Activities

Abstract:
At a time of continuing change within the agricultural sector, this article highlights some of the main issues that have affected farming and the food industry over the past fourteen months.

Abstract:
Never in the history of agriculture has there been such a debate about how we should best use our land resources. That debate is not confined to rural commentators; it is a subject regularly discussed throughout society and in political circles. There is no doubt that our limited, and finite, land resources will become increasingly challenged in terms of producing sufficient food for our burgeoning world population; the advent of bio-fuels simply adds to those pressures. It is also inevitable that we will need to develop ever greater yields, using shrinking resources and do that in a way which impacts least on our environment. More research and the effective application of existing knowledge...

Abstract:
This paper summarises the main effects of global warming and gives a brief explanation of the factors which contribute to it, with special reference to agriculture and food production. It is concluded that farming is at the beginning of a period of major disruption. Formulation of policies will have to take account of the impact of climate change on economic and trading developments, science and technological innovations, social and demographic pressures such as migration and the shifting patterns of disease.

Abstract:
Conservation of natural resources, protection of the environment and provision of an array of environmental goods and services are now not only mainstream elements of UK agricultural policy, but also increasingly evident in market forces that influence what farmers do and how they do it. This paper explores the use of two approaches to environmental accounting - green accounts that show the environmental economic impact of agriculture at the national scale and life cycle assessment that measures impacts at the scale of production systems and commodities. Such methods and the research that underpins them are essential to inform policies on sustainable agriculture and the responses of farmers ...

Abstract:
The rapid change of pace in global agriculture makes education, training, Continuous Professional Development, career structures and leadership more important than they have ever been. University and College courses must now encompass all aspects of land use as well as climate change, water management, energy input and output, pharmaceutical product development, environmental and waste management, agri-tourism and leisure pursuits, the food chain and business and people management. Recognised Continuous Professional Development could raise the whole status of the industry. This paper outlines some of the assessment methods used together with the barriers to its uptake. Benefits from taking ...

Abstract:
For too many years agriculture has struggled to cope with falling prices, national disasters like BSE and foot and mouth disease, but lately there has been an increase in interest in food and its preparation, engendered in the media by celebrity chefs and in locally sourced food particularly - driven by quality and growing awareness of sustainability and climate change issues. Major retailers are also promoting local food increasingly, but only as part of the market. Their doing so provides the opportunity to make the future of farming more profitable. Government can help this progress by promoting improved consumer education and more balanced regulation. Supermarkets need to convey informat...

Abstract:
People are on the move in unprecedented numbers. Economic migration both within Europe and globally is increasing. Worldwide those working in farming are now, for the first time since UN records began, outnumbered by people employed in the service industries. Upheaval has become characteristic within rural employment both quantitatively and qualitatively as more people leave their birthplaces, more leave farming and more seek to develop non-agricultural employment in alternative rural jobs and/or businesses, or at least to diversify their farms to incorporate other income-earning ventures. A time of such huge change is both stressfully disturbing and dynamically promising, to some extent dep...

Abstract:
During the 20th Century there were fundamental macroeconomic changes to the UK economic base. The economy changed from one based on primary industry to manufacturing and is now increasingly reliant on the service sector, traditionally the remit of the female worker. As such there is growing recognition of the importance of the role of women in rural development, hence policy planners are having to change the way they encourage and implement economic development in the countryside in order to sustain the local economic base and rural community without further damaging existing social, economic and cultural structures. This paper looks at the cyclical pattern of involvement for women in the ru...

Abstract:
In the wild, horses spend most of the day roaming and foraging in an externally variable environment as part of a herd. As non-ruminant herbivores they are well suited to a high fibre, low starch diet. They rarely fast voluntarily for more than 2–4 hrs at a time and would naturally forage for 16-18hrs a day. Today what and when they are able to eat is predominantly determined by man and we therefore have to take responsibility for the effects that our choice of management practices have on their health and welfare. This paper will discuss some of the significant developments in the equine feed and nutrition industry over the last century and in particular the last few decades.

Abstract:
Established in 2001 as an alternative to pesticide tax, the schemes established by the Voluntary Initiative (VI) are now an integral part of modern farm management practice. Through schemes such as the National Register of Sprayer Operators (NRoSO) and National Sprayer Testing Scheme, the VI influences almost 90% of the sprayed area. These and other activities are helping farmers adopt practices which protect and enhance the environment. Recognised as a success by politicians, farm leaders and NGOs, Defra ministers supported the evolution of the VI beyond its initial five year term to a two year rolling programme.

Abstract:
This case study describes how a group of food producers in the West Midlands have set up a collaborative marketing and distribution business. ‘Fresher by Miles’ eliminates trading intermediaries to deliver foods from its members directly to homes, workplaces and catering operations and uses the internet for customers to order and pay for their orders. The business was launched in November 2006 with 22 producers offering a range of merchandise. Within seven months of the launch this rose to more than 40 producers. There are now customers whose average spend exceeds the forecast by 45%. However, the rate of customer recruitment has been slower than planned and the business is being appraised i...

Abstract:
Innovative farm diversification has been the quest of many livestock farmers. This paper outlines the venture embarked upon by a Devon farmer and his veterinary surgeon wife. The farm had already entered various agri-environment schemes and local marketing initiatives for meat. The painstaking process necessary to get financial support and planning permission is described. The specialist facilities created and the distinctive features of the veterinary rehabilitation treatments and therapy on offer are reported, with an illustration of the results to date.

Abstract:
This article commemorated the award of the Society’s Gold Medal for Distinguished Services to Agriculture to Dr Helmut Claas and charts the development of the Claas Group, its combine harvesters, forage harvesters, balers and tractors in over 50 years of stewardship of the group.

Abstract:
This article explores the history of Richard Ansdell’s great painting ‘The Meeting of The Royal Agricultural Society, Bristol 1842’ which hangs in the Society’s Council Chamber in the Arthur Rank Centre at Stoneleigh Park, Warwickshire and provides an insight into the background of a number of the individuals portrayed within it.

Abstract:
It has been an almost unbelievable year for farming and a year in which the Society has grasped change after a major review of its activities and challenges. Steps have been taken to re-invigorate its Learned Society role. Reorganisation and bad weather made for a difficult Royal Show. The Show will change its dates and focus in 2008 to involve a wider cross-section of farmers, not lose tradition but modernise and get back to the principles of science into practice. The development of the Stoneleigh Park site as a Centre of Rural Excellence has gathered pace with new headquarters for the Levy Boards and the British Horse Society among the buildings planned.

Abstract:
Throughout its history the Society has been instrumental in setting up an array of organisations which are now an integral part of agricultural and rural life. Now much of its charitable purpose is focussed on the wide ranging activities of the Arthur Rank Centre with its purpose of serving the rural community and its churches. Of more recent Society initiatives, Farming and Countryside Education (FACE) and the International Agri-Technology Centre (IATC) are both having an effective impact in their respective spheres of interest.

Abstract:
The Royal Agricultural Society of England held a lively workshop in October 2007 to unveil what younger people felt about farming in 2010. The workshop took the form of a discussion around the state and prospects for agriculture and rural life under the headings of the following six questions. A summary of their responses follows.