The Scottish Farmer caught up with director of The James Hutton Institute and International Barley Hub chair George Lawrie, ahead of the Arable Scotland event at Balruddery Farm.

Mr Lawrie described the importance of the event: “It gives a prime opportunity for farmers to sit down with other industry professionals and members of the science community. We are aiming to have an attendance of 300 visiting Balruddery Farm, Dundee.

“This is one of the only events in Scotland where everyone gets the chance to get together and it is vital that farmers get the chance to engage with scientists and scientists can engage with farmers. It is a two-way street and by working with each other we can help tackle issues in sustainability and resilience with regards to climate change and future challenges.”

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The annual event, now in its sixth year, will feature presentations, workshops, seminars and tours, and is free for anyone to attend.

Balruddery Farm is operated by The James Hutton Institute and is home to the International Barley Hub (IBH).

“The research we are doing here is focusing on crop reliability, resilience, and resistance. At the IBH, we are looking at producing more reliable barley crops so we have the right varieties for the market. Humans consume very little barley so we are wanting to research into improving that. At the IBH, we have up to 300 old varieties that we can use to cross with current varieties as part of our research.

“In regards to other crops, we are in the process of investigating how to make potatoes more resilient to both flooding and drought. We are also seeing how we can improve disease resistance in soft fruits.”

A big part of the current research at the Hutton is the study of soils. “We are actively looking into soil resilience and how to create better soils,” Mr Lawrie explained. “So much of soil management is just surface level – we want to look at the root structures, how they develop, and how that effects the soil. Coming along on July 2 will allow attendees to learn about what research is being done and discuss how that could be translated on farm.”