News

Herbal Ley Establishment & Management

One day course on Herbal Leys Establishment and Management brought to you by the FarmED team and Cotswolds Seeds. A herbal ley is a complex seed mixture of grasses, legumes and herbs, which bring a…
Posted in Events, News and events
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Agroforestry Design Masterclass (2 Day Intensive)

Looking to integrate trees into your farming business this coming planting season but don’t know which trees to plant, how many, or where? Unsure about fencing, or how to market your tree products? Discover the…
Posted in Events, News and events
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Ten minutes with Lisa Arguile

What is your job role at the ORC? Sustainability Researcher How long have you worked at the ORC? Just over two and a half years Where are you from/ where are you based? I grew…
Posted in General, News, Research
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Silvopasture field lab on Farming Today

BBC Farming Today visited Andy Gray one of the farmers participating in the new Innovative Farmers Silvopasture field lab. " A field lab being run by Innovative Farmers - a not-for-profit group which links up…
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InfoHub on intercropping launched

A new DIVERSify legacy website http://plant-teams.org/ has been launched. It includes the Farmer Guide ‘InfoHub’ “for practical information on intercropping agronomy, resilience and ecosystem service provision, on-farm experiences and innovations” and a Policy Toolbox that…
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Farm Woodland Forum 2021 annual meeting: Agroforestry in Brexit landscapes

In the light of the UK government's ambitious tree planting targets - what is the role for agroforestry? Draft agenda: Role of agroforestry and hedges in UK climate targetsDefra’s agroforestry vision, response to tree strategy…
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Making hedgerows pay their way: the economics of harvesting field boundary hedges for bioenergy

A new paper on our hedgerow work as part of the SustainFARM project has been accepted for publication in Agroforestry Systems and is now online: http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10457-021-00631-9 Smith J, Westaway S, Mullender S. et al. (2021) Making…
Posted in News, News and events, Research
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ORFC in the Field @ Wakelyns

ORFC are teaming up with Wakelyns at their inspiring location in the heart of the Suffolk countryside between 8-9 September for another ORFC in the Field event. Save the date now - they'll be releasing…
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Open FiBL Day 2021

Join the first virtual Open FiBL Day on Thursday, 27 May 2021 and explore the diverse and excellent work the FiBL Group performs on both national and international levels. Discover your opportunities to engage with…
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ORC Bulletin 133 on its way!

And Bulletin 122 available for free download

Posted in Inform, News, News and events
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The organic route to a resilient future

An article by ORC's Head of Research Will Simonson has been included in the March/April edition of e-law, published by UKELA (United Kingdom Environmental Law Association) as part of an issue focusing on the Agriculture…
Posted in News, News and events, Policy
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New paper on managing understoreys in agroforestry to promote natural enemies

A new open access paper 'Management to Promote Flowering Understoreys Benefits Natural Enemy Diversity, Aphid Suppression and Income in an Agroforestry System,' co-authored by Jo Smith (now ex ORC) with the University of Reading and…
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NOCC21: OF&G's National Organic Combinable Crops

John and Alice Pawsey and family will be welcoming guests to their mixed organic arable and sheep farm at Shimpling park Farm in Suffolk on 6 July 2021. This annual on-farm conference, organised by OF&G…
Posted in Events, News and events
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Ten minutes with Colin Tosh

Would you like to get to know the ORC staff, learn more about what they are working on at the moment and find out what inspired them to pursue a career in organic research? To…
Posted in General, News, News and events
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Our response to the Defra public consultation on Genome editing

ORC submitted responses to Defra's Consultation on future of gene editing both as part of the English Organic Forum and as an organisation. As a member of the English Organic Forum (EOF), the Organic Research…
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Mark Measures is retiring from ORC

Mark Measures ponders some wheat 1995 Mark Measures has been at the forefront of organic farming in the UK for nearly 40 years and has been involved with Elm Farm/Organic Research Centre for most of…
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Exploring the potential for videos and podcasts as knowledge exchange tools in the future ELM schemes

The Environmental Land Management (ELM) schemes represent a significant shift in agri-environment scheme delivery in England. Currently, it is envisaged that land managers will construct their own land management plans, possibly with some advisory support…
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Measuring the Economic Performance of Small Ruminant Farms Using Balanced Scorecard and Importance-Performance Analysis: A European Case Study

A new paper arising from the EU Horizon 2020-funded iSAGE project, co-authored by ORC's Stefano Orsini has been published in Sustainability Abstract Given the increasing complexity of the agro-food sector, the analysis of financial performance…
Posted in News, News and events, Research
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European Organic Congress 2021

The annual European Organic Congress will take place from 16-18 June 2021, organised by IFOAM Organics Europe and AGROBIO. More information will be available soon.
Posted in Events, News and events
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Anglian Agroforestry Farms Open Weekend 2021

Celebrating the growing community of agroforestry farms in East Anglia. Fellows Farm, Fobbing Farm, Shimpling Park Farm, Maple Farm Kelsale, Wakelyns and Whitehall Farm will be welcoming pre-booked visitors (you must email ahead to book…
Posted in Events, News and events
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European Consumers’ Willingness to Pay for Red Meat Labelling Attributes

New paper co-authored by ORC's Stefano Orsini is published in Animals. Given the decrease in red meat consumption in the last decade, it is crucial for red meat producers to understand consumer preferences. This international…
Posted in News, News and events, Research
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New ORC podcast to celebrate 40 years of organic research

For forty years the ORC has been pushing the boundaries of research and development of practical and sustainable organic farming methods in the UK. Last month we announced a dedicated 40th anniversary page had been…
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Farmers and researchers are teaming up in the first ever farmer-led study into the benefits of agroforestry

Farmers in the UK, for the first time, are getting the chance to co-design research to determine the benefits of integrating more trees on their farms. A farmer-led agroforestry project launching this month will spend…
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Agroforestry in organic horticulture

Are you interested in incorporating trees into your farm design? Agroforestry presents lots of opportunities for the organic grower: to grow new fruit and nut crops to sell; to produce wood and wood chip to…
Posted in Events, News, News and events
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