‘LAMMA Torques’ promises practical advice and policy updates

“LAMMA Torques symbolises the power of a force to provoke change in the dynamic farming industry,” said Nichola Bell, Head of Events at Agriconnect which organises LAMMA. “The team has secured an excellent line-up with experts and industry leaders to answer our visitors’ most pressing questions at this time of unprecedented change and uncertainty.”

Machinery efficiency is the theme of the opening session (9.30am) on day one with Chris Sheldon of Brown & Co and representatives from Kubota sharing advice and top tips. Farmer and YouTuber Olly Harrison will also share his secrets to minimising machinery and fuel costs.

Sponsored by Environment Bank, the second session (11am on day one) will give visitors a detailed run through of the opportunities that Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) can bring farmers and landowners. Speaker Kerriann McLackland, Environment Bank’s Head of Land for the South East said: “I will explain the BNG options in detail. And because we have so many joining our scheme and a number of Habitat Banks already being established, I can give real examples of what is involved, the types of land being bought forward, and the income farmers and landowners can expect from BNG.”

A panel will discuss carbon farming and their experiences of harvesting carbon at 1pm. Thomas Gent UK Market Lead for Agreena, sponsor of the session said: “Carbon credits are a hot topic at the moment and farmers have lots of questions about how it could work for them and their farming situation. The experts on our panel have lots of experience and insight from the past three years that they are keen to share and discuss.” Chaired by Farmers Guardian editor Ben Briggs, the other panel speakers including Amy Watkins, Sustainability Manager for Agrii, and Alex Godfrey, Joint Head of Natural Capital for Savills.

The Campaign for Better Silage will take over the 2pm session on day one with advice on optimising production in 2023. A panel chaired by Agriconnect’s Head of Livestock Katie Jones will mark the launch of a year-long Dairy F​armer campaign to promote best practice silage production.

Panellists from the initiative's sponsors Krone, LG Forage, Volac and Yara will discuss the current situation regarding silage stocks and discuss how to manage short supply after a challenging 2022. Katie will also be asking what systems worked in 2022 and examining lessons to be learnt for a more productive 2023.

"The continuing economic crisis, coupled with unquestionable changing weather patterns, means that identifying and sharing the techniques which produce best results is going to be critical for the industry to embrace moving forward,” she said.

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The programme for day two (11th January) opens with practical advice for livestock farmers on how to manage feed costs. Feed specialists from sponsors Keenan Alltech will explore the practical feed technologies engineered to improve efficiencies from soil to stomach. Bob Kendal, ruminant manager at Alltech, will provide insight into typical feed loss pinch points. James Brough, UK and Ireland General Manager at Keenan, will discuss precision engineering and feeding through infrared (NIR) analysis. Chris Lord, InTouch UK Manager from Alltech will demonstrate use of digital tools to automate and optimise feed inventory management.

Visitors on day two will have a second chance to hear the carbon farming debate and biodiversity net gain sessions which run at 11am and 1pm respectively.

The future of agricultural policy will be under scrutiny at 2pm. The panel with representatives from Defra, the Welsh Government, NFU, RSPB and Strutt & Parker will be chaired by Joe Stanley, Head of Training & Partnerships for The Allerton Project.

“This is a fantastic panel representing a broad sweep of industry stakeholders,” he said. “After more than six years of development, what we’re all crying out for is some certainty in government policy across the UK. This will be a great opportunity for farmers to put their questions to those involved in the development process and input their own thoughts”. 

Further detail on LAMMA Torques and FREE registration is at: www.lammashow.com