The views expressed in this Member News article are the author's own and do not necessarily represent those of Agri-TechE.
Welcome to the Ceres Farming Update, a publication that provides independent insights on agricultural issues, from policy and grant funding, to administrative updates and key market information.
For a printer-friendly version, click here. Please consider the environment before printing this publication. A ‘PLUS‘ version of this publication is now available to Ceres Research members, which takes a deeper dive into the key topics covered. With extended analysis, expert commentary, and exclusive content, it’s your essential companion for staying ahead in agriculture.
Members can read this here. Not yet a member? Sign up today here. Remember, Agri-Tech E members get 10% off membership through the Member Discount Scheme – get in touch for your exclusive discount code!
*I have permission from the copyright holder to publish this content and images.
Post Overview
This story has been submitted by an Agri-TechE member.
Get the latest agri-tech news, events and opportunities direct to your inbox
New hyperspectral satellite imagery crucial for lowering nitrogen use amid rising fertiliser costs
Agri-TechE Article
Agri-TechE
As fertiliser prices soar in response to turmoil in the Middle East, farmers are seeking ways to cut their input costs.
Messium, a crop intelligence company, has teamed up with Louise Penn, from Manor Farm, through Agri-TechE’s Ambassador Programme to explore whether this new technology could be the solution.
Over the past few weeks, fertiliser prices have been significantly affected by the price shock from the war in the Gulf, with AHDB reporting that the price of granular urea rose around 36% between February and March 2026, citing the Middle East situation as the main immediate cause.
Consequently, agronomist and farmer Louise Penn is finding new ways to reduce fertiliser costs and says that having satellite technology for precision application enables her to make more efficient use of what is becoming an increasingly expensive input.
“Nitrogen is probably one of the most expensive inputs when it comes to growing a crop of wheat, barley, or oilseed rape. So, if we can be really targeted, not only because we’re being encouraged to be more sustainable within our farming practices, but because nitrogen is so expensive,” she says.
Hyperspectral Satellites vs. Market Tech: Nitrogen Reduction
Spencer Terry, Messium’s Commercial Director, explains that their satellite imagery is distinctive from other nitrogen technologies that largely rely on ‘Normalised Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) to estimate greenness and biomass as a proxy for nitrogen health.
Messium instead uses hyperspectral imagery to directly detect nitrogen levels in each plant at a cellular level. The process captures around 400 wavelengths and evaluates how they reflect off crops, focusing on those responsive to nitrogen. This allows farmers to apply nitrogen more precisely, reducing overall nitrogen usage.
“We’re using a new type of hyperspectral satellites that are the first to be able to directly detect the nitrogen balance in the crop and measure the uptake of nitrogen in the crop. So, we can tell whether a crop is over-fertilised, under-fertilised, or well-fertilised throughout the growing season,” Spencer says.
“Previous generations of satellites were looking at vegetation and using that greenness to approximate the nutrient health and status of the crop. What we’re measuring is the nutrient status of the crop straight away, directly by looking at the nitrogen balance”.
As part of Agri-TechE’s ambassador programme, the non-profit organisation’s initiative to bring farmers and technology companies together to collaborate, trial, and better understand challenges and solutions in the agricultural sector, Messium has been working with Louise Penn to monitor satellite imagery on her family farm in Northamptonshire.
Louise has already set up the platform and uploaded all relevant field data, with unique field names, yield targets and soil types.
After adding the data on the amount of nitrogen applied on their first dose, the images from Messium will help support precision targeting in future applications to reduce nitrogen use.
“What we’ll probably do is trial Messium versus just standard farm practice,” Louise adds.
Manor Farm’s Satellite Images
The hyperspectral image captured at Louise’s family farm earlier this spring reveals a general nitrogen deficiency across the field, which is typical for the season; blue areas indicate the highest nitrogen levels, while red shows the lowest.
“This was coming out of winter after a period of quite considerable rainfall before any nitrogen had been applied to the fields. And what we’re picking up from that imagery is the field was in a state of quite severe nitrogen deficiency at that point,” Spencer says.
“The image can also detect which parts of the field have greater deficiencies than others. Then, we will use this data as input to assist with the next fertiliser application, aiming to correct those deficiencies and restore the crop to its optimal level. This allows us to apply more fertiliser to the areas that are more deficient and less to those that are not.”
Images taken in March 2026 on Louise Penn’s family farm.
Why partnerships are important to a successful farming future
Both Messium and Louise have found the pairing beneficial and encourage others to adopt a collaborative approach.
“It’s important for us to be able to work with farms like Manor Farm and agronomists like Louise that are progressive and keen to try new technology,” Spencer says.
Louise agrees, “I think what I’ve seen in my role as an ambassador for Agri-TechE is that you’ve got people like Messium who have these really great ideas and technology, but actually it needs a steer for farmers, to understand what we need and what can actually make a difference to farm businesses. I think collaborating is great, and I’d encourage more farmers to go out there.”
