Dates for your diary

Pollinators are Agri-Tech’s monthly network meetings and provide an opportunity to meet people that you wouldn’t normally meet, creating new opportunities for innovation.

We aim to inspire and facilitate discussions between participants with new ideas and fresh thinking, so people from all sectors and disciplines welcome—whether you’re a grower, a researcher, technologist or an entrepreneur, come along and join in!

The Good the Bad and the (B)ugly, 19 January, Norwich

We’ll hear about the limitations to growing particular crops in certain areas due to the pressure from slugs and bugs, with updates on the latest research to help control them. (Report now available)

Pipettes and Ploughs: Taking the Lab to the Field, 23 February, Rothamsted

Lab and workshop ideas eventually need testing at field scale – and field observations need to inform lab thinking. We’ll be exploring the concept of the Field Lab and how we could use it to bring together scientists, technologists and growers to test new ideas. (Report now available)

Undercover Agents – New Technologies for Controlled Environment Production, 22 March, Sainsbury Laboratory Cambridge

Growing under cover has enabled an extension of the growing season and an increase in quality of many high value crops. We’ll discuss new technologies in development to increase efficiency and reduce the costs of growing in a protected environment.

Rusts and other Cereal Killers, 12 April, Niab Park Farm, Cambridge

Plant pathology meets crop disease modelling in this Pollinator, where growers and farmers meet researchers and technologists to share new thinking and practices for disease management.

Symbiosis and Synergies: A Showcase of Successful Agri-TechE Collaborations, 11 May, Norwich

Following last year’s successful Synergies Pollinator, we’re delighted to showcase a new batch of successful collaborations between farmers and researchers.

The Connected Farm – Technology Fantasy or Grower Game-Changer?, 7 June, Cambridge

Machine-to-machine communication and the “Internet of Things” are expected to transform farming. But in what timescales, and how can we ensure cross-talk between devices, machinery and systems? This Pollinator explores what a “Connected Farm” would look like and how to start connecting it.

Weeding Out the Challenge of High Crop Yield, 7 July, Rothamsted

Weeds have a major impact on crop yield and farmers are lacking the chemistry to control them. This Pollinator will explore how changing the rotation, integrated weed management and more high-tech methods of weed control could help.

Counting the Cost (and Benefits) of New Innovations, 14 September, Norwich

Our popular ‘speed-dating’ mixing format returns for structured networking around how farmers can calculate return on their investment (ROI) in new innovations. We’ll be exploring ways of measuring ROI and other metrics that are – and aren’t – all about the money.

Robo-Cropping – The Potential for Precision Robotics in Agriculture, 11 October, Cambridge

From delicate “soft” robotics mimicking manual picking, to larger scale precision management in open fields, what is the role and potential for robotics in the industry?

Agri-TechE Week 2016, November, various locations

Seminars, workshops and activities to promote the east of England as the UK’s innovation hub for agriculture and horticulture.

Christmas is Coming – Wish List for Santa, 14 December, Norwich

An end-of-year look at what new innovations industry experts would like to see developed. What new technologies and practises – or better use of existing ones – would really make a difference?

More details will be revealed for each event throughout the year so keep checking back to the website to stay up-to-date on the latest news.