of the future.