At the Agri-TechE event Demo Day – Soils and Water Management, a selection of agri-technology companies will showcase their work and seek input from farmers.
Get the latest agri-tech news, events and opportunities direct to your inbox
Man vs machine: determining agri tech’s potential for agronomic decision making
Meet the Network
Agri-TechE
It’s no secret that agriculture is ever evolving with emerging technologies, new challenges and constant demands for better yields, but how does technology really fare against traditional methods?
This month’s member spotlight addresses that key question, as we go behind the scenes to learn what Agrii have been working on ahead of Agri-TechE’s ‘Introduction to Agri-Tech’ event.
Agrii is a frontrunner in agri-tech, covering on-farm trials, crop scanning, and autonomous parsnip production. As the host of this year’s ‘Introduction to Agri-Tech’, an event for those keen to learn more about the sector, Agrii is opening their doors at Throws Farm Technology Centre to give attendees a peek of their latest agri-technologies. Some of these are highlighted below.
Drone analysis, disease detection sensors, and decision support systems
Agrii’s digital technology farm trials at Revesby Estate in Lincolnshire seek to determine the potential of the suite of systems, sensors and software available to farmers by comparing an agronomic programme built using the technology against the farm’s current practices.
Think of it as agronomy’s version of a concept car up, against the best existing model. What can be taken from the concept to improve what we already have?
Last year, a field of wheat was split between the farm’s standard approach and one utilising an array of digital tools available to a farmer. The crop diagnostic technologies and variable-rate application methods being tested suggest that new tools may now enable precise responses to sudden weather changes. Although Revesby Estate farm manager Peter Cartwright believes that a more robust approach still has merit across varying seasons.
“We are applying nitrogen and fungicides, expecting the crop to stay green into grain fill, whereas the technology is reacting to what it is seeing,” says Peter. “Last year, the hot days in June killed the crop off, and we didn’t get the yields we expected.”
Using RHIZA’s zonal soil sampling, they analysed the field’s soil composition, pH and organic matter levels to determine a relatively homogenous split between the two methods to ensure a fair comparison.
Jonathan Trotter
Technology Trials Manager, Agrii
“We combined the approach of using Skippy Scout drone analysis for a crop-specific Green Area Index (GAI), measuring points across all the different soil zones,” says Jonathan Trotter, Technology Trials Manager at Agrii.
“NDVI maps from the Contour platform were then used to correlate the GAI to produce a nitrogen application map for each timing. This way, we can combine field-scale remote sensing with much more specific crop scanning from the drone.”
“On average, the technology-led side of the field spent 15% less on nitrogen than the farm strategy. On the sandy part of the field, this dropped to 40%. Overall, this was a £30/ha saving on nitrogen.”
The trials also used the technology to lead its decision making on fungicides, explains Lucy Cottingham, digital agronomy development manager for Agrii. They combined different technologies and disease models in the technology trial, comparing it to conventional timings in the farm standard.
Overall, the technology-led half of the field yielded 0.82t/ha more than the farm side, explains Jonathan. Factoring in differences in variable costs and technology expenses, this resulted in an increase in gross margin of £137.63/ha.
He believes a key factor was the variation in nitrogen strategy. Although the farm utilised variable rate spreading for the second application, the technology-led trial used it for both splits. “We achieved a 60% nitrogen use efficiency, with 15% less nitrogen used, which is really positive,” adds Jonathan.
Join this year’s Introduction to Agri-Tech event
Want to learn more about market drivers, emerging technologies, and connect with valuable industry contacts? Join this year’s Introduction to Agri-Tech featuring a tour of Agrii’s flagship research farm led by Jonathan Trotter, Technology Trial Manager.
“It’s a great opportunity to get together with the wider industry to understand some of the opportunities and challenges that are out there, and how agri-tech can help solve some of those challenges,” he says.
It’s also an opportunity to see some of our leading, state-of-the-art facilities. We’ll be touring the glasshouse, having a look at some of the digital capabilities that Agrii have in the background, and learning more about our research.”
The event takes place at Agrii’s Throw’s Farm Technology Centre in Essex on 20 May 2026. You can book tickets on the Agri-TechE Events page.
The world’s first autonomously grown parsnip crop
Another project Agrii has been involved with is with Huntapac, in collaboration with Autonomous Agri Solutions and AutoSpray Systems, funded by the Marks & Spencer Plan A Accelerator Fund, which successfully grew a crop of parsnips autonomously. This achievement is believed to be a world first.
To prepare the field, an AgXeed electric drive autonomous tractor was used for primary and secondary cultivation, says Tom Beach of Autonomous Agri Solutions.
