Making producer-led innovation a reality

ORC’s annual Organic Producers’ Conference is the event where organic and other producers interested in ecological approaches to sustainable food production come together with researchers and advisers to share ideas on making agriculture perform better, for businesses and society.

This year, with innovation the buzz word, we challenge the idea that technological innovation is only about patentable products such as GM crops and high tech inputs. Innovation is also about how we work with ecological knowledge to design self-reliant production systems, less dependent on external inputs and more resilient to shocks when the availability of those inputs is restricted.

We challenge the notion that valid research is only carried out in academic ivory towers and large corporations. We see huge potential in supporting producers to explore their own creative ideas, through a participatory approach to innovation, where researchers and advisers facilitate rather than dominate the process.

This conference provides the opportunity to hear about and debate new ideas that are already being investigated, as well as to get together with like-minded people to develop new ideas for projects to help you move forward.

Session Proceedings

Plenary Sessions

• Opening Plenary: Delivering real organic values
• Closing Plenary: The role of sustainable intensification and agroecology in sustainable food security and production
• Special open session: Developing a UK Innovation Platform for Agroecology

Arable Workshops

• New approaches to arable crop cultivation and cover crops
• GMOs: recent developments and organic breeding alternatives
• Weed control in arable crops
• Prohibited product contamination of organic produce

Horticulture Workshops

• Organic seeds and breeding for organic growers
• Innovations in grower tools and cultivation approaches
• Systems resilience for weather extremes
• CSAs and other community based opportunities for professional growers

Grassland Workshops

• Greenhouse gas emissions from grassland systems
• Soil management for grassland systems
• Enhancing biodiversity on dairy farms
• Pasture-fed for life

Livestock Workshops

• Current animal health and welfare issues: management, veterinary advice and tools
• High organic concentrate feed costs – challenges and solutions
• Decertification the only option? Acing the financial challenges
• EU Regulation changes – implications for poultry producers

Other Workshops

• OELS/HLS new options in 2013
• CAP Reform: latest developments and Defra plans
• Anaerobic digestion: issues, farm-scale options and digestate use
• Making farming more sustainable – nutrients, carbon, public goods. Tools for the job

Full conference programme and room layout

• The 1 page programme with presentation titles and rooms.
• The 4 page programme with speakers and presentation titles
• The 15 page programme with speakers, presentation titles, and abstractsPrevious conference proceedingsYou can find proceedings of previous conferences .Sponsored by:The ORC Organic Producers’ Conference is organised with the active support of: