First was a successful visit to NMITE, the new technology and engineering university in Hereford.
Jesse Norman MP kindly put us in contact with the team at NMITE, with the vision for us to work with their students who are keen to deliver innovative solutions for farming.
We were given a tour of the campus in the centre of Hereford, and the Skylon Park campus at Rotherwas, to view their facilities and understand the scale of projects they can deliver.
It was fascinating to hear from students, who were working on building automated drones for targeted crop spraying, automatic braking systems for tractors using thermal cameras, and robotic arms on motorised vehicles, capable of undertaking activities in environments unsafe for humans.
With a growing intake of students each year, and a new robotics course launching this September, the university is keen for us to partner with them.
They would like farmers to share with students some of the challenges faced on farm, so they may design and build solutions as part of their practical learning.
We will be jointly hosting an event later this year for any interested members - please watch this space.
Herefordshire Water Abstraction Group launch
.A recent NFU weather survey has found that 78% of members have reported seeing an increase in severe weather events. In the Midlands, members have estimated that these events have cost their businesses over £52,000 over the last 10 years.
The trend of wetter winters and drier summers is likely to continue, with increasing constraints on water availability in hot weather. In Herefordshire, we have added environmental pressures surrounding the quality of our rivers.
Therefore, the purpose of the water abstraction group is to create a network of farmers and growers with a unified voice, sharing resources and delivering proactive solutions in the face of these challenges.
During the launch, we heard from Dr Mark Betson, the water resources specialist from the NFU. Mark provided more detail on the government’s vision for water, indications on future abstraction licence reforms from the Environment Agency, and the work the NFU is undertaking to ensure the needs of our sector are recognised.
Richard Blackwell and Sarah Faulkner from Water Resources West gave an update on how they are working to support the creation of water abstraction groups across our region. They predict that by 2050 in the UK we will need to find an additional 1,200 million litres of water a day, and are investigating a range of solutions to meet this demand.
John Patrick, from East Suffolk Water Abstraction Group, shared his experience in having run their group for over 20 years, the benefits to members and how farmers are collaborating to deliver the solutions that work best for them.
Any members who would like to learn more, please do get in touch.
Encouraging reports
In recent weeks the Environment Agency has released a number of encouraging reports.
The EA’s farm inspection report recognises the work farmers are already doing to protect our waterways, and paints an improving picture on water quality nationally, with a five percent decrease in non-compliances compared to the five-year average.
Locally, the EA has published the River Wye data analysis report for 2025-2026. This latest data set indicates that water temperature may have a greater influence on algal blumes than nutrient pollution.
We believe this demonstrates that permitting and further regulation is not the solution, and that stakeholders need to continue to work with farmers and landowners on localised projects, while recognising the importance of maintaining resilient farm businesses.
Dates for the diary
- Monday, 13 July – Herefordshire Memebrship Talks with Kate Speke-Adams, Director of Herefordshire Rural Hub. Listen along to learn more about the importance of farmer collaboration, the work of the Rural Hub, and current projects. Sign up online.
- Saturday and Sunday, 22-23 August – Beef Stock Festival. Beefstock is a celebration of beef, barbecue, farming and all the things Herefordshire does so well. The festival features loads of barbecue, cooking demonstrations, a chilli eating competition, live music, DJs, acoustic acts, great traders and plenty more.
This year, the Beefy Boys are also working closely with Farming Minds to host a range of talks and discussions around farming, wellbeing and issues affecting the rural community.
Please do come along. Tickets are available online: