IT’S going to be farm walks with a difference when the AHDB holds a virtual Strategic Farm Week to showcase its ‘Farm Excellence’ programme.

Aimed at arable growers the week will highlight the latest findings on the research, results and on farm trials taking place on AHDB’s Strategic Cereal Farms across the UK, including the host of Scotland’s new strategic farm.

David Aglen runs the Strategic Cereals Farm in Scotland, at Balbirnie Home Farms, near Freuchie, in Fife, and he will join other strategic farm hosts, researchers and key experts from across the agricultural industry for the week-long programme from June 1 to 5.

This web-based initiative will offer practical discussions, share technical information and resources and be delivered via video updates, webinars and podcasts.

Topics include webinars on monitoring crop development and disease’, key pests and beneficials’, when to lower inputs and masterclasses on crop establishment considerations, plus soil structure and earthworm assessments.

The latter will be a practical session on soil health with David Aglen and Anne Bhogal, of ADAS, who will provide a hands on guide to what is needed in-field, a forum to ask questions and the resources needed to carry it out for your farm business.

Participants can join in the webinars that interest them, download the ‘how to’ resources for use on their farm, watch the video updates to hear about the latest findings on field-scale trials or listen to the podcast special. All webinars and other resources will be recorded and available to watch after the events via AHDB’s website ahdb.org.uk/sfweek2020.

AHDB’s Strategic Farm Week will be followed by a series of regional webinars tailored to suit the varying challenges faced by different areas of the UK. There will also be national webinars, covering topics such as mental health and pre-harvest, which form part of AHDB’s regular monthly webinar programme.

AHDB’s head of arable knowledge exchange, Richard Meredith, said: “In these difficult times it is more important than ever for AHDB to facilitate the sharing of knowledge and information between our growers. Although the current situation provides many challenges, it is also a great opportunity for us to bring together Farm Excellence activity and provide our UK growers with an insight into the programme.

“AHDB has been growing its regular audiences for podcasts and webinars since 2016 as part of its digital offering to farmers. Given the current environment it is even more important that we ensure that we get crucial information on current technical and current market challenges to our audiences, so we have increased the frequency of both our podcasts and webinars.”

To register for Strategic Farm Week or AHDB’s other digital offerings in the coming weeks, please visit ahdb.org.uk/sfweek2020 or ahdb.org.uk/events.