What has science ever done for farming?

That was the question posed at The Scottish Farmer’s Big Farm Debate on the opening day of the Royal Highland Show, hosted by the magazine’s editor, John Sleigh.

The Hutton was delighted to sponsor the debate and provide four excellent panellists – Chief Executive, Colin Campbell; Director of International Land Use Study Centre, Lee-Ann Sutherland; Chair of the International Barley Hub and farmer, George Lawrie and journalist and farmer, Ewan Pate.

Colin championed advances in soil science as the most significant breakthrough in recent times, while Lee-Ann highlighted the role of women in agriculture.  George argued that plant breeding, and specifically the barley variety, ‘Golden Promise’ had had the single greatest impact on farming while Ewan made the case for agricultural engineering being the greatest contributor to the advancement of farming.

Colin kicked off the debate, reminding people that James Hutton was a farmer, who knew that farmers needed to provide food to feed people.  He spoke passionately about the need for farmers and scientists to work together, saying “Farmers are still the innovators.  Their wisdom was always there, but scientists filled in the blanks.  The value of science is understanding how things work.”

He spoke of the healthy microbiome that is just as important for the soil as it is for our bodies and maintained that soil science is vital as soil is a living thing that needs to be fed, cared for and kept as healthy as possible.

Next up was Ewan who argued that it is the advancement in machinery that has been helped farmers most.  He said, “Farmers have to continue to produce food at a lower price and we can only do that because we have very good machinery and constant technical innovation.”  He felt that the greatest invention of all was the stone separator and emphasised that it was developed on farms.

He made the point that Scotland has always been at the forefront of agricultural engineering, inventing the threshing machine that is used all over the world.  Speaking personally, he felt that the most revolutionary machine in his farming career was the round baler and told the room that he was the proud owner of only the second one made in Scotland.

Looking ahead, he acknowledged robotics, and the ongoing development of robot tractors.  He predicted that robotic strawberry farming is only ten years away and that precision farming was the future.

Lee-Ann looked at the question as a social scientist and claimed that it is women in agriculture that has made the biggest difference.  She claimed that over the last 100 years the family farm has survived against all the odds because of the number of women who have worked on them, together with their families, and pointed out that these women were keeping the family going as well as the farm and that they had, until recently, received very little recognition.

She went on to say that historically, women have always been involved in collaborative partnerships, but always in the background.  In the past 60 years, industrialisation has made men the visible face of farming.  She said, “There’s a persistent idea that farmers are men.  When we talk of an ageing industry, we are counting one farmer per farm, whereas the reality is that women, and family members, are playing a huge role, keeping the farm viable till the successor takes over.”

She spoke of the need to look carefully when deciding who should inherit the farm. In the past it was boys who were encouraged from a young age to take over, but are they always the ones with the necessary skills?  She argued that girls are socialised out and that it is not necessarily their choice to seek a career off the farm and was able to link that to her own family.  She grew up on a family farm and now her brothers all have their own farms while she is an academic. 

In an entirely unplanned, but rather symbolic moment, a pipe band passed by just as Lee-Ann was talking of women’s voices traditionally being drowned out. 

The final speaker was George who also spoke of food security by reminding everyone that in the 1920s the question was whether farmers should feed the country or fuel the country.  The working horses at that time were fed with oats.

He said, “If you look back the problems facing affecting arable farmers 100 years ago, it was the same as now – standing power, disease resistance, early maturing and germination.”

He went on to lobby for Golden Promise barley, a gamma irradiated mutant of the existing cultivar, Maythorpe, which was registered as a variety in 1968.  It became popular in Scotland in the 1970s and 80s, largely because of its good malt quality and short, robust structure. He was enthusiastic about the current breeding programmes and predicted that the next malting barley will come down the line within four or five years. 

And with the opening statements out of the way it was over to the audience, who did not disappoint.  There was a lively discussion covering AI, organic matter, climate change, regenerative agriculture and the belief that there is not a one size fits all solution, the structure of soil, how farmers can restore nature and what support is needed from the government.

On the subject of the public perception, it was agreed that farmers are not valued or, even, often considered and that society has lost its connection with farming.  This led to a debate on how to get the public on the farmers’ side and how to persuade them of the additional benefits farmers bring – clean air, clean water, rural infrastructure, culture and biodiversity.

The comments, opinions and questions kept coming, but finally John had to bring the debate to an end.

So, what was the greatest invention in farming in the history of agriculture? On a show of hands, the winner at this debate was soil science.

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this blog post are the views of the author, and not an official position of the institute or funder.

Blog by Media Officer, Joyce Reid, joyce.reid@hutton.ac.uk, or on 07931 551 988.