Uncategorized

Welcome to an exciting update from the frontlines of agricultural innovation! The Farming Innovation Programme, a collaborative effort funded by DEFRA and delivered by Innovate UK, has embarked on a journey to transform the agricultural landscape. This initiative, running from May 2023 to April 2024, brought together E&J Farming, the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan), and Myerscough College to explore early-stage solutions aimed at boosting productivity, sustainability, and resilience in farming. Let’s delve into the groundbreaking advancements achieved and the future of drone technology in agriculture. Project Overview At the core of this Lancashire-based project was the innovative use of drones. These high-tech tools were employed to count animals and use thermal imagery to detect health anomalies, significantly enhancing the efficiency of cattle welfare inspections. This revolutionary approach aims to automate laborious tasks, reduce manual labour, and improve overall operational efficiency on farms. Key Achievements By automating animal counting and health inspections, drones have drastically reduced the time and labour traditionally required for these tasks. This technological leap has translated into improved productivity for farmers, enabling them to focus on other critical aspects of farm management. The use of drones minimises the need for fuel consumption and reduces the impact of ATVs on soil, contributing to more sustainable farming practices. This aligns perfectly with the project’s goal of transitioning towards net-zero emissions. The collaboration between UCLan, Myerscough College, and local farmers has been instrumental in developing and refining new technologies. This partnership has demonstrated a strong commitment to driving agricultural innovation through collaborative efforts. Testimonials from the Field Stephen Taylor, Lancashire Farmer:“The AI and thermal imaging capabilities of drones are impressive. Although current regulations limit autonomous operations, shared use among farms could enhance viability. The potential for drones to identify health issues or signs of birthing in livestock is particularly promising.” Jane Grime, Lancashire Farmer:“Drones save time on routine checks and enhance farm security. While they won’t replace all human inspections, collaborative usage among neighbouring farms could maximise benefits.” Victoria Bracken, Farmer in Lancashire and Yorkshire:“Regular drone checks save time and help identify cows needing assistance during calving, reducing stress for the cows and minimising calf losses. For sheep farmers, remote drone flights would help with flock health and numbers, especially for those with grazing land far from their farm holdings. With the reduction of the Basic Payment Scheme, beef and sheep farmers face financial challenges. Introducing Farming Innovation grants for drones could help modernise farming, saving time and money while improving animal welfare.” John and Eden Hill, E&J Farming, Lancashire:“Developing the drone prototype has been exciting, especially amid rising costs and labour shortages. Sharing this technology with neighbouring farms makes it more feasible. It allows us to efficiently monitor large areas, quickly address issues, and improve animal welfare.” Darren Ansell, Professor of Aerospace Engineering, UCLan:“Drone technology is set to revolutionise farming, performing dull and repetitive tasks efficiently. The system we developed has proven that drones can conduct cattle welfare inspections and provide early alerts for health anomalies.” Andrea Gardner, Director of Farming and Innovation, Myerscough College:“Drones make farm work easier and improve animal care. This project has shown the real benefits of drone technology in monitoring animal health and cutting costs. We’re excited to further improve these technologies to meet modern farming needs.” Objective​ Achieved?​ Deskilling the use of drones​ Yes – speedy training and confidence in use​ Time savings​ Yes – 14 hours of labour saved during the lambing (28 days) period alone​ Cost Savings​ Yes – 112 miles less driven due to drone inspections in the above time period, saving ~£43 in fuel​ Reduce reliance on fossil fuels​ Yes – 29 litres of fuel saved in the above time period (savings of ~55kg carbon)​ Increased resilience ​ Yes – time savings have allowed to efficiency elsewhere​ Veterinary Insights and Health Monitoring While drones are not suitable for fertility monitoring, their capability to identify general health issues and deceased animals has proven invaluable. A notable case was when a cow with mastitis wandered off into an overgrown 140-acre area. Traditional methods of locating and treating her would have been time-consuming and less effective, but the drone quickly identified her location. This prompt intervention allowed for immediate treatment, showcasing the drone’s significant role in improving animal welfare and the efficiency of farming operations in challenging terrains. Farmgate Veterinary Service:“The attempt to track a cow’s fertility cycle using drone thermal imaging was unsuccessful due to environmental factors like weather conditions affecting the cow’s external temperature, and the limitation of not being able to measure internal temperature using a drone. However, drone thermal imaging effectively detects localised high temperatures, often indicative of infection. Further testing is necessary to determine the temperature variance required from the rest of the body before indicating the need for medical attention. Additionally, exploring the camera’s accuracy from greater distances on localised small infection sites would be of interest.” Future Prospects and Demonstration Conclusion The Farming Innovation Programme has made significant strides in enhancing agricultural productivity, sustainability, and resilience. With continued development, especially of the innovative drone-in-a-box system, the future looks promising for the integration of drone technology in farming. Watch the Video showcasing the project’s achievements. We invite you to join us on this exciting journey towards a more efficient and sustainable agricultural future at Myerscough College on 9th June for Open Farm Sunday and meet the team behind this revolutionary project. Experience a practical demonstration of drone technology and witness first hand how it can transform farming operations. This event is an excellent opportunity for local farmers and agriculture businesses to explore the potential benefits and applications of drones in their daily operations.

