Julia Cooper, Lecturer in Soil Science in the School of
Agriculture at Newcastle University explains how researchers and partners have
been collaborating in an innovative workshop on strategies to improve Nitrogen
efficiency on farms.
Simon Henderson, who farms organically near Wooler, hosted
the event. He is trying to minimise soil
loss on his sandy land by using a diverse range of cover crops and reduced
tillage methods. The objectives were
two-fold: on the one hand we wanted to transfer research findings on how to
improve on-farm Nitrogen efficiency to the 15 farmers and farm advisors who took
part, but we also wanted to learn more about the best ways to transfer
knowledge to end users. Following on from a previous event in Etal, we decided
to go "powerpoint-free" and deliver all information in smaller, more
interactive groups. Five knowledge transfer stations were set up indoors and
outside, covering: precision farming (James Taylor), Nitrogen modelling tools
(Julia Cooper), cover crops (Niall Atkinson,
Agrovista), soil structure (Paul Muto and Stuart Moss, Natural England),
and first-hand experiences using cover crops (Simon Henderson). Small groups of
between two and five people circulated around the stations, pausing for 10-15
minutes at each one. This was followed by a walk around Simon's fields, with
some digging of holes and testing compaction with the penetrometer. This interactive approach was very
well-received and outcomes will be fed into a guidance note on pathways to
impact for agronomic research. The day
also helped us to build some very good working relationships with Catchment
Sensitive Farming (Natural England) and the Environment Agency and we expect to
collaborate more closely with them in the future on knowledge transfer
activities.
