Horticulture Week Podcast HortWeek

Biostimulants and legislation is the topic for this week's podcast with ICL.
ICL's Sam Rivers says there is confusion about what biostimulants are: micro-organisms that when applied to plants stimulate natural processes. They are not replacements for nutrition or IPM but can help overcome issues in plant production.
Different types of biostimulants include beneficial bacteria and fungi, seaweed, humic and brewer's yeast-based products and many more; they are described as multivitamins for plants.
Biostimulants work as 'natural elicitors', or by inducing plant growth hormones or other methods.
Benefits to using biostimulants in peat-free growing media include adding microbes to sterilised ingredients to boost growth. 
Driving the use of biostimulants is EU-wide legal moves to chemical pesticide reduction by 50% by 2030. Sustainable Use Directive hierarchy of controls places biostimulants higher than pesticides, helping result in a shift to biostimulants Europe-wide.
Current legislation on biostimulants in the UK is quite relaxed but they must not claim 'control' of pest and diseases or having a fertiliser effect or else they have to be officially registered. Regulations for biostimulants in the EU are stricter with more standards around quantifying claims as a fertiliser. Rivers says this is a good thing as its supports any claims being made and will take "snake oils" off the market as they will need to much work to remain available. The UK could follow suit with the EU at some point.
An example of a product registered under the new standards is ICL's wetting agent H2Pro TriSmart, now the first registered as 'non-microbial biostimulant' under the latest EU Fertilizing Product Regulation (FPR) (1009/2019.


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The second part of this conversation with Fargro's managing director, explores drones, sustainability and fairness in the supply chain.
Fargro's interest in drones is part of a number of projects on data-driven decision-making for protected horticulture "to try and give a holistic view for agronomists and growers so they actually get some actionable insights" to help them prioritise their activities.
Hopkins talks about the shortage of agronomists and how they are trying to attract a new generation of 'digital natives'. But the new technology puts power and information directly into growers' hands.
On robotics, he expresses a sense of "frustration" with the slow progress, especially in robotic harvesting. He talks about the funding struggles for the sector to help them bring new tech to market. He discusses how unlike in agriculture, horticulture still relies on "not cheap" manual labour. He calls for the Government to step up with Innovate UK funding but he anticipates "a long haul".
On sustainability, he advocates first efficiency measures, but also discusses the need to improve plastic reduction and recyclability. "The problem is that [non plastics] nearly always cost more than the plastic alternatives" he says, though he believes often suppliers could absorb some of these extra costs.
Increased use of organic and controlled-release fertilisers are yielding good results and also enjoy a cost advantage, he adds.
With the ascension of King Charles III to the throne, Royal Warrant holders, including Fargro, are having to re-apply and "there's a huge emphasis on sustainability and the whole environmental social governance element of it - ethical trading as well." In the transition away from peat he percieves the change is being led by retailers and consumers, though "it's all about perception as well as the reality of sustainability".
Fargro has put together a consortium of waste operatives and recyclers to work with growers to make collection and recycling of plastics easier. But above all he believes the key question is "Is there an economic benefit to it? and how can we use that to drive the sustainability agenda?"
On fairness in the supply chain, he heard Rishi Sunak promise improvements for fresh produce in a very "uneven playing field", but coming behind dairy, poultry and eggs, he wonders how quickly horticultural growers can expect meaningful change. He expects ornamental growers to "be ignored entirely" and face a battle to protect or improve their margins.
Hopkins talks through business changes, including consolidation in the customer base and signs that glass is being taken up by growers.
Fargro itself is looking to diversify including to improve its amenity offering.


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HortWeek is delighted to present the Cultivate Your Future podcast, in partnership with the Colegrave Seabrook Foundation and sponsors MorePeople.
At a time when horticulture needs to encourage a new wave of young people to come into the industry, this podcast is designed to highlight the multiple and varied career opportunities available.
Hear from people who have found their way into their chosen career through different paths, what their job involves and what it means to them.
Oli Hilbourne is the founder and CEO of Outfield, an agritech company using technology to shape the future of farming. In this podcast Oli talks about the potential for drone technology and explains how his business is helping owners of orchards and vineyards gather data on crop yields. 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

HortWeek is delighted to present the Cultivate Your Future podcast, in partnership with the Colegrave Seabrook Foundation and sponsors MorePeople.
At a time when horticulture needs to encourage a new wave of young people to come into the industry, this podcast is designed to highlight the multiple and varied career opportunities available.
This week Neville Stein speaks to plant pathologist, Laura Bouvet, the Knowledge and Innovation Facilitator for Agr-TechE.
She works with farmers to support the implementation of new technologies. In this podcast Laura considers innovative practices in agriculture and horticulture and explores how to develop a career in agritech.

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Fargro managing director Richard Hopkins speaks to HortWeek about spring optimism, the upcoming general election and peat, water, border inspections and crop protection.
He says growers should talk to policymakers using policy asks from the HTA, AIC and NFU. Key issues are peat, plant health, plant protection products and water.
On crop protection he says there is still no National Action Plan and why that is significant. He says he would like CRD to be an "enabler" so the industry can use the full range of plant protection products, but that would require a change of culture from being a regulator.
On peat-free transition, he speaks about how demand is now coming from consumers and retailers. He says he would be more comfortable that reduction is driven by demand rather than legislation, which is unlikely to happen anytime soon anyway. Peat-free should be framed as an opportunity for growers to get on the right side of consumer sentiment. A 'cliff edge risk' exists because there will be a lack of production in the UK and imports could rise.
Target Border Operating Model issues remain because this looks like a bad idea for 'plants for planting' as they are fragile and come in groupage loads. Inspection points could become 'infection points' and actually spread and pests and diseases he argues. Places of Destination inspections are his preferred option.
A further issue is water. Growers need larger reservoirs. We have feast or famine at the moment.


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HortWeek is delighted to present the Cultivate Your Future podcast, in partnership with the Colegrave Seabrook Foundation and sponsors MorePeople.
At a time when horticulture needs to encourage a new wave of young people to come into the industry, this podcast is designed to highlight the multiple and varied career opportunities available.
Hear from people who have found their way into their chosen career through different paths, what their job involves and what it means to them.
This week Neville Stein speaks to Phil Tremayne is the general manager of The Association of Professional Landscapers with more than three decades in the horticultural industry. Trained as a grower, Phil has moved through many aspects of the industry, but has spent the last 10 years with HTA and eight of those managing The Association of Professional Landscapers. In this podcast Phil describes the landscaping industry and discusses what opportunities are available in this exciting sector.

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