About YIF
YIF organises free to attend, informal visits and meetings between early career individuals from a variety of backgrounds with a shared interest in agricultural innovation, including farm practice, consultancy, technology development and research. Bringing the group together around innovative and pioneering locations we endeavour to generate conversation, inspire participants, new thinking and collaborations while also bridging the gap between research and production.
Since 2015 we’ve visited a range of organisations including the Earlham Institute sequencing DNA, a mushroom farm in Littleport, vegetable sorting and packing plant to an anaerobic digestor. You can find out more about these visits from our previous events blogs which you can find below as well as upcoming visits. In addition we hold an annual conference focusing on relevant topics and issues. Get a taste of our most recent one held in March 2020 by watching the video.
We recognise the need for greater connections between farmers and scientists. By making connections with scientists, farmers have the opportunity to have input into the research process, communicate the challenges they experience and to understand what research is being undertaken. For their part, scientists are mandated to demonstrate the impact of their research and be better connected with the end-users to enhance their studies. In many cases, a gulf exists between the research and producer communities, particularly in terms of vocabulary, culture and understanding each others’ drivers and challenges. YIF provides an opportunity to tackle this.
YIF is kindly sponsored by The Morley Agricultural Foundation (TMAF). TMAF is a charity which hosts and facilitates agricultural research and education, much of it on its own farm. The research is carried out by a number of bodies including the National Institute of Agricultural Botany (NIAB) and the John Innes Centre (JIC).
To keep up to date with what is going on keep an eye on the website and sign up to our quarterly mailing linked here. You can also see our previous newsletters here.
Upcoming Events
Please find details of our upcoming events below. If you wish to find out more information and book your place on the visit please click on the Book now’ button on below the visit of your choice. You can register for more than more event in your email.
For any enquiries or if you would like to host a visit please contact fiona.rust@agri-tech-e.co.uk.
YIF Conference – 11th March, 10am-4pm, Free to attend
Join us for our annual Young Innovators’ Conference. This year will see the conference go virtual however we are just as excited about the agenda!
Full details to be released soon – save the date!
28th April Time TBC
RAGT Seeds
Founded in 1919 they have developed multiple seed varieties across different crops including wheat, barley and oats to oil seed rape, maize and grasses. Their cutting edge approach to research and development ensures a strong range of diverse products, year in year out.
27th May Time TBC
Gorgate Farms
Today cropping consists of around 100 ha of blackcurrants, 100 ha of arable land (contracted out) and a further 150 ha of grassland, lakes and woodland, much of which is SSSI ancient carr woodland. Last year they joined the Upper Wensum Farm Cluster Group made up of 24 farmers along the rare chalk-fed river Wensum and the group works together to improve biodiversity, soil & water quality across 10,000 ha.
Join us to learn more about the farm, technology being used now & in the future.
Blogs and Past Event Reports
YIF is kindly sponsored by