Defra Farming Podcast

Author: Defra

Farming in England is going through the biggest change in a generation and government's approach to farming is changing too. We're working collaboratively with the sector to develop new farming payments and polices that support food production and our environment. On this podcast, the Defra Farming and Countryside team will discuss our work with the farming community. For the latest news from the Defra farming team, bookmark and subscribe to the online home of the programme defrafarming.blog.gov.uk
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How farmers can access the government’s ADOPT innovation fund to test ideas on-farm - Thomas Slattery, Bryony Graham, Peter Southwell
Thursday, 5 February, 2026

The government’s Accelerating Development of Practices and Technologies (ADOPT) Fund helps farmers access funding to test practical ideas on their own farms, from new crops and soil systems to technology and collaborative trials.It is part of the Farming Innovation Programme delivered in partnership with Innovate UK.In episode 19 of the Defra Farming Podcast, we’re joined by two farmers with live ADOPT projects to explore what practical innovation looks like on-farm.Bryony Graham, an arable farmer in Essex, shares how she’s trialling willow as a high-carbon crop and testing compost mixes as a potential peat-free growing medium. Peter Southwell, an arable farmer in East Yorkshire, explains how the Yorkshire Nutrition Club is bringing farmers together to benchmark crop nutrition and test new technologies.Guest host Thomas Slattery, from UK Agri-Tech Centre, also explains how the ADOPT fund works, how farmers can access support through the ADOPT Support Hub, and why farmer-led experimentation is at the heart of the scheme.If you’ve got an idea you’ve been mulling over, this episode explores how ADOPT can help you test it in real farming conditions.ADOPT innovation fund: how it works and how to applyhttps://farminginnovation.ukri.org/adoptADOPT Support Hubhttps://www.farmpep.net/adopt/enquireDirectory of ADOPT facilitatorshttps://iuk-business-connect.org.uk/adopt-project-facilitators/directory-of-facilitatorsDefra Farming blog ADOPT: first projects selected as next round openshttps://defrafarming.blog.gov.uk/2025/12/15/adopt-first-projects-selected-as-next-round-opensLive ADOPT projectshttps://farmpep.net/adopt/live-projects