REAP attracts key organisations in the industry and we are grateful for the support of all our sponsors in facilitating the conference. We highlight the work of four sponsors – Burleigh Dodds Science Publishing, Innovate UK, Rothamsted Enterprise and Royal Norfolk Agricultural Association – for their wider contribution to the agri-tech ecosystem.
Burleigh Dodds Science Publishing:
Making it easier to keep informed
Conservation agriculture, latest thinking in weed management, advances in integrated crop management in horticulture, optimising the nutrition of milk – these are just a few of the recent titles produced by Burleigh Dodds Science Publishing.
The company reviews the latest research and curates a valuable resource that captures the key information; researchers also have the opportunity to create their own tailor made collection of knowledge using its new chapter platform.
Burleigh Dodds Science Publishing
Innovate UK:
Supporting entrepreneurs, accelerating innovation
Many of Agri-TechE’s members have been direct beneficiaries of funding from Innovate UK and the value is much greater than the financial gain.
To be in receipt of funding means that a company and its technology has undergone a stringent review by sector experts at Innovate UK and have often worked collaboratively with potential end-users to develop a product or service to a prototype stage, or beyond, depending on the funding call.
This process helps to de-risk the technology for future private sector investors and accelerates progress to market.
Royal Norfolk Agricultural Association:
Supporting progressive farmers
One of the world’s first agricultural shows was held in Norfolk when Charles Townshend (1674–1738) showed local farmers the benefit of the four-field rotation. Innovation is still at the heart of the The Royal Norfolk Agricultural Association (RNAA), which was established in 1847 to promote improvement in agriculture by linking science with practice and encourage understanding in food, farming and the countryside.
RNAA sponsor the REAP 2022 bursary, which offers farmers and students a place at the conference at a substantial discount, and is a partner in Agri-Tech Week.
Rothamsted Enterprises:
Deep roots in agricultural research and commercialisation
The long-term agricultural experiments at Rothamsted Research were considered so important by the rural community in Harpenden, Herts, that during the war local residents saved up their tins to help the institute continue its sampling when the bottles used in its collections became difficult to source.
Rothamsted Enterprises builds on this goodwill by offering lab space and business support to fledgling businesses and attracting investment into the regional agri-food sector.
A good example of a Rothamsted spin-out company, Pherosyn, has recently gained £0.5M funding to develop and validate new pheromones for the management of pear gall midge and pear leaf midge, significant pests in fruit production. Pheromones form a critical component of Integrated Pest Management (IPM), but there are currently very few fruit midge pheromones available compared with other crop pests. Pherosyn presented in a REAP Start-Up Showcase and has gone from strength to strength.
REAP 2022: ‘Making Sense of Agriculture’ – Tuesday 8th November 2022
From yield mapping and precision livestock through to digital twins and cloud computing, at REAP 2022 we will be exploring the technology and looking at the implications from a field to landscape level. Making technology farm-centric is core to Agri-TechE’s mission so a key feature of the conference will be a panel of farmers and producers discussing the emerging technologies and future scenarios.
