Subscriber Membership

Features and services for a NCPF subscriber membership

In seeking to develop the subscriber membership forum for precision farming the NCPF will endeavour to provide appropriate elements of support and services that can help move farming businesses and enterprises forward.

The principal features and deliverables being proposed for the subscriber membership include:

1. A common ‘voice’ on precision farming issues at national, European and international levels, supported by a strong promotional facility for precision farming that recognises the principal sectors of arable and livestock farming, together with emergent sectors of urban and vertical farming, and the important role of SMEs within the farming industry.
2. A platform for organising NCPF events and networking between members and potential clients through website and NCPF events.
3. Monitoring and commentary on precision and ‘smart’ defined farming at national, European and international levels, supported via a bi-monthly e-newsletter with contributions from members and a set of advisory services, including:
   • An advisory service for explaining precision farming, and its developments, to practising farmers.
   • An advisory and evaluation facility directed at industry generated systems and product design and taking into consideration the needs of SMEs.
   • An advisory support service on ISOBUS and the needs for more effective configuration management and additional standards, supported in turn by a facility recognising available ISOBUS services and Type Testing facilities, together with the prospect of a UK Testing service.
4. A research alliance with university establishments to support accreditation and assist in encouraging collaborative research and development, and very importantly effective translation of research into practical farming implementation.
5. Platform for promoting subscriber member services, products and activities through webinars, face-to-face events, profiling and white papers, recognising too the importance of existing technologies and the need to promote market pull in relation to these technologies and associated products.
6. Foundational voice on standards and regulatory developments and on other developments relating to precision farming, such as quality assurance and accreditation.
7. Platform for celebrating excellence through an annual event with awards, a conference and exhibition.
8. Special interest groups, lead by subscriber members, and directed at mutual up-dating in specialist areas of precision farming and food support services.
9. Training alliance directed at members helping members on training requirements and collective training activities involving a range of precision farming disciplines; linking where appropriate with academic education and training establishments.
10. Platform for ‘brokerage’ events, bringing innovation to prospective investors and developers.
11. Platform for sponsorship supported ‘thematic’ demonstrator development (eg an unmanned aerial system for precision agricultural research)
12. Platform for presenting leads and employment opportunities and for promoting the importance of bringing young new entrants into the industry.

Survey Questionnaire

To be able to facilitate all of these features and offer all of these services requires a strong and supportive membership and, of course, funding through subscriptions and costed services. The amount that can be done and the range of services that can be provided are dependent upon the funding that the Centre and the subscriber membership can generate. In the first instance an annual subscription of £250, for individual membership, is being proposed, with a view to offering the above (1-12) provisions. To help establish the viability of a subscription based service we would welcome your response to the following short survey: