At the end of November we met for our annual meeting bringing together a range of different speakers with our producers for a day of information sharing and discussion.
We were delighted that Polly Davies kindly invited some guests to speak that she had either met through them year or heard them speak, so thank you Polly. We would always be glad to have you ideas or recommendations of speakers - so please let us know if you hear a speaker you think others would benefit from hearing.
Polly had invited Imelda who has done her PhD on bi-cropping and is now doing post-doc work on optimising nitrogen use in wheat/Bean bi-cropping systems. Hannah who has done a Nuffield Scholarship exploring the reduction in nutrient density of food due to diminished soil health including the stunning statistic that 90 carrots today need to be eaten today to consume the same number of antioxidants as 1 carrot a few generations back. Polly's last invitee was Theeb, who has been working tirelessly to make the promote the benefits provided by making the agricultural sector more diverse. All interesting and challenging presentations which are available below.
We were joined by Steven McAllister, from Whites Oats who provided a positive update on the organic oat market including news that they have new products launching in Northern Ireland and so their demand for oats continues to grow. He also provided an update on oat quality which gratifyingly is showing that the 2024 harvest is a good improvement on 2023. Finally he announced that Tim May, from Kingsclere Estate was the Whites Oat Grower of the Year for the 2023 harvest.
Lawrence Morden from Walnes Seeds provided an in depth insight into organic seed production, outlining the challenges faced in sourcing seed and the costs and risks associated with bringing organic seed to market.
Andrew spoke about several new opportunities that Organic Arable are developing. Firstly, a new storage opportunity that is being developed in Worcestershire where we have been storing grain for a couple of years. The aim is to make some additional investment in the store to provide an above ground intake system which will allow lorries to be tipped. The store has been serving local famers that can deliver by trailer but the upgrade would make it accessible to those further afield. In addition the capacity would be increased by refurbishing the overhead loading conveyors. Whilst there would be no need for you to invest in the store the farm wants to ensure there is commitment to use the store once the money has been invested and so there would be a requirement that your pay in advance for your storage. If you are interested in this opportunity and would like more details please let us know.
Andrew also told those present about an exciting new milling wheat supply opportunity which OA is involved with. Whilst details are currently to be finalised it will provide an excellent new market for milling wheat and will pay good premiums for wheat over 11.5% protein. More details of this will be forthcoming in the New Year once the arrangements have been finalised.
Finally, we are developing a new agronomy service offer. Just because you are restricted in the use of inputs doesn't mean that organic farming is a low-input system. We replace chemicals for managerial input and by better monitoring and understanding our crops and system replace can improve system performance. We shall be piloting this approach on our participatory trial farms through next year and inviting you to join us in both understanding our vision and helping us improve the service we offer.
All the presentations are available below
The date has been set for next year and you can reserve your place OA Annual Meeting 2025