“That was able to do the subsoiling operations and ploughing, which was the first case of autonomous ploughing in the UK. Finally, it did the bed tilling.
“A Robotti was utilised for the subsequent lighter operations because it has a standard three-point hitch to use conventional agricultural implements, but it is substantially lighter and more accurate than a tractor.”
To monitor the crop and guide the precise application of plant protection products, Agrii used a drone equipped with Skippy Scout to do the agronomy.
Skippy Scout is a software system that will automatically fly a drone to selected points in a field and send back high-resolution, leaf-level images to aid with decision-making. The system analyses the captured images and sends a field report, explains Jonathan Trotter.
The successful field-scale trial has demonstrated a 46% reduction in carbon emissions and significant labour and input savings. Naturally, thoughts move to how the system developed by the group can be rolled out on a larger scale.
Interoperability between the systems controlling the decision support tools and machinery is a crucial milestone. This is a challenge Agrii has already begun working on.
“We are looking at integrating Skippy Scout with our digital platform, Contour,” says Jonathan. “This can then be linked to soil mapping through Rhiza, and further into the future, it could export treatment recommendations to the other technologies used within this very project.”
Post Overview
7th April 2026
Agri-TechE
Agri-TechE Article
Inputs: from Chemical to Biological
Machinery, Robotics and AI
Pest and Disease Management
Share this Page:
Related Posts
Rootwave CEO: ‘Autonomous tech breeds reliability and farmer confidence’
The views expressed in this Member News article are the author's own and do not necessarily represent those of Agri-TechE.
The inaugural Global AgInvesting (GAI) Australia conference will take place between June 10-11 in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. Beyond the conference itself, delegates have the option to tour around Central Queensland, Toowoomba, the Lockyer Valley and the Port of Brisbane. It will be an immersive week for international delegates to learn first-hand about Queensland’s excellence in agriculture.
Queensland’s primary industries contributed a hefty A$26.8 billion of gross value to the Queensland economy in FY2024/25. Queensland exported A$15.6 billion of primary goods within the same period, beef accounting for more than half of this figure. Queensland’s primary industries continues to be resilient and adaptable, achieving strong success year-on-year.
The views expressed in this Member News article are the author's own and do not necessarily represent those of Agri-TechE.
The government has recently published a new consultation on the application of the Nutrient Profiling Model (NPM) to advertising and promotion restrictions for ‘less healthy’ food and drink products.
This follows the government’s commitment in the 10 Year Health Plan to align existing restrictions with the latest dietary advice and introduce more impactful regulation.
Current advertising and promotion rules are based on the UK Nutrient Profiling Model developed between 2004 and 2005. Although the model was updated in 2018, these revisions were not previously applied to advertising and promotion policies.
The consultation invites businesses to provide views on how the updated NPM should be implemented within:
The Advertising (Less Healthy Food Definitions and Exemptions) Regulations 2024
The Food (Promotion and Placement) (England) Regulations 2021
In addition, the Government is seeking feedback on proposed implementation timelines for the updated model.
As part of this process, businesses are encouraged to consider and provide evidence on the potential impacts of applying the updated NPM, including effects on:
Children
Businesses
Groups with protected characteristics
A separate consultation on the development of healthier food targets and associated reporting requirements is expected to be published at a later date.
If you are interested in submitting a response to the consultation, or would like further information, please get in touch with lauren.atkins@gkstrategy.com
*I have permission from the copyright holder to publish this content and images.
Post Overview
This story has been submitted by an Agri-TechE member.
The views expressed in this Member News article are the author's own and do not necessarily represent those of Agri-TechE.
Why the best leaders step back when everything tells them to step in.
A lot is happening in the world right now.
Markets are shifting, geopolitical tensions remain high, and economic uncertainty continues to place pressure on many sectors, including agriculture and amenity. And alongside all of that, the constant flow of information, emails, meetings and decisions that arrive before the previous issue has fully settled.
In environments like this, something quietly disappears. Space.
Space to reflect. Space to gather thoughts. Space to think properly about priorities and direction.
For many leaders, the instinct is to move faster. More meetings, more updates, more activity. The pressure to stay on top of everything becomes relentless.
But good judgment rarely improves under constant reaction. It improves with perspective.
The Hidden Risk in Busy Leadership
The issue is not that leaders are not working hard enough. The issue is that they are often working too close to the problem.
When everything is immediate, everything feels important. When everything feels important, priorities blur. And when priorities blur, organisations drift.
What follows is predictable:
Decisions become reactive rather than considered
Issues escalate upwards because clarity is missing
Leadership teams spend more time reporting than thinking
The organisation becomes dependent on a small number of people
From the outside, it looks like activity.
From the inside, it often feels like noise. And noise is not progress.
A Lesson I Learned Earlier in My Career
Earlier in my career, I attended a leadership course that ran for twelve months. As part of the commitment, one Friday every month was completely dedicated to the programme. No meetings, no phone calls, no operational involvement.
