Farming Futures Blog

GM and inconvenient truths

2013-05-23T08:38:00Z

Author Name: Letter from Tina Barsby responding to Geoffrey Lean article in the Telegraph Sir, As director of the research institute concerned, I was disappointed at the inference in yesterday’s article The inconvenient truth about GM that the early Read More......(read more)

Turning the leaf into a biodiesel factory

2013-05-22T04:38:39Z

Author Name: Rothamsted Reseach Plant biomass is a major source of renewable energy. Two of the prime challenges in bioenergy research are to improve the yield of biomass crops and to make the stored carbon more available for conversion into liquid biofuel Read More......(read more)

Bridging the communications gap – how renewable energy companies can help farmers and landowners invest in renewables

2013-05-21T05:14:28Z

Author Name: CleanTech PR agency 130 British farmers and landowners were surveyed by the CleanTech division of PR agency CCgroup to investigate what renewables information resonates and why. The report ‘How to talk so farmers and landowners listen’ Read More......(read more)

The little book of biofuel

2013-05-20T11:32:53Z

Author Name: Vivergo Fuels Our £350m biorefinery, based at Saltend near Hull, uses 1.1 million tonnes of feed-grade wheat to produce 420 million litres of bioethanol and 500,000 tonnes of animal feed per year. This makes us the largest bioethanol Read More......(read more)

AgriChatUK “Climate Change - farmers' perceptions & on-farm actions” 16/05/13

2013-05-19T05:36:22Z

Author Name: Alan Spedding from Twitter There is an increased frequency of extremes and longer weather patterns. The weather is less predictable leading to lower yields and higher costs. A lot of drainage systems built with grants in 60's and 70's Read More......(read more)

Improving the nutritional quality of Brassicae

2013-05-16T15:54:48Z

Author Name: Charles Cook ed Alan Spedding Two of the talks at the recent UK Brassica Reseach Community annual meeting, including the keynote from Paul Thornalley (University of Warwick), focussed on the health benefits of Brassica vegetables. First of Read More......(read more)

An international vision for wheat improvement

2013-05-16T14:37:30Z

Author Name: BBSRC ed Alan Spedding By 2050, a 60% increase in wheat production will be needed to meet the demand of a growing population. The Wheat Initiative, an international consortium gathering public institutions and private companies, was created Read More......(read more)

Large-scale edible insect farming needed to ensure global food security

2013-05-16T11:35:01Z

Author Name: Caroline Channing, Biosciences Knowledge Transfer Network, ed Alan Spedding The large-scale production of edible insects is unavoidable in order to continue feeding the ever-increasing global population and providing them with enough animal Read More......(read more)

Join the bioenergy discussion – new toolkit launched

2013-05-16T10:47:15Z

Author Name: Caroline Channing, Biosciences Knowledge Transfer Network, ed Alan Spedding BBSRC has launched a new toolkit to encourage researchers and the general public to engage in a national conversation about bioenergy. The Bioenergy Dialogue Toolkit Read More......(read more)

Breeding better beer

2013-05-15T15:05:39Z

Author Name: Caroline Channing, Biosciences Knowledge Transfer Network, ed Alan Spedding Brewing-enthusiast Dr Chris Ridout had little idea when he applied for a BBSRC public engagement grant in 2001 that it might lead him to resurrect a Victorian beer Read More......(read more)

Breakthough in wheat breeding science offers greater yields

2013-05-13T15:05:52Z

Author Name: NIAB UK wheat yields could be boosted by up to 30% with the introduction of a new wheat bred from a wild grass species. The National Institute of Agricultural Botany (NIAB) in Cambridge has recreated the original rare cross between an ancient Read More......(read more)

Invasion of the slugs – halted by worms...

