My research has been broadly related to sustainable farming systems and has covered a wide range of multidisciplinary projects in the UK and abroad. Research as often involved collating and analysing experimental and national farm data, which has helped inform innovation in farming with new technology solutions and in some cases supported by modelling and analytical techniques. Areas of research have included interactions between components including an animal, plant, soil, nutrients, water and climate. Models describing farm systems have been developed to allow land managers to assess the impacts of changes to their practices on profit, production efficiencies and environmental impact. Recent projects have included: Computer vision in agricultural systems; Grassland monitoring; Sustainable production systems, environmental impact and whole farm models; Improved breeding, feeding and management of livestock; Novel methods for monitoring farm production and measuring performance; Measuring methane from ruminant livestock; Combining experimental and national data records.

Farming systems, sustainable production, farm business, environmental impact, biological modelling, decision-making, novel precision monitoring tools, farm data analysis.

Some highlights during a 20 year teaching and research career including presenting my research on methane emissions from cattle at the BBC. This gained me a Blue Peter badge for environmental work! My applied agricultural teaching was also recognised by a Lord Dearing Award. Some of my recent projects include international collaboration with China, Oman, Europe (GPlusE project, Methagene, Erasmus), Brazil, Mexico and Kazakhstan via the Newton Fund Researcher Links programme. 

2021-30           Digital Innovation Farm, EU RDF, GfirstLEP, Elizabeth Creak

2020-22           Towards Net Zero Dairy Farming through AI and Machine Vision (DAIRYVISION), Innovate UK-China

2020-21           Feasibility of cow scoring technology for robotic milking systems, Innovate UK

2019-20           Measuring methane emissions from cattle, China Scholarship Council

2019-20           Animal Vision: Demonstrator using the latest image capture technology to identify animals and their behaviours, EPSRC

2019-20           Using digital technologies to enhance grassland management within the National Trust, Nottingham Impact Accelerator and National Trust Seed Fund

2019-23           Measuring methane from dairy cows, Sultanate of Oman

2018-19           Animal Vision: Demonstrator using the latest image capture technology to identify dairy cows and their behaviours, BBSRC

2018-20           An adaptive decision-support tool for better grassland management by UK farmers, NERC, BBSRC, ESRC (SARIC)

2018-21           CowVision: Using the latest image analysis techniques to monitor dairy cows, Douglas Bomford Trust

2017-21           CowVision: Using the latest image analysis techniques to monitor dairy cows, EPSRC