News

Farmer-to-farmer webinar programme, advice and farm tour

The second half of the farmer to farmer webinar programme is now live, and farm tours and advisory services have started as part of the Your Farming Future programme, a package of support offered by…
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Podcast: How trees can increase livestock's welfare and productivity

ORC's Senior Livestock Researcher Lindsay Whistance features on a fascinating recent Regenerative Agroforestry Podcast. Through Lindsay's extensive knowledge of silvopasture, she enables us to see agroforestry from the animal’s perspective. Trees can provide livestock with…
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How can agroforestry contribute towards biodiversity conservation?

How can agroforestry contribute to the achievement of future targets and what policy environment can support it? We explored this question in a recent webinar (October 20th) with a panel representing the latest research, on-farm…
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LIVESEED project comes to an end after 52 months

The LIVESEED project came to an end on 30 September 2021, after 52 months of activities. Started in June 2017, 51 project partners put their hearts and souls into boosting organic seed and plant breeding.…
Posted in News, News and events, Research, Uncategorised
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How to source and use woodchip for the farm and garden: A talk and Q&A with Ben Raskin

Join Ben Raskin, author of the new book The Woodchip Handbook, for this webinar to learn about the many uses of woodchip both in regenerative agriculture and horticulture. Ben is Head of Horticulture and Agroforestry…
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Countryfile: Devon silvopasture trial

BBC One's flagship country lifestyle magazine Countryfile will feature the Devon silvopasture research that is planned to last for 12 years and which involves a group of livestock farmers trialling three different silvopasture designs created…
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Agri-Food Transition Summit at COP26

Our Chief Executive Lucy MacLennan will be speaking at the Agri-Food Transition Summit at COP26, in the Climate Action Innovation Zone. Lucy's talk is is focused on Sustainable Development Goal 2 – ending hunger, achieving…
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2nd Climate-smart and resilient farming webinar: let's talk about Resilience in Agricultural Landscapes!

On 10th of November 2021 the three research projects funded under the EU Horizon 2020 call on climate-smart and resilient farming (LC-SFS-19-2018-2019): MIXED, STARGATE, and AGROMIX will meet again to discuss about Resilience in Agricultural…
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Northern Real Farming Conference

Conference: 17-24 November, online or local events Gathering: 2-3 December in-person in Lancaster Highlights with ORC involvement include: Nov 17 2021: 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm GMT Webinar Organic no-till with living mulches – the…
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Herbicides: A threat to bee and pollinator survival

Many assumed that with the banning of neonicotinoids in the EU and UK, bees and pollinators would now be safe from harms caused by pesticides. However, this view ignores the impacts that ongoing, widespread use…
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PhD opportunity. Tree species choice in agroforestry systems: do mycorrhizal associations affect soil microbiomes and crop yields?

This project, at the Department of Biology, University of York, is part of the NERC ACCE Doctoral Training Partnership. About the Project Agroforestry systems have the potential to play an important part in maintaining ecosystem…
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Film: What farmers have learnt from the living mulch field lab

Living mulches offer a way to build fertility without tillage or synthetic inputs, while sequestering more carbon and cutting costs. But can they be achieved without a significant yield penalty? Six farmers have been working with…
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Defra Future Farming Innovation Programme: applications open

Defra and UKRI have released further details on their programme of long-term funding to support agricultural innovation.   Bioeconomy and agroforestry is one of the themes In partnership with UKRI, Defra is encouraging farmers, growers, foresters and businesses to get involved in…
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Cultivating a healthy work culture on your farm

Join the Landworkers' Alliance for a webinar and workshop looking at how to cultivate a healthy work culture on your farm. CULTURE ON YOUR FARM'. The LWA are delighted to be hosting Agricola Farm Co-operative…
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Mark Measures' dedication to organic farming celebrated at 40th anniversary event

Mark Measures, who had been at the ORC since joining Elm Farm Research Centre as the Farm Manager in 1983, was commended on his dedication and support for organic farming, advice and research at ORC's…
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40 years of industry-leading organic research celebrated

Originally established as the Elm Farm Research Centre in 1981, over the last forty years the organisation has delivered pioneering research that has helped transform the organic sector in the UK and beyond. During this…
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The future of organic farming and priorities for research

Andrew Burgess (Chair of the NFU Organic Forum), Christine Watson (Professor at SRUC/ORC Trustee), Ian Wilkinson (Co-founder of FarmED) and Ashley Wheeler (YOFY 2021 award winner and grower) joined a panel discussion chaired by Janet…
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Winner of ORC's Young Organic Farmer/ Grower of the Year Award announced

Ashley Wheeler and Kate Norman of Trill Farm Garden, Musbury, Devon, were announced as winners of ORC's first YOFY award at a special 40th anniversary event at FarmEd on 30th September 2021. YOFY winners Kate…
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NEW REPORT: The Promise of Agroforestry (LWA)

The Landworkers' Alliance have released a new report which takes a close look at eight different agroforestry projects in the UK, highlighting the benefits of these agroforestry systems as well as teasing out some the lessons…
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Defra unveils 'plans to unlock power of gene editing'

New plans to 'unlock the power of gene editing to help our farmers grow more resistant, more nutritious and more productive crops' have been published today as part of the UK Government response to the…
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Future Farming Resilience Webinar Series

The Future Farming Resilience Programme, developed in partnership with the Landworkers' Alliance and the Pasture Fed Livestock Association, has launched with a programme of 20 webinars, designed to help farmers to identify what changes and…
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Defra-funded workshops to structure ELM policy for agroforestry – come and have your say

The Agroforestry ELM Test is the principal project helping to structure post-Brexit Environmental Land Management (ELM) policy for agroforestry, and is led by the Organic Research Centre, with partners from the Woodland Trust, Soil Association,…
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Boosting hedgerows by 40% would create 25,000 jobs, new ORC research for CPRE reveals

In this research, commissioned by CPRE, the countryside charity, and undertaken independently by the Organic Research Centre, we provide an evidence-based analysis of the environmental and economic benefits of hedgerows. The research investigates what 40%…
Posted in News, News and events, Research
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Free farm resilience support and advice

We’re pleased to be part of a successful collaborative bid to Defra's Future Farming Resilience Fund led by the Landworkers Alliance and partnering with the Pasture-Fed Livestock Association (PFLA). This fund aims to support farmers…
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