LEAF
 

Royal Agricultural University

The Royal Agricultural University is a leader in the delivery of education, research and consultancy in agriculture and the rural environment.

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Primary Contact: Nicola Cannon (Associate Professor of Agriculture)

[email protected] | 01285 652531

The University leases Coates Manor Farm, a 538-acre commercially run mixed arable farm, and established a partnership with the 15,000-acre Bathurst Estate in 2020. In addition, the University has access to high-input and low-input dairy facilities at Kemble Farm and Leaze Farm respectively. Although no longer a university farm, RAU also continues to run trials at Harnhill Manor Farm.

RAU is also home to The Centre for Effective Innovation in Agriculture (CEIA), launching in April 2021. The Centre is a partnership of England’s leading agricultural universities (University of Reading, RAU, Harper Adams University, Newcastle University and University of Warwick) that aims to strengthen the impact and benefit of agricultural research at scale.

Remit:

To develop and sustain applied and near-market research relevant to the land-based sector, providing solutions and recommendations of real practical benefit to those working in the countryside and associated industries.

Activities:

Field and plot trials are undertaken on the farms by commercial companies on an ongoing basis.

The RAU is partnered with the Organic Research Centre in Cirencester, the UK’s leading independent research centre for the development of organic/agroecological food production and land management solutions.

Farm 491 is also based at the RAU which supports AgriTech and agri-food entrepreneurs in converting their idea or technology into a viable and successful business.

Research interests:

Recent and current projects include investigations into:

  • Reduced cultivation and improvements in soil organic matter and fertility
  • Improved crop management systems to reduce inputs
  • Novel methods for insect control and development of new feedstuffs
  • Health and production issues that challenge all the major industry stakeholders, from producers through to animal health experts to consumers