This year’s IAgrE’s conference on Wednesday 11 October at Rothamsted Centre for Research & Enterprise, takes on the challenge of where will the next innovative solutions come from to reduce the carbon footprint.

“The carbon footprint for agriculture is complex. At one end tractors and mechanisation systems are big energy users whilst natural resources such as forests and the soil can be managed to capture carbon," said Alastair Taylor CEO of IAgrE.

"The conference will explore a broad range of perspectives with a view to helping those responsible for policy and practice choose the right approaches and develop the technologies and practices required if reliance on carbon is to be reduced."

The conference is targeted at engineers, scientists and technologists, farmers, growers, producers and movers and shakers working in policy and sustainable development.

Speakers include Dr Jonathan Scurlock, chief adviser, renewable energy and climate change, National Farmers Union, Carlo Lambro, President New Holland Agriculture talking about the ‘Energy Indpendent Farm’, Jonathan Lodge of City Farm Systems exploring different ways of producing food closer to its market and Professor Jane Rickson of Cranfield University talking about the importance of soil and its vital role as a carbon sink and that good soil management will assist in maintaining its ability to continue to act as a carbon sink.

In the afternoon agronomists at Rothamsted will be discussing the latest research and how it fits with the BBSRC strategic programme on ‘cropping carbon’ plus insight into the research and development programmes at Rothamsted.