At the time, it felt uncomfortable. Like many leaders, I believed the business needed me to be constantly present.
What I discovered, however, was that the business continued perfectly well.
Decisions were made. Issues were resolved. Work progressed.
The organisation did not grind to a halt.
What changed instead was my perspective.
Those days created a rare opportunity to step out of the operational noise and think properly about the business. About strategy, culture, leadership and direction.
In many ways, those days away improved the quality of the decisions made on the days I was present.
The lesson was simple. Space is not indulgence. It is leadership discipline.
The Cost of Constant Reaction
When leaders operate continuously in response mode, several things begin to happen. Decisions become reactive rather than considered. Priorities blur because everything feels urgent. Teams begin to escalate more issues upwards because the organisation senses uncertainty. And personally, the mental load increases.
Many leaders carry more than people realise. Without deliberate moments to step back, the pressure accumulates quietly.
The Boardroom Consequence
This is not just a leadership issue. It is a governance issue.
Boards often mistake activity for progress. Full agendas. Frequent updates. Detailed reports.
But without space to think, challenge, and reflect, the quality of decision-making deteriorates.
The risk is subtle, but significant.
Strategy becomes short-term
Risk is managed reactively rather than proactively
Leadership teams operate tactically rather than intentionally
In these environments, organisations do not usually fail quickly.
They drift.
Creating Space is a Design Choice
Space does not appear naturally in busy organisations.
It has to be created and protected.
In practice, that means:
Setting aside time for strategic thinking.
Creating forums where leadership teams reflect rather than simply report.
Encouraging decision ownership lower in the organisation.
Or simply protecting time to think before reacting.
These are not luxuries. They are part of how good organisations maintain clarity under pressure.
What Changes When Leaders Step Back
When leaders step back, even briefly, something changes. Noise becomes pattern. Urgency becomes priority. Complexity becomes clearer.
And importantly, leadership becomes less about constant presence and more about thoughtful direction.
In uncertain times, it is tempting to move faster. But clarity rarely comes from speed alone. Sometimes it comes from stepping back long enough to see properly.
A Few Questions Worth Asking
For those leading organisations today, a few simple questions are worth reflecting on:
When was the last time you deliberately stepped away from the operational noise to think properly about direction?
Are decisions drifting upwards because people lack clarity, or because they lack confidence in their authority?
If you stepped away for a day, a week or even longer, what would actually stop, and what might quietly improve?
Creating space is not always easy.
But in my experience, it is often where the most important leadership thinking happens.
If you stepped away for a day, a week, or even longer, what would actually stop?
And what might quietly improve?
A Final Thought
In uncertain times, the instinct is to move faster and stay closer. But the organisations that navigate uncertainty best are rarely the busiest.
They are the clearest.
And clarity does not come from constant motion. It comes from space.
The question is not whether you can afford to step back. It is whether you can afford not to.
*I have permission from the copyright holder to publish this content and images.
Post Overview
This story has been submitted by an Agri-TechE member.
Get the latest agri-tech news, events and opportunities direct to your inbox
Data-driven environmental monitoring highlights significant variations in bird biodiversity
Agri-TechE Article
Member News
Agri-TechE
Todd Jex, partnered up with Agri-TechE member Wilder Sensing ahead of the upcoming Nature Technology event on April 28th to see how analysis of recorded bird song can be a bellwether for biodiversity across two farming systems.
Despite his passion for regenerative farming, supported by Todd as his agronomist, Oli Harris of QT Agri, who farms at Barton Farm in Dorset, has a portion of the farm that is still farmed using conventional tillage. This is because of a contract to grow turf for the family’s other business, Sherbourne Turf.
Having two contrasting farming systems within the same farming enterprise provided a fantastic opportunity for Todd to work with Oli to test the Wilder Sensing technology to see the benefits that regenerative farming brings.
“Originally, we adopted no-till regenerative farming practices for financial reasons to scale up the business,” says Oli. “Contractors were doing much of the work, and it was a way to bring all operations back on the farm and take control of arable production.
“Very quickly, it became a passion to see the environmental benefits the new system was having. We have seen a benefit to the wildlife and soil health.”
Todd set up two off the shelf recording devices on the farm, which Wilder Sensing can supply, although its technology is based on data processing and analysis rather than the physical devices, explains George Caterer, business development manager at Wilder Sensing.
George Caterer
Business Development Manager, WIlder Sensing
“These recording devices have been available for a long time,” says George. “The limiting factor in their use is the amount of data you get from them and the time it takes to analyse it.
“The trial with Todd ran for six days, and we recorded 20,000 bird calls.
It would take an ecologist days to analyse that data, with varying levels of accuracy, whereas our AI can do that within 24 hours.”
