Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC) was established in 2012 through the merger of the Scottish Agricultural College (SAC) with Barony, Elmwood and Oatridge Colleges. Through these institutions, we can trace our lineage back over 100 years.

Our vision and mission

Our vision: To be Scotland’s enterprise university at the heart of our sustainable natural economy.
 

Our mission: Creating and mobilising knowledge and talent. Partnering locally and globally to benefit Scotland’s natural economy.

Education, research, and consultancy (through SAC Consulting) at SRUC grows the natural economy. A natural economy fuelled by responsible use of the world's natural resources: people, land, energy, water, animals and plants.

By working in partnership, we focus on solving the "wicked challenges" facing the planet, including climate change, biodiversity and access to nutritious food and clean water.

By focussing on the sustainable natural economy, SRUC will strive to lead the way in delivering economic, social and environmental benefits for all, in Scotland, and beyond. 

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ADAS provides ideas, specialist knowledge and solutions to secure our food and enhance the environment. We understand food production and the challenges and opportunities faced by organisations operating in the natural environment

Farm-PEP aims to bring together all the sources of useful knowledge for Agriculture, whether from academic science, applied research projects, industry trials, farmers own trials or simple on-farm experience. Listed below are useful websites, organisations and websites that we know of.  Add any we've missed in the comments box or by adding as new content, or better still, as a new Group.  

YEN

Yield Enhancement Networks (YENs) were launched in 2012 to support and energise on-farm learning-by-sharing and thus to enhance farming progress.

Nitrogen Efficient Plants for Climate Smart Arable Cropping Systems (NCS) is a four-year £5.9M ambitious research programme involving 200 UK farms and 18 partners. The project is funded by the Defra Farming Innovation Programme, delivered by Innovate UK. The consortium of UK companies, research institutes and farmer networks, led by PGRO, aims to bring about a reduction of 1.5Mt CO₂e per annum or 54% of the maximum potential for UK Agriculture. This will be achieved by increasing pulse and legume cropping in arable rotations to 20% across the UK (currently 5%). In addition, 50% of imported soya meal used in livestock rations will be replaced with home-grown feeds.  Both of these ambitious aims will be steered by science and proven by real farm enterprises, with significant benefits for both crop and livestock productivity, including cost savings of over £1bn/yr.

Share your views on how we can improve Farmpep.net

Soil health has been broken down into measurable parts to help farmers optimise crop and grassland productivity. As part of the Soil Biology and Soil Health Partnership, a project in the AHDB & BBRO GREAT Soils programme, guidance and protocols have been issued to help practitioners benchmark their soils

The Agricultural Universities Council (AUC-UK) is a collaboration of the UK universities with agricultural schools or departments. AUC-UK works together to coordinate our teaching and research, to make the biggest contribution we can to a resilient and sustainable future for agriculture, land management and food systems.

Building the right skills for the agricultural industry has been recognised as crucial to its future success.

Food, farming and land use need to undergo rapid and sustained change if the world is to address climate, biodiversity and health crises. This transformation requires changes in policy, yet will also rely on the actions of farmers and land managers on the ground. Their knowledge, skills and motivations, and those of their advisors, are crucial to success. This retreat provided an opportunity for educators who lead agriculture degree courses to share resources and inject fresh content into their courses. This retreat was funded by the Aurora Trust and The Mark Leonard Trust.

The development of a forage network which will recommend a pathway to gaining optimum benefits from forages through realistic actions​. This project, which runs from September 2023 for 6 months, will: Bring together a network of stakeholders to understand the best approach for improving forage systems, considering potential opportunities and barriers to uptake​ Create a roadmap, which can be used to achieve benefits for livestock sectors through changes in forage systems​

The livestock industry is an integral part of the agricultural sector, encompassing various aspects of animal husbandry and production. It plays an important role in global food security and supports the livelihoods of millions of people worldwide.

Natural capital refers to the stock of natural resources and ecosystems that provide essential benefits and services to agriculture. In the context of farming, natural capital encompasses the fertile soil, clean water, biodiversity, pollinators, and healthy ecosystems that play a crucial role in sustaining crop and livestock production. These natural assets are the foundation of agricultural sustainability, productivity, and resilience.

Helping you protect your soil and improve its productivity.  AHDB's GREATSoils inititiative brings together practical information on soil management as well as links to soils research and knowledge exchange. Whether you need an introduction to soil biology or a detailed guide to improving field drainage, AHDB has information and guidance to support you. 

The VESS is a semi-formal approach to assessing soil structure, first developed by SRUC.

The Cereal YEN was established in 2012, and is the longest-running Yield Enhancement Network.

Farm carbon calculator to lower emissions and increase productivity

The British Farm Data Council is an independent not-for-profit group. Providing thought leadership and direction, seeking the gold standard for the British agrifood sector on standards and principles of farm data governance.

Roger Sylvester-Bradley      Tuesday 31st January 2023   It’s news across the world – the biggest wheat crop ever grown, yielding 18 tonnes of grain per hectare! This is fantastic, and laudable in all respects, but it’s no accident.    

