Independent Innovation: Ceres Research at Timac AGRO UK’s FITS 2025

This July, Ceres Research joined Timac AGRO UK at their second annual Farming Innovation and Technology Showcase (FITS)—a three-location event series spotlighting the latest in crop nutrition, biostimulants, and sustainable agronomy. Our team was invited to present findings from our independent trials of Timac’s biostimulant products, and to share insights into the mechanistic science behind their impact on soil health and crop performance.

A Showcase of Science and Practice

Held at Billups Siding Farm in Cambridgeshire, the FITS East event focused on arable systems and featured a range of biostimulant demonstrations. Ceres Research led the technical support for the trials, ensuring rigorous, unbiased data collection and interpretation. Our involvement reflects our mission to bridge the gap between scientific research and practical, on-farm application.

Independent Trials, Transparent Results

Over the past season, we’ve been independently trialling several of Timac’s biostimulant products across five key crops: winter wheat, onions, sugar beet, potatoes, and maize. These trials were designed to evaluate product performance under real-world conditions, with a focus on nutrient uptake, soil health, and crop resilience.

Each trial included control plots and was conducted using a consistent protocol to ensure comparability. While the full dataset will be released later in the season, mid-season results presented by Dr. Alex Setchfield show promising trends in nutrient efficiency and plant health—particularly in challenging weather conditions.

Exploring the Science Behind Biostimulants

Dr. Danni Roche also shared findings from her PhD research on the mechanistic understanding of biostimulants on soil health. Her talk explained how she explored the potential effect of non-microbial biostimulants on physical, chemical and biological soil properties —factors that are critical to long-term soil health and crop productivity.

Danni’s work underscores the importance of understanding not just whether biostimulants work, but how, when, where and why they do. Her research provides a scientific foundation for the field observations we’re seeing in our trials, and helps inform best-practice recommendations for farmers.

Looking Ahead

As the season progresses, we’ll continue to monitor and analyse the trial plots, with a full report to follow later this year. Our goal remains clear: to provide farmers with independent, evidence-based insights that support better decision-making and more sustainable outcomes.

We’re grateful to Timac AGRO UK for the opportunity to collaborate on this important initiative, and to all the farmers and agronomists who joined us at FITS 2025. Events like these are vital for sharing knowledge, challenging assumptions, and driving innovation in UK agriculture. If you’d like to attend a FITS day, the final day this season is at Duchy College in Cornwall on the 22nd July – see here for more details.