BASIS Agronomy Matters

In this episode of Agronomy Matters, listeners are invited on an exploratory journey into the future of farming with two distinguished guests.

As the UK embraces the potential of drone technology across various sectors, including agriculture, our guests shed light on its burgeoning significance.

Rob Pearson, CEO of Autospray Systems, shares insights into the cutting-edge advancements in drone technology and its implications for agriculture.

Alongside Rob is Richard Binks, a Technical Consultant and IPM specialist, who delves into a small study exploring the viability of drones for spraying nematodes as a form of pest control.

Join, Thomas Vaughan, our Environment Manager at BASIS, as we embark on an exclusive tour of the acclaimed British Potato Show in our latest episode. Let's dive deep into the heart of potato country, exploring the highs and lows of the 2023 potato crop while uncovering the challenges and opportunities shaping the current potato industry landscape.

🥔 Fiona's Insights on Fungicide Resistance - Our first stop takes us to SAC Consulting, where Fiona delves into the critical issue of fungicide resistance. Gain valuable insights into the concerns surrounding this challenge and discover strategies to mitigate its impact on potato crops.

🌿 We visit the Fera Science stand with Damian and Callum, offering a fascinating glimpse into the intricate world of aphid samples processing. Learn about their expertise and invaluable advice on addressing nematode problems, contributing to the overall health and resilience of potato crops.

🌱 CHAP's Role in Potato Grower Support - Our exploration concludes at the CHAP stand, where Rosie enlightens us on CHAP's pivotal role in supporting potato growers. Uncover the latest projects, including the ground-breaking "de-sist" initiative, utilizing trap crops to combat nematodes and ensure a sustainable and thriving potato industry.

🚜 Special Segment with Harry Henderson - But wait, there's more! In a special segment, our Technical Manager at BASIS, Harry Henderson, provides a comprehensive update on the NRoSO training events running from 2023 to 2024.

So, whether you're a seasoned farmer or just curious about the fascinating world of agronomy, grab your favourite brew, settle in, and get ready to immerse yourself in the latest happenings from the heart of the British Potato Industry. Agronomy Matters - where every spud has a story, and every farmer has a journey! 🚜🌾

This month we are embracing the festivities with a Christmas themed episode.

Our first guest, Andy Richardson, joins us to talk about the only vegetable that we could possibly choose to discuss at this time of year, one that divides opinion at every single Christmas dinner table, the Brussel Sprout. Andy has been an agronomist for 30 years and is the Technical Director for the Brassica Growers Association and joins us to share all his expert knowledge about this controversial veg.

No Christmas dinner would be complete without something to wash it all down, so our second guest, Graeme Brown, an independent agronomist specialising in grape vines, joins us to tell us all about the grapes behind a nice glass of bubbly.

To claim one CPD point for listening please wait for the code at the end of the episode.

Wishing you all a very Happy Christmas and New Year from the team at BASIS.

With harvest of cereals and oilseed rape now complete across the UK, this month we talk about crop storage.

Compared to selling grain at harvest, storing grain for sale later can attract a premium. This economic incentive can mean grain is stored for long periods prior to processing. During this time the grain may be at risk from pests, fungi or moisture.

In this podcast we are joined by two guest speakers who provide us with guidance on how we can help minimise the risks to stored grain.

Our first speaker is Dhan Bhandari, Senior Cereal Product Quality Scientist at AHDB. Dhan talks to us about the best ways to monitor our grain stores, what we should be looking out for and the factors that might affect grain sampling. Our second speaker is Martin Cobbald, aka Chief Pest Geek, Managing Director at Dealey Pest Control. Martin provides some fantastic information on how we can identify and deal with pests in our stores. If you are looking for a qualified pest controller to help you then check out BASIS PROMPT our register of verified pest controllers. You can also find out more about the courses mentioned in the podcast.

Listen to the end to claim 1 CPD point for listening.

