The big buzz when science and agriculture get together
As I write, we have just completed our first winter meeting for several years. Working in conjunction with the British Society of Animal Science and the British Society of Soil Science, we put on a one-day meeting in Malvern, on trace elements, or minerals, as they might be known in feeding. The conference title was “Closing the circle – integrating trace elements supply in soils, plants and animals”. Attendees came from research, commercial companies and farming, and topics covered on the day spanned how animal products impact on human nutrition, fertilisers, mineral concentrations in plants, and animal nutrition itself, as we sought to identify whether trace elements can be considered in a more integrated and less “siloed” way.
The workplaces delegates came from were as wide ranging as the topics, but one of the most enjoyable things of the day was hearing the buzz in the room when everyone got together at coffee and lunch breaks, discussing their thoughts on the subject in hand and the linkages yet unexplored. Part of the reason for working collaboratively on the meeting was to gather expertise from different quarters and it was refreshing to see and hear everyone interacting well regardless, or perhaps because, of their different backgrounds.
In days gone by the BGS winter meetings were traditionally the place where farmer and science met – indeed in a previous life as a research scientist it was where I got to know many of the farmer fellow members of BGS who became such invaluable and generous contacts for field trials and information. Yesterday it was perhaps more of a case of science and commerce meeting, with some farmers in the mix too, but this seems like a step forward, as they are sectors which may not frequently get together to share information.
The range of themes within the topic was also a good reminder of the multitude of factors livestock farmers have to encompass in their daily management. It could seem so complicated, but, without pre-planning what people were going to say, a familiar theme emerged through the day; many speakers commented that one person needs to have overall responsibility for monitoring the minerals in the various parts of the system. It took me back to a common thread in grassland management – planning a relatively simple system but then managing it with attention to detail tends to result in success. So it’s not so dissimilar to grazing management - understand what you want to achieve then put in place a pattern to make it happen.
Elaine Jewkes, Society Director, British Grassland Society