John Hill and Eden Muzzall of E and J Farming t/a Lancashire Lamb Boxes in the outskirts of Lancaster have secured a prestigious funding grant from Innovate UK, a division of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI). Their project, developed in collaboration with The University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) and Myerscough College, aims to revolutionise livestock farming in less favoured areas by harnessing the power of drones and artificial intelligence (AI) software. The project’s primary focus is enhancing productivity and sustainability in livestock management through advanced technology. These tools enable the monitoring of livestock temperature changes, facilitating the identification of cows in their mating season and supporting a more concentrated calving period. By detecting potential issues early on, drones and AI provide farmers with timely and accurate information, improving animal health, welfare, and productivity while potentially reducing antibiotic use and mortality rates. The project aims to achieve the following objectives: A crucial aspect of the project is ensuring the accessibility of drone technology for all farmers. In collaboration with UCLan, E and J Farming will pioneer ‘drone in a box’ solutions, simplifying deployment and operation. User experience specialists will design an intuitive interface, reducing the learning curve for farmers and unlocking the technology’s full potential. Additionally, knowledge transfer plays a fundamental role in delivering substantial benefits to the wider agricultural community. Myerscough College will disseminate the project results through presentations at conferences, events, and various other platforms within agriculture. In addition, this project has garnered the support of other local organisations. Beanstalk Business Centre CIC stands alongside the project lead, offering invaluable expertise in innovation management and collaborating with the Myerscough College projects team to drive impactful knowledge transfer activities. Lancaster Farmgate Veterinary Services adds their invaluable consultation, assessment, and evaluation, contributing to the publication of trial results and orchestrating the synchronization of the fertility cycle of two heifers with software programming. This prestigious funding award from Innovate UK acknowledges the transformative potential of E and J Farming’s innovative solution and validates their commitment to driving positive change in the livestock farming industry. Through their embrace of technology, they are shaping a better future for farmers, animals, and the environment. Innovate UK Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation is the UK’s innovation agency. They work to create a better future by inspiring, involving, and investing in businesses developing life-changing innovations. With an annual budget of over £ 1 billion, they provide businesses with the expertise, facilities, and funding they need to test, demonstrate and evolve their ideas, driving UK productivity and economic growth.

Rt Hon Mark Spencer MP, Minister for Food, Farming and Fisheries and Janet Hughes, Programme Director, Future Farming and Countryside Programme appeared before the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee.

A new post, “Environmental Stewardship: an update” has just been published on the Future Farming blog. Defra recently wrote to everyone with Environmental Stewardship agreements to outline some changes that we plan to introduce in 2023. Rather than offering agreement holders an extension of a single year, we’re offering extensions of 5 years. This change, shaped by feedback, gives greater certainty and clarity to people in existing agri-environment agreements. It also removes the burden of having to apply for an extension each year.