Health and safety is stereotypically a bit boring. Like with legislation it’s one of those topics that just comes with a bit of a yawn and a sigh, but with continued and rising concern over the high level of accidents within the agricultural industry it’s important that we, at BASIS, do what we can to support our members safety.

This month’s episode has been released early to show our support for the Yellow Wellies campaign; Farm Safety Week.

We know our BASIS members will often find themselves working on or near farm yards, working alone in fields, clambering over gates and fences and playing with soil so making sure that we are all aware of our surroundings, looking out for ourselves and others should be a top priority.

We are privileged to have been joined by 5 speakers keen to share their top tips for staying safe on farm:

• Stephanie Berkely, Manager at the Farm Safety Foundation aka Yellow Wellies
• Tom Price, Farm Safety and Transport Adviser at the NFU
• Christopher Maher, HM Inspector HSE
• Eve Macready Jones, HM Inspector HSE
• Stephen Britton, HM Inspector HSE

Our speakers take us through some of the top risks our BASIS members are likely to come across and how they can help themselves and others to stay safe.

Please listen through to the end of the podcast to find out how to collect a CPD point for listening.

For this month’s episode of the Agronomy Matters podcast, we are focussing on how new technology and innovative growing practices are being utilised within fruit production to develop more sustainable, productive and efficient farming systems. We were also joined by Tanya Kesterton, BASIS’s Head of Digital Learning, who explained how we are using technology at BASIS to offer new and improved products and services to our members, candidates and to the wider industry.

Our three guest speakers on this episode are:

Salih Hodzhov - Production Director at WB Chambers LTD:

Salih told us about how a major fruit grower, both in the UK and across the world, uses technology to produce fruit which meets the required standard to end up on the supermarket shelf.

Andrey Ivanov - Farm Manager at Wilkin & Sons of Tiptree:

Now I am sure at some point you will have all eaten some Tiptree jam, and Andrey explained how this historic company is using innovative techniques to produce fruit for its famous products.

Gary Saunders - Fruit Agronomist at Agrii:

Gary discussed how he uses technology as an agronomist to provide the best possible advice to his customers so they can produce fruit in a sustainable and profitable way.

Make sure you listen to the end of the episode to find out how to claim one BASIS CPD point via the members’ are on the BASIS website.

On our final episode of the year we have decided to do a 2021 in review episode, where we will be speaking to three guests about their experiences over the last 12 months, as well as what their predictions are for 2022.

Firstly we spoke to independent agronomist Patrick Stephenson to get his view on the challenges farmers and agronomists have had to face in 2021, as well as looking at what changes might happen in the industry over the next few years.

Our second guest on this episode is Natalie Wood, arable agronomist for Yara in the UK. Natalie was able to provide an insight into 2021 from the perspective of our FACTS qualified advisers, with the global fertiliser market providing some unique challenges for farmers and advisers, especially in the final few months of the year.

Finally we spoke to Hannah Joy, environmental services specialist at Hutchinsons. Hannah explained how the Environmental Land Managements Schemes have developed over the past 12 months, and also highlighted what opportunities will become available to farmers and land owners through these schemes in the years to come.

Make sure you listen to the end to find out how to claim one BASIS CPD point via the members' area on the BASIS website.

This year we had the 26th annual summit of the United nations climate change conference; COP26. From the 31st October until the 12th November world leaders, government representatives, businesses and citizens will arrive in Scotland for twelve days of talks around how to tackle climate change.

To coincide with this important event in this month’s Agronomy Matters Podcast we discuss all things net zero with some experts from the field.

First, we have Becky Willson, Business Development and Technical Director from Farm Carbon Toolkit who talks to us about the drivers for change, how we can calculate carbon footprints on farm and what we should do with a carbon figure once we have one. We then have Will Oliver, an arable and poultry farmer from Leicestershire who has been shortlisted for this year’s climate change champion of the year award. Will shares with us the highs and lows of his journey so far. And finally, we have Dr Harry Langford from CHAP who tells us a bit more about the technologies available to us now and those that are being developed for the future.

