A key new feature for 2025 is the Crop Plot Challenge, launched by Ceres Rural in partnership with the Association of Independent Crop Consultants (AICC).

Six student teams from across the UK are managing their own milling wheat plots, making real-time decisions on fertiliser, fungicides, growth regulators, and micronutrients.

“It’s not just about throwing everything at the crop,” Davis adds. “We’ve asked teams to grow the best crop as cost-effectively as possible—that’s what real-world agronomy is all about.”

Teams from Harper Adams, Newcastle, Reading, Aberystwyth, Hartpury College, and Lincolnshire Young Farmers are participating. Student engagement has been impressive with T1 fungicides just applied and T2 decisions underway.

“They’re asking the right questions, thinking through rates and timings, and clearly enjoying it,” says Davis. “Hopefully it opens their eyes to agronomy as a career path.”

“Cereals is such an important event,” he adds. “It’s a chance to see new technology and genetics, but also to get off farm, share ideas, and learn from others.”