Farmers, consultants and anyone interested in nutrients and water and turning potential pollution into resource efficiencies can now find practical advice and suggestions in a new online guide from Nuffield Farming Scholarships and the Royal Agricultural Society of England (RASE), supported by the Elizabeth Creak Charitable Trust.

The 14-page, easy-to-read booklet – ‘Nutrients & water – turning potential pollution into resource efficiencies; A Bitesize Guide’ highlights practical learning from nine Nuffield Farming Scholars. It looks at actions that can be taken immediately on-farm; actions that require some planning; and long-term options to consider. Topics covered range from working out farm nutrient oversupply levels, to using farm waste to produce insects for feed.

Nuffield Scholar and RASE Head of Technical Development Stephen Briggs said: “This is a topic confronting every farmer, regardless of their sector, geography or individual circumstances, and the Bitesize Guide provides recommendations to help turn a potential problem into positives.”

Each year, 20 people under 45 are selected as scholars and sponsored by the Nuffield Farming Scholarships Trust to travel, research and report on subjects they are passionate about and which contribute to advancing agriculture, horticulture, forestry and ancillary industries.

“These studies bring new thinking, technology or management approaches from across the globe to the UK. This new Bitesize Guide – the first in a series of Bitesize Guides being released in 2024 – will make accessing that highly valuable, practical information much more straightforward,” he added.

Rupert Alers-Hankey, Director of the Nuffield Farming Scholarships Trust said: “It has been a real challenge to extend findings from Nuffield Farming scholars widely into the agri sector. Few farmers are aware of the huge knowledge base that can be accessed via the Nuffield Farming library, and for those who are, finding the time to read large reports may be impractical.

“Nuffield Farming is excited to collaborate with RASE and IFA in this project. This first Bitesize Guide ‘Nutrients & Water: turning pollution into resource efficiencies’ brings together key findings from nine Nuffield Farming reports to give practical advice to farmers – to drive positive change.”

Each of the sections in the Bitesize Guide has a list of recommended actions on-farm, followed by a QR code to access the relevant Nuffield Farming Scholarship report for more information, case studies and discussions.

  • ‘Nutrients & water – turning pollution into resource efficiencies; A Bitesize Guide’ can be freely downloaded here.

For more like this, sign up for the FREE South East Farmer e-newsletter here and receive all the latest farming news, reviews and insight straight to your inbox.