Many of our BASIS Qualifications provide you with the knowledge you need to help with the journey to net zero including our Soil and Water Management qualification which covers how to manage organic matter in soils to increase carbon storage, looks at the impacts of different cultivations on greenhouse gas emissions and covers the impacts of nutrient applications on the carbon footprint of farming. Please click here to read more about our Soil and Water Management Qualification.

Useful Links:

Carbon Toolkit Calculator https://calculator.farmcarbontoolkit.org.uk/user/register
CHAP https://chap-solutions.co.uk/about-chap/

This month’s episode of the BASIS Agronomy Matters Podcast has been produced in collaboration with the Kellogg’s Origins Project. This is a really exciting initiative which is looking at how the food supply chain can help support more sustainable farming practices through unique research projects. Our first speakers on this episode, Duncan Rawson and David Fitzgerald, explained what Origins project does, and why Kellogg’s are so committed to sourcing products in a responsible and sustainable way. We were then joined by three speakers who had been directly involved in Origins projects throughout the UK.

Firstly, we spoke to Dave Freeman from the agriculture team at Ricardo, who has been carrying out some research on a farm in Bedfordshire looking at how agriculture can move towards becoming a Net-zero industry.

We were then joined by John Holland, Head of Farmland Ecology at the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust, who’s project at Loddington in Leicestershire focussed on the role beneficial insects play within integrated pest management, and the habitats that are required to support them.

Finally, we spoke to Clive Blacker, Head of Business Development within arable agriculture at the Map of Ag. The project Clive has been working on was looking at Nitrogen Use Efficiency in the UK, especially how monitoring and analysis can help improve this and what impact this would have on UK farms.

Don’t forget to listen to the end of the episode where our Professional Register Members can find out how to claim 1 CPD point.

In this month's episode of the BASIS Agronomy Matters Podcast, our Business Development Executive, Jade Prince hones in on effective phosphorus management as an essential part of producing high quality profitable crops whilst also protecting the wider environment and as this year’s topic for the FACTS online assessment, phosphorus management is of particular interest to our FACTS Qualified Advisers.

We have some great speakers who tell us more about phosphorus application, use efficiency and potential impacts on the environment. First, we have Tim Kerr, crop nutrition manager at Hutchinsons who speaks about the importance of phosphate for plant growth and building and protecting phosphate reserves in our soils. Our second speaker is Professor Phil Haygarth from the University of Lancaster, who talks about the risks and potential mitigation strategies for phosphates in the environment and finally we have Matt Taylor from the Biosolids assurance scheme who tells us a bit more about the contribution that biosolids can make to phosphate in soils as well as other benefits and potential concerns around biosolids use.

Make sure you listen to the end to find out how to claim one BASIS CPD point via the members' area on the BASIS website.

In the latest episode of the BASIS Agronomy Matters Podcast we are discussing all things organic, following the launch of the BASIS Foundation Award in Organic Farming qualification. The demand for organic produce from the UK consumer continues to grow, and our three guests on this episode provide unique insights into how the industry works, what the principles of organic farming are, and explain how organic and conventional farmers can share knowledge and expertise. If you would like further information about the BASIS Foundation Award in Organic Farming qualification then please visit the BASIS website or email training.courses@basis-reg.co.uk. Our first guest on this episode was Stephen Briggs, who works for Abacus Agriculture as an adviser in the organic sector. Stephen outlines what role an adviser plays within this industry, and explains how farmers can go about moving from conventional to organic production. Our second guest was Mark Lea, an organic farmer from Shropshire. Mark talks us through his journey including why he first decided to convert to organic farming, what challenges he has faced and what benefits he has seen over the past 20 years. Finally we were joined by Stephen Clarkson, Certification and Compliance Manager at Organic Farmers & Growers. Stephen went through some of the regulations which govern organic food production and marketing, and outlined what an inspection of a certified organic farm involves.

