Digging Deep: A Showcase of Below-Ground Tech Advancements

Digging Deep: A Showcase of Below-Ground Tech Advancements

A handful of healthy soil can contain a myriad of different micro-organisms and invertebrates. But what do these all do in our soils? How do they interact with plant roots? And more importantly, what measures can be taken to maintain this biodiversity and thereby increase the resilience of farming systems above ground?

There has never been such interest in better understanding what’s going on below-ground. The science of soils biology and accompanying technologies to better understand it and manage it are rapidly changing and improving, providing valuable insights.

Come and join our panel of speakers and exhibitors to help you untangle and make better sense of what lies beneath our feet and apply this newly gained knowledge to improve resilience on farm.

The event is organised in association with Cranfield University.

Scroll down to the bottom of the page to see the event agenda.

Why join:

This event will be a showcase of the range of technologies and emerging research available to better understand, monitor and manage the range of activities happening beneath our feet that have an impact on farming and land management. The event would be interested to:

  • Farmers and land-owners interested in soil health monitoring
  • Researchers wanting to share their work in this area and understand commercial applications
  • Tech developers with a solution for measuring and managing soils
  • Individuals with a general interest in soils and associated micro-organisms

Basis CPD points will be available for attendees this event.

Cost:

The event fee is £50 (excl VAT). Member discount applies at the bottom of the booking page according to your Membership Tier. Agri-TechE members will need to login or register for an account in order to access the member discount. 

To find out more about becoming a member of Agri-TechE, please click here.

Please note the fee is non-refundable for cancellation within 5 working days of the event. 

Agenda

16th May 2024, 13:30 - Event Start
13:30 - 14:00 - Arrival, registrations and mini-exhibition
14:00 - 14:10 - Welcome words from Agri-TechE and Cranfield University

Dr Dan Evans, Lecturer in Soil Formation, Centre for Soil, Agrifood and Biosciences, Cranfield University: "A new Soil Apprenticeship"

14:10 - 14:25 - Dr Jack Hannam, Senior Lecturer in Pedology, Cranfield Environment Centre, and President of the British Society of Soil Science

Soil data, indicators of soil health and links to policy

14:25 - 14:40 - Dr. David Purdy, Territory Business Manager at John Deere Limited
14:40 - 15:05 - Break and mini technology exhibition
15:05 - 15:20 - George Muscatt, Soil Biodiversity Specialist at NatureMetrics

Understanding soil biodiversity using eDNA

15:20 - 15:45 - Carlos Abrahams, Director of Ecoacoustics at Baker Consultants

Sounds of the underground: ecoacoustics for soil health

15:40 - 17:00 - Tour of Cranfield’s soil archive

Visit to the soil archive, soil data for England and Wales. LandIS, the land information system, is the largest system of its kind in Europe and is recognised by UK Government as the definitive source of national soils information.

16th May 2024, 17:00 - Event Close