The devices can confidently record a bird’s noise within 50 metres. Because birds can cover a wide area of farmland, he says that each device can cover a decent area. And even though it is only recording the presence of one taxonomic group, birds are a fantastic reference for the health of an ecosystem because they cover all levels of the food chain, according to George.
Wilder Sensing licenses the BirdNET database to give them a reliable reference for every possible bird species in the UK. They have built a cloud-based platform for users to easily access and interpret the analysis.
“The overall number of bird calls isn’t the interesting number. These are the overall numbers and types of species. This gives you a much better idea of the ecological condition of the land,” explains George.
Table 1. The top five species recorded from Wilder Sensing monitoring of Barton Farm, Feb-Mar 2026
Looking at the data gathered at Barton Farm, the conventional field was dominated by corvid and generalist urban birds. Moving over to the regenerative field, there are many more insectivorous and seed-eating birds, notes George. One of the starkest comparisons was between the skylark calls: the regen location had over 4,000, whereas the conventional area only had 11.
Todd has worked with many farmers over the years to help them transition to a regenerative system, and he believes recording baseline data at the start of this process is a vital first step. From here, you can retest after several years to assess the effect of the new system.
Todd Jex
Agronomist, Agrii
“You need to have the baseline at the point of change to see what is happening for good or for bad,” says Todd.
“You can then make appropriate recommendations if things aren’t evolving the way we want them to.
“The soil analysis we do is very in-depth. Biodiversity is the part we aren’t very good at capturing at the moment, and it’s such a massive part of it.”
Oli adds that historically, biodiversity has been impossible to measure at scale. Whereas soil parameters, such as pH, are much simpler. He is excited that the technology now exists to do this and can see the benefits for his farm.
“It’s reaffirmed that we are doing the right things. We are tenant farmers, and our landowners are keen to see us improve the environment. This data puts us in very good standing with them.
“It also gives us a point of differentiation if we ever try to grow the business by tendering for new land. Often, the people who can offer the most money are those who farm the most intensively, for growing potatoes and the like. Many big landowners want more than that now. This data is a great way to show how we farm sensitively to the environment,” says Oli.
It’s because of benefits like this that George says Wilder Sensing has generated much interest in the technology within the regenerative farming sector. They also have markets developed with renewables, water utilities, housing developers, NGOs and ecology consultants. “It’s about data-driven improvement,” he adds.
Wilder Sensing and Todd Jex will be at The Productive Landscape: NatureTech for Profit and Planet on 28th April at Rothamsted.
Speakers include: Dr Robert Bradburne, Chief Scientist for the Environment Agency, Diane Mitchell, Chief Environment Advisor at the National Farmers Union and David Webster, CEO of LEAF.
The views expressed in this Member News article are the author's own and do not necessarily represent those of Agri-TechE.
The market for spinach and baby leaf remains tight, constrained by the crop’s fragility and the lack of viable export pathways. Demand is largely fixed given that there’s only so much leaf people want to eat, and export of such a fragile product is not cost-effective.
But the big enemy in growing leafy veg is the weather, particularly the heat and humidity. Even so, Mike Fielden of Boratto Farms says his produce has held up well.
“Season’s been good,” he says, with strong performance a feature of the peak demand periods of Christmas and Australia Day. The third market peak, however, is likely to be more challenging. “Easter will be a bit of a struggle because of quality,” he explains, after a period of high heat and humidity in late summer led to issues such as tip burn, mildew, and pythium. “In Australia… you’re always going to pick up a problem within your three-key-event portfolio.”
For a crop that cannot be stored or redirected, those disruptions carry immediate consequences. Supply and demand have to be tightly wed.
Unlike in other areas of produce, there’s no other outlet, so you can’t simply produce more and hope for the best. “I could take a punt in potatoes, but in baby leaf, if you don’t have a customer, you’re stuffed,” Fielden says. “I can’t store it; I can’t keep it.”
At the same time, rising input costs and retailer pressure on pricing have eroded margins. “You can’t afford to have a return from the acre of land,” he notes.
That cost pressure is driving a growing focus on technology, particularly AI, as a way to reduce waste and improve decision-making across the supply chain. Fielden points to two systems in particular: drone-based field mapping from Polybee and in-line quality assessment from GoMicro AI.
Polybee’s drones fly over fields to create what Fielden describes as a “digital twin”, mapping crop conditions down to leaf level. That allows growers to assess yield and quality before committing further costs. “If they say the crop’s not worth harvesting, I don’t harvest it… I’ve only lost up to that point,” he says. “I haven’t added on my harvest cost and transport costs.”
Once the product moves beyond the field, GoMicro AI provides a second layer of control through objective quality assessment. Here, the focus is on removing the subjectivity that has long defined fresh produce trading.
