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Farm Tech Circle

The Farm Tech Circle, powered by Agri-EPI Centre is a platform for farmers, growers and producers to discover and connect on topics that focus on enhancing the profitability and sustainability of agriculture.

Through thought pieces, newsletters, on-farm events, and peer to peer networking opportunities, Agri-EPI aims to provide Farm Tech Circle members with a community who support each other in their technological growth and closes the loop between farmer challenges and innovations that can respond to them.

“Agri-EPI is an incredible combination of state-of-the-art facilities, knowledge, and connectivity to everything that is the UK agri-tech scene.”

~ David Whitewood, CEO Earth Rover

Why join us?

Agri-EPI has worked in collaboration with farmers across all agricultural commodities since its conception. We have a network of 25 satellite farms who we engage with to trial and validate innovative technologies.

The Farm Tech Circle is an extension of this already established network and is free to join.

Connect
Free attendance to events and dinners

Free attendance to all our related events and dinners held at least 4 times per annum.
Learn
Learn technology systems and processes

Information and insights on new technology systems or processes being used on farms.
Engage
Feedback and discussion opportunities

Feedback and discussion opportunities (online) facilitated with the tech team. Community Engagement contact via WhatsApp.

Newsletter #1

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Newsletter #2

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Newsletter #3

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Newsletter #4

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Closing the loop

Our recent farmer led survey highlighted that there is a gap in confidence and knowledge on agri-tech.

It was identified that (78%) of farmers believe that it is important to reduce their farm’s greenhouse gas emissions just above a third (35%) are confident that technology will help them reach net zero carbon emissions.

We aim to close that gap through connecting technologists and farmers with the Farm Tech Circle.

On-Farm Impact:
Rob & Jo Hodgkins

CASE STUDY

We aim to empower more sustainable farms by collaborating with real farmers, startups, and established companies to develop profitable and productive agritech solutions. Kaiapoi Farm, an innovation farm for Agri-EPI, is run by Rob and Jo Hodgkins, who are driving the farm forward by implementing cutting-edge technology, and have identified a huge opportunity to use genotyping and selective breeding to drive down methane emissions from sheep. With funding from Defra’s Farming Innovation Programme, they aim to breed ‘Ultra-Low Emission Sheep’ by comparing UK sheep DNA markers with New Zealand DNA markers for low methane emitting sheep, with the aim of offering UK farmers the world’s lowest carbon and most efficient sheep.

Learn more about our Satellite Farm Network

FARM NETWORK

Farmers we work with

We have been able to enlist 25 farms spread throughout the UK to participate in the Agri-EPI Farm Network. We equipped these farms with a suite of precision sensor technologies to measure variances across every dimension of food production, and from there are able to begin to implement the technologies and innovations that will change the future of farming, and assess the ways in which we can work together to bring these ideas to full commercial viability.

Jake Freestone

Overbury Farms

Farmers Weekly ‘Environmental Champion 2021’, British Farming Awards 2021 ‘Arable Innovator of the Year’ and the Farm Carbon Toolkit 2020 ‘Soil Farmer of the Year’, Jake Freestone is a Nuffield Scholar from 2013. He is currently Farm Manager at Overbury Enterprises, and a LEAF Demonstration Farmer running a 1600ha mixed arable and sheep farm with the principals of Regenerative Agriculture at the heart of what he does. Director of The Green Farm Collective, he works for farmers to add value to carbon, biodiversity and Regenerative Agricultural produce.

John Pawsey

Shimpling Park Farms

John Pawsey’s family have farmed in Suffolk for four generations. John starting farming at Lavenham Lodge Farm in 1985 with his Grandfather. He now farms entirely organically on his own home farm and for some neighbouring like-minded farmers. Livestock were reintroduced onto the farm in 2014 in the form of New Zealand Romney sheep to recycle nutrients. With a motivated and enthusiastic team, their challenge is to use modern technology to control weeds, pests and diseases without the use of pesticides, build fertility naturally using legumes and green manures with the aim of leaving their soil in good heart for future generations as well as having a positive effect on biodiversity and operating as a carbon negative farm.

Sophie Alexander

Hemsworth Farm

Sophie Alexander is a well-known and respected organic farmer, managing around 400 ha of chalkland at Hemsworth Farm near Hemsworth in Dorset. The main part of the farm was converted to organic in 2009 and, after comparing the organic and conventional systems side by side and getting consistently higher margins on her organic crops, she converted the remaining 150ha in 2014.

Rob Hodgkins & Jo Franklin

Kaiapoi Farm

Rob and Jo Hodgkins set up Kaiapoi in 2013 with 200 ewes on 60 rented acres of grass. They have driven the business forward hard and now run 2250 ewes across 1000ac semi improved grassland and solar panels and farm 1600ac of arable crops around North Hertfordshire. Their farming approach positions them somewhat uniquely to take best advantage of Hertfordshire’s mixed soil types. They take out all of the uneconomic arable fields and put them into a mid-tier scheme as arable reversion – which can be returned to arable production at the end of the 5-year term if it is profitable to do so.

Agri-EPI Farm Tech Circle Registration Form

Complete the form to join the community.

Farm Tech Circle

Why join us?

Connect

Free attendance to events and dinners

Learn

Learn technology systems and processes

Engage

Feedback and discussion opportunities

Closing the loop