Research You Can Rely On: Turning Trials into Practical Decisions

Farmer focussed farm-scale research helps you make confident decisions about products, technology, and agronomy. At Agrii, our trials network is designed to turn evidence into practical solutions you can use on farm.

When farm margins are tight and input costs remain high, confidence in the decisions you make becomes increasingly important. Whether you are considering a new product, technique, or technology, you need to know it will deliver measurable value in your farming system.

Research provides that confidence.

You can generate knowledge on your own farm by testing new approaches yourself. However, this involves risk, time, and cost. Another route is to draw on wider industry research, learning from trials carried out across different seasons, soils, and farming systems.

Not all research delivers practical value. Some programmes can be too academic, too short-term, or too geographically limited to translate easily into farm practice. Knowledge transfer has also historically been a challenge across the industry.

That is why Agrii’s approach to research focuses on practical application from the outset.

Research built around real farms

Each year, Agrii runs more than 400 trials across the UK, from Aberdeen to Exmouth. These cover combinable crops, vegetables, fruit, potatoes, grass, and energy crops.

More than 90 percent of these trials take place on commercial farms, ensuring results reflect real growing conditions.

Our trials bring together researchers, farmers, agronomists, and manufacturers to test products, machinery, and techniques in a coordinated and practical way.

We focus on the challenges you are facing now, including adapting to product withdrawals, improving the performance of biosolutions, integrating new technology such as drones and robotics, and maintaining productivity while reducing environmental impact.

The aim is to develop sustainable crop production solutions that deliver both financial and environmental returns.

From controlled screening to field validation

Alongside field trials, Agrii has installed a glasshouse facility to allow rapid screening of multiple products. Promising options can then be progressed into controlled field trials before wider on-farm testing.

Everything learned through the trials programme is shared with agronomists and growers through demonstration sites, open days, and technical meetings across the country.

By building evidence across multiple locations and seasons, we create confidence in the results before recommendations reach your farm.

Turning research into confidence on farm

Working closely with farmers and agronomists ensures our research remains relevant and practical. The objective is to provide clear guidance you can use to make decisions.

Our trials programme reduces uncertainty by testing new approaches before they reach farm level. Return-on-investment data is presented alongside agronomic performance so you can understand what to expect.

When input costs rise, margins tighten, and regulatory pressure increases, locally relevant research becomes even more important. Evidence-based decisions help you protect productivity while improving sustainability across your farming business.

Dr Ruth Mann is Head of Research and Development at Agrii.