Organisers have revealed further details of next month’s Cereals event, which is set to become one of the first major face-to-face farming events following the relaxation of lockdown restrictions.

This year’s event will be held in Lincolnshire on 30 June to 1 July and will comply with all required biosecurity measures against Covid-19.

Event director Alli McEntyre said the physical event will go ahead as planned. “No online webinars, just real people meeting in the fields of Boothby Graffoe,” she added.

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“You can walk across real grass, eye-up actual machines, talk to people directly, attend seminars in person, examine the crop plots – and there’s even a soil pit you can get into.”

Live demos

There will be more than 360 exhibitors to visit across 45ha stands and live demonstrations, including areas dedicated to agronomy, technology, machinery, business, education, environment, and renewable energy.

The Syngenta Sprays & Sprayers Arena will showcase live demos to watch in person from a safe distance.

Details of a range of farming debates and seminars have also been revealed.

On day one (30 June), David Eudall, head of arable markets at AHDB, will chair the Market Outlook seminar in the New Era theatre.

“There’s a lot of volatility caused by global and domestic pressures; from Brexit and the phase out of BPS payments, to the introduction of E10 ethanol and changing consumer demands. But there are a new and reapable opportunities for UK growers.”

Speakers including NFU’s director of trade and market outlook Nick von Westenholz will be putting a spotlight on the challenges and opportunities for UK producers in the global market.

Markets for pulses

On day two (1 July), Roger Vickers, chief executive at the Processors and Growers Research Organisation, will chair a seminar on plant protein potential, exploring the value of pulses in the face of changing consumer needs.

“There is a good future for pulses, not only to meet consumer plant protein demands but also to deliver livestock nutrition and environmental sustainability,” said Mr Vickers.

Speakers will be summarising the market outlook for pulses and where opportunities lie for UK growers.

They will also look at how farmers can use pulses in their rotations to reduce inputs and improve their carbon footprint.

Visitors will also be able to hear from Johnathan Napier, from Rothamsted Research, who has led a ground-breaking project using GM technology to replicate fish oils in the oil plant, camelina – a possible crop choice of the future.

Farmers Weekly, Cereals’ media partner, will distribute more than 59,000 show guides before the event and publish comprehensive previews and show reports.

· For more information or to register for tickets, visit the Cereals website.