“The trouble with how we measure things currently is it’s desperately subjective,” Fielden says. “I can look at a leaf of spinach, and you can look at it… and we’re probably both going to have a different assessment. I might think my spinach is fantastic, but you just might not agree.”
By replacing that human variability with consistent, data-driven evaluation, AI creates a shared standard between grower and buyer. “If you can find something that is an objective measurement, then that takes that away,” he says. “It reduces the aggravation between partners.”
The cost implications run through the entire chain. Early rejection of substandard crops avoids unnecessary harvesting, transport, and processing, while more accurate grading reduces labour and waste at the factory level. “You can identify through the entire supply chain costs that you can avoid,” Fielden says, noting that even small savings compound when applied across multiple stages.
Equally important is the data generated over time. With multiple growing cycles each year, spinach offers a rapid feedback loop, allowing patterns to be identified and production adjusted accordingly. “The beauty of AI is you can collect that data… it tells you exactly what it was like,” he says.
In a category where margins are tight and risk is constant, that combination of cost control and consistency is increasingly critical. “The maths soon adds up,” Fielden says. “If it gets a better product on the shelf… we’re all better off.”
Post Overview
This story has been submitted by an Agri-TechE member.
The views expressed in this Member News article are the author's own and do not necessarily represent those of Agri-TechE.
How excess water can become one of our most powerful climate tools
Across many landscapes, heavy rainfall is no longer unusual. Fields flood, planting is delayed, and soil begins to erode. The instinct is to move water on as quickly as possible. But what if that instinct is outdated?
At Ponda, we see a different possibility. In a changing climate, excess rain is not just a disruption, but a really precious resource we can hold in the correct ways. By looking at farming techniques like paludiculture, we unlock one of the most effective ways to store carbon in the landscape.
The Cost of Keeping Land Dry
Modern agriculture has been shaped by drainage and intense drying. Water is treated as a barrier to productivity, something to remove through ditches and pipes, lowering water tables to keep soils workable.
That approach delivers short-term results, but it comes with hidden costs. As soils dry, organic matter breaks down and carbon is released into the atmosphere. Over time, fertility declines and the land becomes harder to sustain. Meanwhile, the water that is pushed off the land does not disappear. It moves downstream, often increasing flood risk elsewhere.
“Over the most recent decade (2015–2024), the UK’s winter half‑year (October to March) has become about 16 % wetter compared with the 1961–1990 average, driven by changes in a warming climate.” – Met Office, 2025
As rainfall intensifies, this traditional system is being pushed to its limits. The effort to stay dry is becoming harder to maintain, and less effective.
Wet soil tells a different story. When land remains saturated, decomposition slows and carbon stays locked in the ground. This is how peatlands and wetlands build some of the most important carbon stores on Earth.
Holding water in the landscape is not just about managing floods. It is a direct way to protect and rebuild soil carbon while stabilising the land itself.
“Nature-based solutions create and interconnect habitats for wildlife and improve soil structure and quality by reducing uncontrolled flooding, run-off and loss of topsoil. This approach can turn less-productive farmland into vibrant wetlands that not only absorb excess water and carbon but also support biodiversity.”
A Different Way to Farm
For many farmers, productivity has traditionally meant only growing grains, vegetables, or livestock. But climate pressures are changing what “productive” really looks like. In some regions, heavy rainfall is the challenge; in others, particularly in eastern England, water scarcity is a constant struggle.
At Ponda, we partner with farmers to re-wet dried land, allowing us to source Typha for our bio-based insulation, BioPuff. Reeds can also be harvested for construction and bioenergy, sphagnum moss for horticultural markets. Even in drier areas, re-wetting degraded peat or capturing rainfall when it occurs creates new opportunities for resilient and profitable farming systems that work with the land and climate rather than against them.
By thinking of land as a multi-purpose asset, farmers can build diverse income streams while also restoring ecosystems, improving soil, and storing carbon. It’s not just about coping with extremes; it’s about using land more creatively to make it productive under a wide range of climate conditions.
Our Agriculture Lead at Ponda, Austin Shepherd explains:
“Growing Typha in a paludiculture or wetter farming system is all about transforming risk into resilience on wetter land. These plants act like sponges, converting waterlogged areas into productive, low-risk zones that protect soils and retain organic matter and carbon on drained areas. They also buffer floods, safeguarding fields better suited to conventional food production. This approach generates feedstock for biobased supply chains like ours, whilst allowing landowners and farms to gain both economic and ecological improvements, working with nature rather than against it.”
The need for this shift is urgent. Farmers face increasing pressures from unpredictable weather, and adapting can feel overwhelming. A recent study by the UK Climate Resilience Programme, published in Climate Risk Management and led by Dr Rebecca Wheeler and Professor Matt Lobley from the University of Exeter’s Centre for Rural Policy Research, highlighted this tension. Dr Wheeler observed:
“Farmers have an array of challenges and uncertainties to cope with, and it is understandable they are focused on the short-term profitability and survival of their business. This seems to be preventing them from adapting to the effects of the climate emergency. It is essential the industry finds ways to build resilience, and that farm businesses are supported in planning and responding to changing weather patterns.”