Guidance from AHDB GREATSoils giving four easy-to-follow steps for assessing soil structure. 

N2 Applied has developed a technology that enables local production of fertiliser using only livestock slurry, air and electricity, – dramatically reducing harmful emissions and improving yield at the same time. The technology adds nitrogen from the air into slurry, which increases the nitrogen content. The reaction prevents the loss of ammonia and eliminates methane emissions, making it a real solution helping to achieve climate target commitments on an industrial scale.

Join us to kick-off the IPM Network pilot year, share your experiences with other attendees, tap into the expertise of our speakers and demonstrate the value of networks for knowledge exchange.  

Farmers taking part in and getting paid for on-farm trials as part of the NCS Project.

A transdisciplinary hub looking to provide to bridge the gap between science and policy to achieve Net Zero

ADAS, SRUC and the NFU are looking for farmers and growers to help guide the development of a new

Agricultural research is conducted by a range of organisations, from individual farmers, through advisors, distributors, manufacturers, charities, societies, supply chain companies, levy bodies, universities and research institutes.  This page aims to connect across these often disparate sources.

Knowledge Exchange in Agriculture in the UK is diverse, with many organisations involved. That is part of the reason for creating Farm-PEP, to help provide connections to what many percieve as a fragmented landscape.

Professional development is an important part of a career journey - an opportunity for continuous learning, a way to stay up-to-date and to demonstrate relevance and expertise. Professional development activities can be completed in a number of different ways, from attending a training course, an event or a meeting to taking part in a webinar, listening to a podcast, reading an industry magazine or being a professional member of an organisation. Those on the BASIS Professional Register, FACTS Qualifed Advisers, RoSA sheep advisers and those on the Environmental Advisers Register are all required to collect a certain number of CPD (continuous professional development) points on an annual basis to demonstrate their commitment to enhancing knowledge and skills.  For more information, please visit: https://basis-reg.co.uk/schemes.

Together, we’re creating plausible pathways, and practical, open science, to achieve Net Zero through the Agrifood system by 2050.

Farmers Weekly article by Mike Abram exploring four carbon calculators

The VESS is an approach you can use to assess soil structure.   Developed by Aarhus and

Tailoring nitrogen rates to optimise yield from modern spring barley varieties and hit the qualit

Funded by AHDB and BBRO, this five-year Soil Biology and Soil Health Partnership is a cross-sector programme of research and knowledge exchange. The programme is designed to help farmers and growers maintain and improve the productivity of UK agricultural and horticultural systems, through better understanding of soil biology and soil health. See https://ahdb.org.uk/soil-biology-and-soil-health-partnership

Scientia potentia est: knowledge is power. But understanding empowers. The purpose of the Legume Hub is to empower all interested in the development of legume crop production and use by providing access to validated knowledge. It is a platform dedicated to sharing knowledge and successful practices across value chains, from plant breeding, on-farm activities, through to processing and consumption.

Sarah Clarke      Friday 3rd January 2023   Excellent grain quality as well as high yields were celebrated at the YEN 10th Anniversary Conference, with the Milling Quality Awards sponsored by UK Flour Millers. All UK Group 1 milling wheat entries were eligible for this competition, a total of 20 for 2022.

YEN      Friday 3rd January 2023   Russ McKenzie awarded YEN's Innovator of the Year in 2022 at the 10th Anniversary YEN Conference.

Create IPM plans for your farm

Though peas and beans have long been a trusted part of cropping rotations, it is perhaps only recently that the scope and value of their potential is being realised.

Farmers working with scientists to achieve the best from pulse crops and reduce their carbon emissions.

The aim of this guide is to aid decision making for livestock producers who are looking to outwinter stock and what systems may best suit their farm.

Measurements of N2O were made using static flux chambers for a 24 month period from sowing to 12 months after harvest.

This guidance documents provides advice on IPM measures for pulses insect pests and diseases.

Help us to understand attitudes towards SFI schemes and IPM uptake by completing this survey. Anyone completing the survey is entitled to claim a £10 voucher.

UK feeding industries rely heavily on imported soya bean meal (SBM) as the main protein source in monogastric feeds, including for pigs.

Catch crops are grown post-harvest or following silage, these crops hunt nutrients to reduce leaching from the soil while also allowing cover for the soil which prevents erosion.

Interested in learning more about home grown protein crops but don’t know where to look?

This guide intends to highlight to farmers and crofters who are considering sowing a grassland herbal lay what species to consider.

Forage first sheep systems seek to optimise lamb production from pasture to minimise costs.

Agrecalc is a carbon footprint tool developed by SAC Consulting together with SRUC researchers. I

Ahead of the imminent RB209 update, AHDB has invested in several projects on nutrient management

Report by SRUC, JHI & Forest Research 2018. Executive Summary:

AHDB Research Review No 94. 2020.  By Elizabeth Stockdale and Vera Eory This high-

Report for Government commissioned by Defra conducted by ADAS & SRUC on the investment in 'Ag