In a celebration of research and innovation in sustainable dairy farming, Future Farm held its stakeholder launch event at Duchy College Stoke Climsland campus recently.
Guests and stakeholders came from across the country to experience the facility in action, showcasing the eco dairy systems along with first-hand insights on the project’s achievements.
Lyndsay Chapman, CEO at CIEL (the Centre for Innovation Excellence in Livestock) and keynote speaker at the event, said: “Future Farm is part of CIEL’s extensive national research alliance. With the south west such an important and renowned region for British dairying, it’s fabulous that our joint vision to have a dairy research facility in the south west at Duchy is now reality.”
Chapman set out CIEL’s work on connecting industry with research and finding innovative solutions to tackle the climate and environmental challenges – where livestock farming can be part of the solution. She highlighted CIEL’s recent report “Net Zero & Livestock: how farmers can reduce emissions”, an evidence-based summary setting out the options for farmers to mitigate their farm emissions.
The report’s call to action for urgent adoption on farm of known mitigations along with developing new innovations are areas where Future Farm will play an important role.
Alongside research, Future Farm provides a facility for knowledge exchange with industry (farmers, their suppliers and buyers), and training and education for students at Duchy College Stoke Climsland and Bicton College, both part of The Cornwall College Group (TCCG).
When it first opened in November 2020, Future Farm became one of a handful of research facilities in the sustainable dairy farming sector in the UK.
