Are you coming to Groundswell? Join us to raise a glass to farmer-led innovation

17 June 2025

The Agricultural Universities Council (AUC) will be hosting a session with the funders and farmers behind Defra’s ADOPT fund at next month’s Groundswell Regenerative Agriculture Festival.

ADOPT, which was launched in April, will commit at least £20.6M to supporting farmer-led trials at scale and the Groundswell session, which has been organised in collaboration with the Farmer-Led Innovation Network (FLIN), will hear from funders and pioneering farmers on why this is such a monumental shift in how on-farm research is valued, and how it could support Groundswell farmers on their regen journeys.

The panel discussion, which is being held in The Study at Groundswell at 5.30 pm on Wednesday 2 July, will be followed at 6.30 pm by a free drinks reception, kindly sponsored by the Rothschild Foundation.

Professor Tom MacMillan, who is the Elizabeth Creak Chair in Rural Policy at the Royal Agricultural University, will be chairing the session. He said: “We invite Groundswell-goers to join us to celebrate farmer-led research and get to grips with Defra’s new ADOPT fund. Regenerative agriculture has been powered by farmers experimenting, too often with little support. This new fund promises to back farmer innovation more fully. The event is chance to meet and quiz the people behind it, and share ideas and experience.”

On the panel will be Helen Browning OBE, organic farmer, Chief Executive of the Soil Association, and a pioneer of the ‘field-lab’ approach, through Innovative Farmers and on her own farm in Wiltshire. She said: “It has been a long time coming but we are pleased to see ADOPT finally launch. This session is a chance to celebrate all the farmers and researchers who have invested in and achieved so much in on-farm trials over the years. I’m looking forward to discussing research ideas on regenerative challenges with farmers and researchers around the tent.”

As well as celebrating what farmer-led research has achieved, the session is an opportunity to learn how the new ADOPT fund will work. Joining Helen on the panel is Sarah Evered, Deputy Director for Innovation, Production and Science from Defra, and Chris Lyons, Innovation Lead in Agriculture at Innovate UK, which is administering ADOPT on behalf of Defra.

Talking about how this kind of ‘ground-up’ research can benefit farm businesses, seventh-generation organic farmer and Nuffield Scholar Stuart Oates is rounding off the panel.

He said “I’m really looking forward to joining the panel on ADOPT funding at Groundswell. Farmer-led innovation can deliver amazing value. Not only is it immediately practical and applicable but it’s also often efficient in time and money. It's answering the questions and problems that farmers really need solutions to and, as a farmer, it opens your mind to news ideas and opportunities. It's also kind of fun!”

The organisers hope that the drinks reception will be a good opportunity to network with agricultural researchers from AUC member universities, as well as an opportunity to speak to the ADOPT Support Hub which will be there to help with any enquiries about accessing the fund.