This month’s episode of the BASIS Agronomy Matters Podcast has been produced in collaboration with the Kellogg’s Origins Project. This is a really exciting initiative which is looking at how the food supply chain can help support more sustainable farming practices through unique research projects. Our first speakers on this episode, Duncan Rawson and David Fitzgerald, explained what Origins project does, and why Kellogg’s are so committed to sourcing products in a responsible and sustainable way...
Oct 06, 2021•57 min•Season 2Ep. 9
In this month's episode of the BASIS Agronomy Matters Podcast, our Business Development Executive, Jade Prince hones in on effective phosphorus management as an essential part of producing high quality profitable crops whilst also protecting the wider environment and as this year’s topic for the FACTS online assessment, phosphorus management is of particular interest to our FACTS Qualified Advisers. We have some great speakers who tell us more about phosphorus application, use efficiency and pot...
Sep 08, 2021•59 min•Season 2Ep. 8
In a first for the BASIS Agronomy Matters Podcast, this episode has been produced in collaboration with Championing the Farmed Environment (CFE), a partnership which supports farmers to deliver environmental benefits within a productive farming business. This episode was therefore co-hosted by Greg Hopkinson from BASIS and Ellenor Litobarski from CFE. The key topic for this podcast was water quality, looking at how we can manage the movement of soil and water in order to protect watercourses and...
Aug 06, 2021•49 min•Season 2Ep. 7
In the latest episode of the BASIS Agronomy Matters Podcast we are discussing all things organic, following the launch of the BASIS Foundation Award in Organic Farming qualification. The demand for organic produce from the UK consumer continues to grow, and our three guests on this episode provide unique insights into how the industry works, what the principles of organic farming are, and explain how organic and conventional farmers can share knowledge and expertise. If you would like further in...
Jul 07, 2021•1 hr 6 min•Season 2Ep. 6
In this month’s episode of the BASIS Agronomy Matters podcast we are looking at a slightly different area of UK agriculture, livestock production. In particular we are focussing on how introducing livestock into an arable farming system can provide significant benefits, and also what potential risks and limitations need to be avoided. Our first guest is Liz Genever, independent consultant within the UK sheep industry, who discusses how utilising sheep alongside cover crops and other herbal leys ...
Jun 10, 2021•48 min•Season 2Ep. 5
In this latest episode of the BASIS Agronomy Matters Podcast, our Technical Manager, Greg Hopkinson hones in how to combine sustainable and profitable crop production with hosting a successful shoot on farms and estates with a focus on some of the unique challenges of combining these two parts of land management. Greg also announces that BASIS is now running a Certificate in Game Management qualification which provides anyone in game management with the knowledge to deliver a successful shoot wh...
May 14, 2021•47 min•Season 2Ep. 4
In this month’s episode of the BASIS Agronomy Matters Podcast we are talking all things soil following an update to one of our most popular BASIS courses, the Soil & Water Management Certificate. Our first guest on this episode is David Felce, Regional Technical Adviser at Agrii, who spoke about the challenges of managing the physical properties of our soil, for example through cultivations and cover crops. We were then joined by Anne Bhogal, Principal Soil Scientist at ADAS, who is an exper...
Apr 07, 2021•46 min•Season 2Ep. 3
In this month's episode of the BASIS Agronomy Podcast Greg Hopkinson, Head of Business Development at BASIS, speaks to three recent winners of BASIS awards which are presented each year to outstanding candidates in a number of BASIS qualifications. Our first guest is Beth Duchesne, Senior Consultant on Agriculture & the Environment at Bidwells. Beth was awarded the Barrie Orme Shield in 2020 and explains how she has used the Certificate in Crop Protection qualification to develop her career,...
Mar 02, 2021•44 min•Season 2Ep. 2
In the first episode of the BASIS Agronomy Matters Podcast in 2021 we are looking ahead to spring with a specific focus on seed and variety selection. Greg Hopkinson, Head of Business Development at BASIS, speaks to three guests about how to select the correct variety for a range of spring sown crops. Our first guest was Sarah-Jane Osbourne from AHDB who explained how to get the most out of the Recommended List and identified some key spring cereal varieties to look at this year. Sarah-Jane was ...
Feb 03, 2021•1 hr 5 min•Season 1Ep. 7
In the final episode of the BASIS Agronomy Matters Podcast for 2020 we are focusing on field vegetable production as we look at how your Christmas dinner vegetables go from field to fork. Greg Hopkinson, head of business development and marketing at BASIS, speaks to two guests about the challenges 2020 has brought, the demands of retailers and how Brexit might impact the field vegetable industry. First up is Andy Richardson, general manager and agronomist at the Brassica and Allium Centre in Lin...
Dec 18, 2020•39 min•Season 2Ep. 1
The latest episode of the BASIS Agronomy Matters Podcast is a special edition featuring our technical manager, Greg Hopkinson, who investigates how to build a successful career in agronomy. Whether you’re well established in the industry, or just starting out on the career ladder, our three guests provide a great insight into how to develop your career in the industry. First up, we hear from Tom Whitfield, a young agronomist working for Hutchinsons, who graduated from Harper Adams in 2015. He te...
Nov 18, 2020•50 min•Season 1Ep. 5
In this month’s episode of the BASIS Agronomy Matters Podcast our technical manager, Greg Hopkinson, speaks to four expert guests about technology in agriculture, with a particular focus on how it can benefit crop production while reducing our environmental impact. First up, we have a double act of Rozzi Martin and Max Dafforn from Bayer Crop Science. Rozzi discusses a new rapid disease detection system, while Max talks about FieldView, a unique piece of software that can help improve decision m...
Oct 15, 2020•51 min•Season 1Ep. 4
In this month’s episode of the BASIS Agronomy Matters Podcast, our technical manager, Greg Hopkinson hones in on integrated pest management in commercial fruit production and speaks to two expert guests. Firstly we hear from Alex Radu, Agrovista’s fruit team technical manager. Alex focuses on pest control in orchards and talks about new innovations including beneficial insect refuges and sex hormone disruptors. This is followed by a conversation with Selchuk Kurtev (often known as Semo) from Cer...
Sep 08, 2020•48 min
The combines have already started rolling, so thoughts are turning to the next cropping season. In this episode, BASIS technical manager, Greg Hopkinson speaks to three expert guests who give valuable insight into what farmers should be growing in 2020/2021. First up, David Eudall, head of arable markets at AHDB, discusses prospects for key crop markets over the next 12 months and explains how these will impact rotations and variety choices. He's followed by Hutchinsons' technical development di...
Jul 27, 2020•1 hr 7 min
In our flagship episode, BASIS CEO, Stephen Jacob, introduces two guest speakers who give a technical insight into two different areas of spring cereal production. Chris Bond, from FMC, talks around micronutrition, the most prevalent deficiencies in the UK, and how to counteract these. While Paul Fogg, from Frontier, tells us about ramularia control and gives insight into the best current and future control methods. Finally Stephen gives an update on the brand-new online learning platform, the B...
May 01, 2020•32 min•Season 1Ep. 1