Paludiculture provides exactly that kind of support. By working with water rather than against it, farmers can protect carbon stores, enhance soil health, and maintain productivity even under increasingly unpredictable rainfall. Crops are carefully selected for wet conditions, from reeds for construction and bioenergy to sphagnum moss for horticulture. Productivity does not vanish, it evolves into something better suited to the environment.
The result is a resilient, climate-smart system. Carbon stays locked in the soil, drainage dependence is reduced, and water moves more slowly across the landscape. At the same time, habitats are restored, biodiversity thrives, and the land becomes more robust against extremes.
For decades, land management has been about control. Now, resilience depends on collaboration with natural systems. Excess rainfall, when managed strategically, transforms from a threat into an asset. It can store carbon, reduce flood risk, and support new forms of agriculture designed for a wetter, more unpredictable future.
At Ponda, we believe wet landscapes are not marginal. They are essential. Learning to work with water is not just adaptation. It is a chance to restore carbon, support biodiversity, and reshape how land creates value for the future.
If you’re looking to turn your land into something that delivers long-term benefits for the planet and wildlife while supporting a cleaner fashion supply chain, get in touch. We’d love to chat and explore how wetlands could work for you.
For any questions about wetland restoration or Typha cultivation, you can reach Austin at:
Get the latest agri-tech news, events and opportunities direct to your inbox
Demo Day at Elveden Estate 12 May: Soils and Water Management Innovation
Member News
Agri-TechE
Elveden Estate will host Agri‑TechE’s upcoming Demo Day on Soils and Water Management on 12 May, bringing farmers and technologists together to explore practical solutions for soil health and water efficiency in one of the driest regions of the UK.
Attendees will join Managing Director Andrew Blenkiron for a guided walk around the farm, gaining insight into Elveden’s environmentally responsible approach to managing over 10,000 acres of productive farmland. The estate is known for its large‑scale vegetable production, growing significant proportions of the UK’s onions, carrots, parsnips and potatoes, while maintaining a strong commitment to biodiversity and long‑term soil fertility.
The event will feature live demonstrations and pitches from leading innovators in soil and water management, including technologies for soil moisture sensing, irrigation efficiency, biological soil health measurement, and satellite‑enabled connectivity. Participants will also have the chance to network with other farmers and technology developers exploring new tools to support sustainable agriculture.
This Demo Day is ideal for growers seeking practical, on‑farm innovations and for technologists looking to test or showcase new products. Limited places are available, with discounted tickets for Agri‑TechE members and farmers – click here for more info and booking.
Automation and robotic systems are seen as key solutions to overcome the challenges in agriculture related to skilled labour shortages and the need for improved food security that can be enabled through enhanced productivity, profitability, sustainability, and resilience.
Despite the development of highly innovative solutions, significant challenges remain. In some cases, whilst products are near fully developed and ready for end user adoption, there is need for scaling in both business and manufacturing processes. This is to ensure these innovations can be reliably manufactured and supported at scale to reach the market, with businesses becoming viable.
AgriScale: Accelerating Agri-tech Manufacturing is a new UK funding initiative, unveiled by Defra and Innovate UK, designed to transition innovative agricultural technology from prototypes to commercial, large-scale production.
The grant funding is available in two separate strands: Industrial Research and Experimental Development.
For the Industrial Research strand, your project should aim to close technology gaps that prevent products being proven, demonstrated and accepted in end user conditions.
For the Experimental Development strand, your project should target getting products to market to accelerate end user adoption.
Your proposal must be a late stage project and demonstrate how you will develop your product to higher levels of performance, reliability and adoption readiness. You must also demonstrate how you will move your business, technologies and products closer to manufacturing readiness.
Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), will invest up to £13 million in these AgriScale competitions.
AgriScale is not intended to fund development of early or mid-stage technologies or concepts.
Industrial Research
The aim of this competition is to enable Agri-tech innovators to advance their product performance and reliability and start development of their manufacturing and supply chain capability.
Your project should aim to close technology gaps that prevent products being proven, demonstrated and accepted in end user conditions.
UK registered businesses can apply for a share of up to £5 million for projects with costs of £250k-£750k and duration 6-12 months.
The aim of this competition is to enable Agri-tech innovators to advance their product performance and reliability, and their manufacturing and supply chain capability, to achieve production at scale.
Your project should target getting products to market to accelerate end user adoption.
UK registered businesses can apply for a share of up to £8 million for projects with costs of £1m-£3m and duration 6-18 months.
