Arable Scotland 2020: coming to a screen near you

"We hope even more people will be able to engage with the event and that it can collectively be used as a focal point to meet and interact in a virtual way"

In recognition of the developing COVID-19 situation, Arable Scotland 2020 – Scotland’s newest field event focussing on arable crops – is moving to a virtual format with key activity taking place on the original date of the Thursday 2nd July and a suite of webinars, videos, podcasts, articles, press coverage and resources delivered online to continue to deliver the important messages and content of this key industry event. Event partners hope even more people will be able to engage, and that it can collectively be used as a focal point to meet and interact in a virtual way.

This year the theme is “alternative crops” and the four zones are: 1) Novel crops, 2) Pulses, 3) Inter-cropping, and 4) Oats, along with other demonstrations predominantly on cereals.

Much of the Arable Scotland site at Balruddery Farm has been sown with demonstration plots in support of these important and relevant themes. Management of these plots has been discontinued but the themes will still form the basis of the virtual event, which all can attend online, which will still be supported by the specialists, scientists and industry stakeholders that made the event so successful in its inaugural year.

Another key component will be the “Arable Conversations”, so popular in 2019 which will take place as interactive webinars. These are (provisional titles):

• Plant Health: “Ensuring plant health - Is biosecurity and good practice as hard for plant diseases as it is for human disease?”
• Zero Carbon: “Is zero-carbon arable farming possible?”
• Markets and Opportunities: “Is yield really king?”
• Farming Diversification / Alternative Crops / Food and Nutrition: “Is a plant-based diet the way forward?”

Each of these topics will have industry leads introducing some of the key issues, and some comments from some selected specialists and leading stakeholders. We will then have discussion and debate and the chance to table questions and air your thoughts.

The core event partners are the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB), Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC) and the James Hutton Institute, with leading media partner The Scottish Farmer. Other key team members and sponsors are Hutchinsons, the Farm Advisory Service (FAS), the Scottish Environment, Food and Agriculture Research Institutes (SEFARI) and the Scottish Society for Crops Research (SSCR).

Visit the Arable Scotland website for more information.