Transition Agriculture

Dairy farmers in the Netherlands say they face being driven out of business after being told to slash greenhouse gas emissions.It follows calls by the Hague government for a 50% cut in nitrogen emissions by 2030 – a target that has seen farmers take to the streets in protest.One of the world's most densely populated countries, the Netherlands is home to some 16,000 dairy farmers milking some 1.57 million cows.Dairy farmer Herman Miedema milks 175 cows across some 100ha of grass and maize sila...

Before making any changes to the way you farm, it's important to ask: is your farm business financially robust?Stress testing and financial modelling are valuable tools in identifying overall farm business vulnerabilities and finding answers to all your “what-ifs”.Measuring how vulnerable you are to changes in interest rates, market price fluctuations, inflation and rising input costs could make the difference between success and failure.In this Transition Podcast, we look at:• How are all th...

In this episode, we are discussing food security – and the need to balance profitable food production with care for the environment.Agriculture faces a defining decade – with farmers expected to do much more than simply produce safe, affordable and nutritious food. Growers and livestock producers are increasingly required to provide environmental benefits too – as well as helping to mitigate climate change.Discussing ways we can get this balance right are three special guests:Carl Atkin,...

Carbon is set to become an increasingly important revenue stream for farmers over the coming years.Whether it being paid to off-set carbon emissions on behalf of somebody else or reducing your own on-farm emissions, the possibilities seem endless.But it is a fledging market and it can be confusing – and often dauntingSo how do you make money from carbon – what are the opportunities and how do you avoid the pitfalls?To answer these questions and more, we are joined by four experts:...

In this episode, we discover how technology can increase farm profitability by reducing input costs while driving down greenhouse gas emissions.We look at a number of options for arable farmers when it comes to establishing, managing and harvesting combinable crops and maize.We examine how strip tillage systems can get crops off to a good start by using precision planting alongside injected slurry as an alternative nutrient source.In terms of crop protection, we investigate the benefits of me...