Guest blog by Dr. Danni Robb
Since wrapping up my PhD at the end of last year, I’ve been working with Ceres Research—part of the wider Ceres Group, which also includes a Rural and Property business. Our mission? To bring data-driven solutions to farmers in a way that actually makes sense on the ground. We work especially closely with Ceres Rural, helping to bridge the gap between science and real-world farming.
One of the ways we do this is by diving into data and presenting it in two key ways:
- to an audience of farmers, and
- in a format that’s practical and relevant to their day-to-day operations.
A great example of this was Timac AGRO’s Farming and Innovation Showcase Day in Cambridge. The event was all about showcasing Timac’s latest product innovations, trialled in 2-hectare demo plots. Our role was to independently analyse the trial data provided by Timac and present our findings to the attendees on the day. Independent analysis of trials data, particularly from biostimulant companies, is an important step in providing confidence to farmers in true, trial results.
I’m happiest when I’m getting stuck into data, hunting for meaningful agricultural insights, but what made the showcase day really interesting was the chance to combine that analysis with real conversations out in the field. It was brilliant to see the crops in person—Onions, Maize, Sugarbeet, Wheat, Potatoes – the Fens at Billups Siding Farm had it all. Seeing the physical results after poring over the nutrient data was a real highlight.
I also had the chance to present my PhD research, which focused on biostimulants—super relevant to the day’s theme. As we walked around the plots, I was asked questions by farmers about my findings, which was incredibly valuable. It gave me insight into how they interpreted the research and what they found most useful. We bounced around ideas for future research directions that could offer real value in today’s ever-changing farming landscape as well.
While this year’s showcase days have wrapped up, I’d definitely recommend keeping an eye out for future events from Timac AGRO. They’re a fantastic opportunity for soil scientists to get hands-on experience and a deeper understanding of how soils and innovative technologies work in real-world agriculture.
