Exhibiting at the Visions For The Vegetable Industry conference in Newark this week was the Henry Doubleday Research Association. HDRA implemented a project in December to work with organic farmers and growers to define weed problems and research solutions for the organic market.

More than 70 UK participants attended HDRA's first Defra-funded workshop, and following the meeting a framework of research action was drawn up for each topic.

HDRA's organic research officer Becky Turner told freshinfo: 'This is open across all systems, not just horticulture.

'We held a big open day when we got everyone together. People thought the information was out there but there was a communication gap between researchers and farmers. We're going to spend one research area putting together lots of information and putting it across to farmers in a user-friendly way.

'It will be a four-year project. And now that the general priorities are established, we are now beginning practical experimentation. It will be very practical on-going research, and hopefully it will produce something that can be re-applied year after year.' For more information visit: www.hdra.org/uk/research/forums/index.php