The Prince’s Countryside Fund (PCF) has invested £588,426 in 33 projects across the UK which are helping to create a real future for rural Britain. The grants have been awarded as part of two funding streams – Supporting Rural Communities (sponsored by Waitrose and with support from players of People’s Postcode Lottery and funds awarded by the Postcode Support Trust), and the Farm Support Group Initiative (sponsored by Waitrose and the NFU Mutual Charitable Trust). £258,000 is being awarded to 14 rural communities, while a further £329,920 is being given to 19 Farm Support Groups. Founded by HRH The Prince of Wales in 2010, The Prince’s Countryside Fund’s vision is of family farms and rural communities that fulfil their role in creating a sustainable future for the countryside and our whole nation. Too often, rural communities are without access to transport, jobs, housing, shops and community spaces. The PCF is a charity which powers community-led solutions through their grants and resources to ensure that they flourish – now and in the future. Through the PCF’s Supporting Rural Communities grants programme, they are funding projects right across Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Whether it’s ensuring village halls can fulfil their role as community hubs, to providing skills training to improve employment opportunities for young people, the community drive behind each project means that thousands of people will directly benefit from the PCF’s support in a way that is meaningful to them and their communities. Trossachs Community Trust, based in the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park, has been awarded £25,000 to support the provision of a community centre. Tim Tindle, Chair said: “We are grateful for the support of The Prince’s Countryside Fund. The support means that we can transform a redundant school into a community visitor centre. The centre will offer subsidised meals to the elderly and be home to the community post office. This will create four full time jobs and is a big steppingstone towards making the community’s dream a reality.” Farm Support Groups are local organisations and charities working to support those who live and work in farming communities. They help people with issues around health and wellbeing, provide business support to farmers, and promote sustainable, economic and social development. In 2019, the PCF created the Farm Support Group Initiative, to represent these organisations at a national level and to enable them to share best practice and advice. Having seen the invaluable contribution these groups make to their local farming communities, the PCF is now making a further investment to ensure these groups can continue their vital work to support our British farmers to navigate their way through change and difficult circumstances. Katherine Williams, EHFN Manager said: “This new grant support from PCF enables the Exmoor Hill Farming Network to continue to act as the go-to hub for the farming community on Exmoor, providing access to information, training and signposting as well as increasing our own staffing levels. As a grass root organisation we are led by farmers for farmers, assisting them with a wide range of agricultural related topics to improve the viability and sustainability of Exmoor farms.’’ Keith Halstead, Executive Director of The Prince’s Countryside Fund said: “This significant investment is making a real difference to people’s lives and responds to the needs of farming and rural communities. Whether our funding is empowering community-led projects like Stoke Ferry Community Enterprise in Norfolk or meeting day-to-day running costs of farm support groups thereby ensuring family farms have access to practical, local help when they need it, the PCF is committed to creating a thriving countryside. “The PCF wishes to acknowledge our appreciation of players of People’s Postcode Lottery, Waitrose & Partners and the NFU Mutual Charitable Trust who are all long-term supporters of our charitable work and whose funding contributes to our rural grant programmes and our Farm Support Group Initiative.” Lisa Belletty, Health and Wellbeing Advisor at People’s Postcode Lottery, said: “We are delighted that support from the players of People’s Postcode Lottery is enabling The Prince’s Countryside Fund to build a stronger future for rural Britain. This support will ensure rural communities across Britain don’t just survive, but more importantly, thrive.” Lindsey Crompton, Social Impact and Health Lead from Waitrose said: “Waitrose is extremely proud to be a founding corporate partner of The Prince’s Countryside Fund, and we’re excited to embark on this new phase of our partnership. The PCF has been the only UK-wide charity addressing issues facing rural Britain over the past decade, and we’re delighted to renew our support for a further three years. “Inspiring happiness in communities is a central component of the John Lewis Partnership Purpose, and The Prince’s Countryside Fund’s rural grants programmes embody this mission. We very much look forward to seeing how these exciting, grassroots projects will develop and benefit the rural communities they serve.” Jim McLaren, MBE, NFU Mutual Chairman, said: “Helping our members in times of need and supporting rural communities has always been at the very heart of NFU Mutual’s approach. We are committed to making a positive impact through our charitable giving programme and are very proud to be a long-standing supporter of The Prince’s Countryside Fund, and the valuable services they offer.” The PCF’s Autumn funding round will be open for applications from Thursday 1st September until midday on Tuesday 11th October. Further information on how to apply and eligibility are available on the PCF website. If you’d like to talk to a member of the team about putting in an application, you can submit an enquiry via the form on the website – visit www.princescountrysidefund.org.uk/grants You can find out more about how The Prince’s Countryside Fund works with farm support groups at www.princescountrysidefund.org.uk/how-we-help/farm-support-groups

FAS is funded by Defra. We provide free, confidential advice to help farmers in England understand and meet the requirements of cross compliance. These rules apply to you if you are a Basic Payment Scheme (BPS), Countryside Stewardship or Environmental Stewardship claimant. To contact us, call 03000 200 301 (select the option for FAS) or email [email protected]

What the government is doing to prepare the UK for the impacts of climate change. Our climate is changing and will continue to do so as a result of global greenhouse gas emissions. Despite efforts to reduce emissions, the effects will have impacts for years to come. Preparing for a changing climate, or climate adaptation, will help the UK to reduce negative consequences of climate change and take advantage of new opportunities. Building the UK’s preparedness and resilience to climate change impacts is a cost-effective and essential way to protect our people, economy and environment.

This guidance has been jointly produced by Defra, Forestry Commission and Natural England to help ensure that proposals for afforestation identify and avoid important breeding wader sites.

A new post, “Environmental land management: a forward look ” has just been published on the Future Farming blog. Through our new environmental land management schemes, we will pay farmers and land managers to enhance the natural environment alongside food production. In this post, I’ll share more information about how we expect Local Nature Recovery to work.

Guidance on how the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) will work for farmers.  This page is about the full SFI scheme, which opened for applications from 30 June 2022. If you’re looking for information about the SFI pilot, read the guidance specific to the pilot.