2013-05-13T13:45:47Z

Author Name: Caroline Channing, Biosciences Knowledge Transfer Network The gardener’s best friend, the earthworm, is great at protecting leaves from being chomped by slugs, suggests research in BioMed Central’s open access journal BMC Ecology Read More......(read more)

Drawing a Truer Picture of Carbon Emissions

2013-05-13T13:27:51Z

Author Name: Worldwatch Institute In 2011 the United Kingdom pledged to reduce its carbon dioxide emissions by 50 percent by the year 2025, the most ambitious target by any industrialized country. Due to an increase in coal-generated power, the UK saw Read More......(read more)

Anaerobic Digestion: A Market Profile

2013-05-13T13:08:50Z

Author Name: Cogent SSC ltd As a niche but thriving industry this report highlights the potential of Anaerobic Digestion (AD) to deliver new green jobs and renewable energy. The study provides a snapshot of the health and prospects for this growing sector Read More......(read more)

Heat Pumps

2013-05-13T10:50:25Z

Author Name: FCAT Typically there are 3 types of heat pumps; ground-source, air-source and water-source. They all work by using a small amount of electricity to move heat from one place to another. A mixture of water and antifreeze is pumped around a Read More......(read more)

Deep geothermal energy in the UK

2013-05-11T05:50:50Z

Author Name: Joao Delgado, The Risk Exchange A report for the Renewable Energy Association by consultants Sinclair Knight Mertz has suggested that geothermal energy could potentially supply 20% of UK electricity. It is claimed that 100GW of heat generating Read More......(read more)

Feed Planning Tool for Cattle and Sheep

2013-05-11T05:35:09Z

Author Name: Tried and Tested An innovative new tool from the Tried & Tested nutrient management team will be launched at Beef Expo later this month, following a period of farmer testing. ‘Feed Planning for Cattle and Sheep’ aims to boost Read More......(read more)

Hydro energy

2013-05-11T05:22:11Z

Author Name: FCAT Hydro power harnesses the energy in flowing water by using turbines to convert the water’s kinetic energy into electricity. There are two main factors which determine a site’s suitability for a hydro generator: flow rate Read More......(read more)

What is biochar?

2013-05-09T15:09:34Z

Author Name: Biochar Foundation ed. Alan Spedding Biochar has the potential to be many things to many different groups but most simply, it’s charcoal. Charcoal that is used for either carbon storage or soil improvement, or preferably for both, rather Read More......(read more)

AD feasibility funding looks to forge national biogas networks

2013-05-09T09:29:24Z

Author Name: edie Waste, ed Alan Spedding Funding to assess the feasibility of developing UK biogas networks has been awarded by WRAP, in a bid to overcome barriers to development. The funds will enable bio-economy consultants NNFCC and bio-methane injection Read More......(read more)

ATP Upland Farming Systems Course

2013-05-09T09:15:35Z

Author Name: Advanced Training Partnership Starts on 17th June Registration and course materials at: http://www.atp-pasture.org.uk/en/calendar/upland-farming-systems-1 Read More......(read more)

Advanced Training Partnership Survey ~ Intensive Livestock Health and Production

2013-05-08T13:23:40Z

Author Name: Via Caroline Channing, Biosciences Knowledge Transfer Network You may be aware of the BBSRC’s Advanced Training Partnerships, encouraging knowledge transfer between the academic and agri-food sectors. The Royal Veterinary College in Read More......(read more)

Plants ‘talk’ to plants to help them grow

2013-05-08T13:09:44Z

Author Name: Caroline Channing, Biosciences Knowledge Transfer Network, ed Alan Spedding Having a neighbourly chat improves seed germination, according to research published in BioMed Central’s open access journal BMC Ecology. Even when other known Read More......(read more)

FCAT - the Farm Carbon Assessment Tool

2013-05-08T07:53:03Z

Author Name: Soil Association Recognising and understanding the impact that different farming practices have on greenhouse gas emissions is an important aspect of tackling the ambitious emissions reduction target that has been set for the UK agricultural Read More......(read more)

Future of AD is small to medium-scale predicts energy expert

2013-05-07T14:50:44Z

Author Name: edie newsroom, ed Alan Spedding The anaerobic digestion (AD) industry is on a steady march, but the future growth in the sector is more likely to be through small-to-medium scale plants than large-scale projects. Speaking at the Institution Read More......(read more)