THIS YEAR'S Cereals Event is 'all about change' and providing a platform for the latest scientific, machinery and technical developments to see the industry through testing times.

“Cereals 2018 is all about change,” pointed out event director Jon Day. “From content to layout, alterations have been made to ensure the event fully meets the needs of our most important people – arable farmers, agronomists and the associated industries.”

He promised that the 'new improved' event experience will begin the moment visitors set foot on the Cambridgeshire site, thanks to the new Innovation Zones at both entrances to the event on June 13 and 14, at Duxford, near Cambridge.

“We want a visit to Cereals to be inspiring from start to finish – not just while looking around exhibitor stands,” he added. “Therefore, some of the latest arable innovations will be previewed at the main entrances – giving farmers a flavour of what they can expect to see and hear during the day.”

Another opportunity to catch up on the latest technical advances will be through the new Innovation Insights feature for those attending the show on the first day, June 13, in the 'Agronomy Zone' feature area.

There will be quick-fire presentations from up to 25 Agri-Tech East member organisations, including established companies, small organisations, researchers, and start-ups pitching their novel agri-tech ideas.

Traditionally, the event has been home to the Arable Conference, which has hosted many thought-provoking debates and discussions. However, this year it will be taking a new form – splitting into two seminar areas – Cereals Controversial and Cereals Conversations.

Cereals Controversial will be a front for a panel of politicians and leading industry officials, and be a hub for discussion of the hottest topics in the industry. Visitors can expect to hear debates on issues such as business resilience, the future of the supply chain with no subsidies, increasing farm business productivity, and benchmarking to measure success.

In the Cereals Conversations marquee, talks will be more technical and hot topics to be covered include sustainable soil health and nutrition, artificial intelligence, guarding glyphosate, and emerging weed control strategies.

Knowledge transfer opportunities will be a key part of newly introduced guided tours, led by industry professionals.

With a site covering 45ha, it can sometimes be difficult to see everything you want to in a single day, but these expert guides will take groups of visitors on a curated tour of exhibits and event features broken down into specific themes – covering everything from Recommended List varieties to soil management and innovation in action.

Additional BASIS and NRoSO CPD will be available from a range of exhibitors across the site.

“As part of our drive for change, there is a new layout at Cereals this year,” added Mr Day. “To ensure visitors can navigate the site easily and see exactly who they want to, help points can be found at each entrance.”

The driving force behind this year’s changes are the exhibitor and farmer advisory boards formed at the end of last year. Host farmer, Robert Law, said the new features will deliver a more focused event.

“I’ve hosted Cereals four times and this will be the first time hosting it under new management. There have been a lot of positive changes this year – such as the introduction of a cover crops area – which is going to make the event as relevant as possible. It will really help farmers get a lot more out of the event,” he said.

The AHDB has joined with the organisers as the official 'content partner'. “AHDB has been closely involved with the development of our new content features. Their expertise and insight on industry issues and hot topics affecting farmers has helped shape the event features and themes covered by the event,” pointed out Mr Day.

Dr Martin Grantley-Smith, AHDB’s cereals and oilseeds strategy director, added: “We see this new direction as a really positive move and are delighted to be part of the changes. Our stand will continue to reflect key agricultural challenges and showcase independent and robust technical research and scientific information as well as on-farm learnings and innovation.”

PANEL

There will still be some of the original favourite features, from the Soil Pit and the Drone Zone to the Syngenta Sprays AND Sprayers Arena plus the working machinery demonstrations.

A new addition to the demonstration area is the cover crop drilling demos, where exhibitors will demonstrate direct drilling on an area sown with a mix of cover crops.