In the first episode of the BASIS Agronomy Matters Podcast in 2021 we are looking ahead to spring with a specific focus on seed and variety selection. Greg Hopkinson, Head of Business Development at BASIS, speaks to three guests about how to select the correct variety for a range of spring sown crops. 

Our first guest was Sarah-Jane Osbourne from AHDB who explained how to get the most out of the Recommended List and identified some key spring cereal varieties to look at this year. Sarah-Jane was followed by Steve Belcher, Principal Technical Officer at PGRO, who focussed on variety choice for peas and beans. Steve also gave some top tips on how to successfully establish pulse crops in the spring. 

Finally we spoke to John Burgess from KWS about how to select the correct maize variety, and seed treatment, for a range of different agronomic situations. Make sure you listen to the end of the podcast to find out how to claim your BASIS CPD point and if you are enjoying Agronomy Matters don’t forget to subscribe

In this month’s episode of the BASIS Agronomy Matters Podcast our technical manager, Greg Hopkinson, speaks to four expert guests about technology in agriculture, with a particular focus on how it can benefit crop production while reducing our environmental impact.

First up, we have a double act of Rozzi Martin and Max Dafforn from Bayer Crop Science. Rozzi discusses a new rapid disease detection system, while Max talks about FieldView, a unique piece of software that can help improve decision making on-farm.

Judith Stafford, from FERA, then speaks about CropMonitor Pro, a tool which provides pest and disease forecasting as well as advanced weather monitoring. Together, these produce risk models and help deliver crop inputs in a more targeted way.

Finally, Kieran Walsh, an independent agronomist working for Velcourt Advisory Services, tells us all about the Hands Free Farm project that demonstrates how technology has the potential to help us grow crops in the future in a more autonomous way.

Make sure you listen to the end to find out how you can claim one BASIS CPD point for listening.

In this month’s episode of the BASIS Agronomy Matters Podcast, our technical manager, Greg Hopkinson hones in on integrated pest management in commercial fruit production and speaks to two expert guests.

Firstly we hear from Alex Radu, Agrovista’s fruit team technical manager. Alex focuses on pest control in orchards and talks about new innovations including beneficial insect refuges and sex hormone disruptors.

This is followed by a conversation with Selchuk Kurtev (often known as Semo) from Certis. Semo discusses how strawberry production has changed in the UK and how IPM can be used to produce safe, sustainable and consumer-friendly strawberries in the UK.

Make sure you listen to the end to get access to the unique code which awards you one BASIS CPD point.

The combines have already started rolling, so thoughts are turning to the next cropping season. In this episode, BASIS technical manager, Greg Hopkinson speaks to three expert guests who give valuable insight into what farmers should be growing in 2020/2021.

First up, David Eudall, head of arable markets at AHDB, discusses prospects for key crop markets over the next 12 months and explains how these will impact rotations and variety choices.

He's followed by Hutchinsons' technical development director, David Ellerton, who shares his views on how varieties can be used as part of an IPM approach to control major diseases.

Finally, David Leaper, seed technical manager at Agrii, gives us the low-down on the best new varieties, what's performed well this year and advises on what farmers should be growing in 2020/2021.

Make sure you listen to the end to find out how to claim one BASIS CPD point via the members' area on the BASIS website.

In our flagship episode, BASIS CEO, Stephen Jacob, introduces two guest speakers who give a technical insight into two different areas of spring cereal production. 

Chris Bond, from FMC, talks around micronutrition, the most prevalent deficiencies in the UK, and how to counteract these. 

While Paul Fogg, from Frontier, tells us about ramularia control and gives insight into the best current and future control methods.

Finally Stephen gives an update on the brand-new online learning platform, the BASIS CPD classroom.

Listen to the end to collect a BASIS CPD point for listening.