Learn about the upcoming AgriScale competition supporting late‑stage agri‑tech innovations to overcome technology gaps and scale manufacturing for commercial adoption.
Competition opens: Monday 30 March 2026
Competition closes: Wednesday 3 June 2026 11:00am
Bhavnita Patel MTC with Dame Angela Eagle Minister of State in the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Announced by Defra Farming Minister Dame Angela Eagle at the World Agri-Tech Innovation Summit in September, the first AgriScale pilot was successfully delivered by Innovate UK, the High Value Manufacturing Catapult, the Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC), and Warwick Manufacturing Group (WMG) at the University of Warwick.
Dame Eagle explained: “Getting the latest technology from proof of concept to product manufacturing is vital if we’re to unlock the full potential of automation in the agriculture and horticulture sectors.
Fund Overview
Funding offered by:
Innovate UK
Competition opens & Closes
29th March - 3rd June 2026 9:00 am
Agri-TechE Article
Share this Page:
Related Posts
Glaia raises £1m for sugar-dot tech that increases photosynthesis
The views expressed in this Member News article are the author's own and do not necessarily represent those of Agri-TechE.
For decades, quality in fresh produce has been defined less by science than by interpretation. Buyers set the bar, growers try to meet it, and disputes emerge in the gap between the two. Increasingly, that gap is being targeted by AI systems designed to turn subjective judgment into something closer to measurable, shared standards.
According to Dr Sivam Krish, founder of GoMicro AI, at the centre of the shift is a simple idea: buyers already decide what “good” looks like, so training AI on images that reflect good and bad quality and specific defects allows it to assess produce consistently across the supply chain.
“The one problem is subjective assessment,” says Krish. “The seller, the farmer, thinks his stock is good, it goes to the other side, they say it’s bad for various reasons… and there’s no way to resolve that problem because on the other side, another human being is assessing it subjectively.”
That subjectivity carries a financial penalty. Rejections at the buyer end often leave growers absorbing the loss, with little ability to challenge the outcome. By the time produce is turned away, it may have limited alternative uses, leading to discounting, write-offs, or waste. In this way, subjectivity in quality control operates as a kind of “tax” on the supply chain, as inconsistent assessments create hidden costs at every step.
But being able to apply a unified standard early in the supply chain promises to allow diversion of produce to other uses, rather than allowing it to proceed to rejection and, in some cases, waste.
What changes with AI is not just automation, but alignment. Rather than relying on multiple human inspectors at different points in the chain — each applying slightly different judgment — systems can be trained to replicate a single, consistent standard.
“We replicate the judgment of one human being,” Krish says. “And then that judgment can be applied throughout the chain. There’s no point in the farmer saying it’s good; the buyer has to say it’s good.”
In practical terms, that removes much of the ambiguity that drives disputes. If both shipper and receiver are assessing against the same model, trained on the same definition of quality, disagreements shift from opinion to verifiable difference — or disappear altogether.
For growers, the cost benefits are immediate. Assessing fruit against the buyer’s standard before it leaves the packhouse reduces the risk of rejection and the associated freight, handling, and disposal costs. It also allows the product to be redirected earlier.
“The shipper also knows, okay if I send this… it’s going to be rejected anyway because this is how they judge,” Krish says.
That ability to make decisions upstream is critical in perishable categories such as berries and leafy greens, where delays quickly erode value. Instead of shipping borderline product into high-spec retail channels, growers can allocate it to processing or lower-spec markets, preserving margin that would otherwise be lost.
The technical barrier has historically been accuracy, particularly in produce where defects are subtle or obscured. “If the defects are obvious, it can be done,” Krish says. “But if they are subtle, it’s hard to do.” That includes issues like leaf-on-leaf contamination in spinach or minor bruising in strawberries.
“What we have cracked is the ability to detect very subtle defects, even those that are hard to detect by eye,” he says, adding that systems can assess produce even when items overlap — a longstanding limitation in automated grading.
Crucially, the approach does not depend on a single universal standard. Instead, AI can be trained rapidly on specific buyer preferences using sample sets, effectively digitising subjective judgment.
“This is how the model works. You give it examples of images that show it this is good quality… this is really bad… and the model will learn to reproduce them faithfully. So in that way, you can create categories,” Krish says.
In a sector defined by biological variability and shifting expectations, the result is a shared, transparent framework that reduces friction, cuts waste, and lowers the hidden costs of disagreement — replacing subjective calls with consistent, repeatable assessment.
Post Overview
This story has been submitted by an Agri-TechE member.
Ceres Research
Agri-TechE ![Spencer_and_Louise_2[95] (2)](https://www.agri-tech-e.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Spencer_and_Louise_295-2-scaled.jpg)
Trade and Investment Queensland - Australia
GK Strategy
Populi Consulting Ltd
GoMicro Ltd
Ponda
Innovate UK 
