Farmers and their advisers in England can make sure they are up to speed with the nutrient planning software PLANET by attending one of the free PLANET Workshops being organised by ADAS as part of the Defra-sponsored Environment Sensitive Farming (ESF) initiative.
The hands-on whole-day workshops (10.00 to 16.00) will help farmers and advisers get to grips with using the standalone version of PLANET, the interactive software of Defra's 'Fertiliser Recommendations (RB209)' publication.
"PLANET can be used to develop field-level Nutrient Management Plans and to keep field records," explains ESF plant nutrient expert Peter Dampney of ADAS. "And, don't forget that Defra and the Environment Agency are supporting the use of PLANET as a means of complying with Cross Compliance, Nitrate Vulnerable Zones (NVZ) and Entry Level Stewardship (ELS) requirements."
Each workshop will discuss the requirements of Nutrient Management Planning but will have a high content of 'hands-on' work using the PLANET version 1.3 standalone software. It will be useful to new or existing PLANET users.
"Delegates should bring their own laptops. Anyone who needs to borrow a computer for the day must let us know at the time of booking though numbers are limited," adds Mr Dampney.
Free copies of the PLANET CD will be available at each workshop, or you can register for a free copy by going to www.planet4farmers.co.uk.
For more information or to book a FREE place at one of these workshops, either go to www.environmentsensitivefarming.co.uk (then select your region and the workshop you are interested in), call the events line on 0845 602 3864, or email fred.deboise@adas.co.uk. Please give your name, address and telephone number in the email and say which workshop you would like to attend and whether you need the use of a laptop.
