Limagrain has launched a UK farmer-led Demonstration Farm network.
The first two farms offer two contrasting systems. Ryan McCormack of Dennington Hall Farms, Suffolk, is running a highly integrated system, combining arable, livestock and environmental management. Staffordshire farmer Rob Atkin has a mixed farming system across a wide range of soil types.
Nicolle Hamilton, marketing director at Limagrain, says the aim is to give growers a different perspective. “We want to offer growers a more meaningful way of looking at our varieties—through a farmer lens,” she says. “That means taking them out of controlled conditions and putting them into real farming systems, managed by farmers making commercial decisions every day.
While she stresses that formal trials and the AHDB Recommended List remain important benchmarks, she says they do not always reflect the realities of commercial farming.
“This is not about replacing trials—it’s about adding another layer,” she says. “Farmers want to know how varieties establish, how they cope with different soils and how they perform under lower inputs or after cover crops. That is where this approach adds value.”
Heather Oldfield, Limagrain cereals product manager, says the focus is on understanding where different genetics fit.
“There is no perfect variety. Success comes from putting the right variety in the right place. What works on one farm may not work on another. These Demo Farms help us show those differences in a way that is much more relevant to growers.”
“I’m farming for margin, but also for my soils,” notes Ryan. “That means I need varieties that can cope with reduced tillage, cover crops and lower inputs. The only way to understand that is to test them in those conditions.”
Rob adds. “I want varieties that work on farm, not just in perfect plots. I want to know how they perform under pressure. It’s about seeing what works, what doesn’t and why.”
Limagrain will be issuing seasonal updates via its social media channels and two open days are planned for June.
To register, please visit:
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/lg-summer-demo-day-staffordshire-tickets-1985446495916?aff=erellivmlt
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/lg-summer-demo-day-suffolk-tickets-1985441894152?aff=erellivmlt
