Arable Scotland 2020: programme announced

"The event will feature a virtual site so that anyone can tour the science, specialist and industry expertise that would have been available at the actual in-field event"

The programme for Arable Scotland 2020, Scotland's newest field event focussing on arable crops, has been announced. This year's event is taking place online and will major on alternative crops and new markets.

The challenges of 2020 have been more significant than any of us could have imagined – everything from market uncertainty through to extremes of weather has tested our arable production businesses. COVID-19 and Brexit have layered new levels of complexity on arable farmers, coming on top of existing legislative pressures and net-zero and sustainable production targets to address climate and biodiversity crises.

Arable Scotland 2020 pulls together specialists, scientists and industry stakeholders that made the event so successful in its inaugural year. To support the industry, the event on 2 July will feature live stream events introducing the event and running topical live stream Q and A sessions, and a virtual site so that anyone can tour the science, specialist and industry expertise that would have been available at the actual in-field event.

The event will take place on Thursday 2nd July and will include: 

10:00 am: Arable Scotland Introductory Webinar – highlighting key actions on alternative crops, sustainable future production systems and featuring input from SEFARI, Hutton, SRUC, AHDB and the Farm Advisory Service.

1:00 pm: Webinar for New Entrants – Annie McKee from the James Hutton Institute drawing on input from the NEFERTITI Scottish Hub will host a webinar discussion on ‘New People, New Pathways – Routes into Arable Production and Alternative Crops.

5:00 pm: Live stream  Q & A – Meeting the challenges of net zero – focused presentations from key experts followed by a question and answer session.

6:30 pm: Live stream Q & A – Alternative markets and new product opportunities – key economists and food experts discuss the major new opportunities for the arable sector.

8:00 pm: Live stream Plant Health – the challenges and opportunities of implementing best practice, with contrasting New Zealand and UK experiences on new products, pesticides and sustainable practices.

Registration opens on Monday 15th June.

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.