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CROP MANAGEMENT

How couple are developing organic, no-till cropping business

Starting five years ago with an optimistic vision and a blank slate, first-generation organic farmer and emergency doctor Alex Fraser had a plan to produce healthy food for local people.…

FARMER FOCUS

Farmer Focus: Grain maize and sunflowers help in tough year

Planning ahead for spring work is always a challenge. I usually hope things get going before the end of March, and by April, spring cereals are established. Then the focus…

OILSEED RAPE

Beekeeper bemoans collapse of OSR acreage in the UK

Honeybee colonies are suffering from an early-spring pollen shortage in the farming landscape due to shortages of flowering plants such as oilseed rape, with some colonies facing starvation, say beekeepers.…

FARMER FOCUS

Farmer Focus: Wet weather pics on social media are heartening

One of the many good things about social media is that although there are some in the farming community who only post portrayals of agronomic excellence, there are enough farmers…

BARLEY

Greater yield and margin for winter barley grower

Scottish grower Neil Ramsay is pushing the boundaries of winter barley production, striving for both yield and margin. He achieved a top yield of 13.5t/ha last harvest and has an…

POTATOES

Trials show it's safe to use key herbicide on Elland potatoes

Farmers growing Elland potatoes are set to benefit from another herbicide option this season, after tests show a key pre-emergence active can be safely used. Metribuzin is key component of…

Arable news

POTATOES

Scientists plan to use gene-editing to transform potato sector

Scientists are set to use controversial gene-editing technology within the UK potato sector as latest government legislation permits the commercial development of gene-edited crops in England. A new research project…

CEREALS

Cereals 2024: New site and direct drilling event

The Cereals Event 2024 will welcome visitors to a new site, at Bygrave Woods, Newnham Farm in Hertfordshire, on 11-12 June, alongside its new co-hosted event DirectDriller@Cereals. Hosted by Alex…

ARABLE

Bristol start-up tests human urine as natural fertiliser

 A project is under way to develop a novel fertiliser made from human urine to help farmers move towards a sustainable future, NPK Recovery, a Bristol-based start-up, is developing a…

CROP MANAGEMENT

Free IPM tool adds crop types and review feature

A group of organisations has launched an updated version of its free integrated pest management (IPM) planning tool, which features more crop types and the ability to review and reproduce…

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Dealing with flood-damaged land

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CROP MANAGEMENT

How couple are developing organic, no-till cropping business

Starting five years ago with an optimistic vision and a blank slate, first-generation organic farmer and emergency doctor Alex Fraser had a plan to produce healthy food for local people.…

BARLEY

Greater yield and margin for winter barley grower

Scottish grower Neil Ramsay is pushing the boundaries of winter barley production, striving for both yield and margin. He achieved a top yield of 13.5t/ha last harvest and has an…

CROP WATCH

Crop Watch: T1 fungicide timing tricky in variable season

As the fourth week of April arrives, the weather remains highly variable with below-average temperatures for this time of the year. Like the weather, wheat growth stages are variable and…

PULSES

Soil conditioner trial lifts vining pea yields by nearly 40%

Applying a phosphate enhancer to vining pea seed-beds led to an average yield increase of nearly 40% in Agrii trials carried out in conjunction with a Yorkshire vining pea co-op.…

POTATOES

Why industry-wide effort is needed to beat potato viruses

Across Europe, a recent rise in seed potato crops being downgraded due to virus diseases sends a very strong message that action must be taken now to arrest the upward…

NUTRITION AND FERTILISER

How fulvic acid can cut glyphosate rates and help foliar N

Fulvic and humic acid could be beneficial additions to spray tank mixes, enabling growers to increase efficacy and successfully cut back glyphosate and fertiliser rates by one-third. Both fulvic and…

WEED MANAGEMENT

Are alternative weed control techniques viable for beet?

With sugar beet herbicide options dwindling, researchers are testing options using artificial intelligence and robotics. Mike Abram reports German field trials comparing spot-spraying and robotic systems are highlighting both the…

POTATOES

Potato blight: What UK farmers can learn from Europe

A combination of wet weather, new double fungicide-resistant strains of blight and repeated block applications of fungicides resulted in 2023 being one of the worst late blight seasons in the…

SOILS

Notts Monitor Farm sees benefits of reduced cultivations

Reduced labour and machinery costs and more resilient soils are some of the benefits being seen since reducing cultivations at Manor Farm, near Bingham in Nottinghamshire. The Fisher family have…

SUGAR BEET

Sugar beet rubbery taproot disease: What farmers need to know

A disease that prevents sugar beet from being processed caused €43m worth of losses in Serbia last season. More worryingly for British sugar beet growers, it is spreading west into…

DISEASE MANAGEMENT

Expert tips for T1 fungicide strategies in rain-battered wheat

Weeks of rain and higher-than-normal spring temperatures are creating challenges for T1 fungicide plans, with growers advised to be guided by drilling date and variety. In such a testing season,…

SOILS

Sussex soil project aims to increase organic matter

The impact of soil type and land use on the ability of farms to improve soil organic matter levels is being investigated in a five-year project funded by Southern Water,…

CROP MANAGEMENT

Advice on getting the most from Dawsum winter wheat

One of a strong line-up of hard feed wheats available to growers, Dawsum accounts for almost 20% of all the winter wheat being grown in the UK this year. Joining…

DISEASE MANAGEMENT

Will Arable Insights Farmers cut fungicide spend this season?

Should growers consider reducing fungicide spend given the state of this year’s wheat crops? Farmers Weekly asks our Arable Insights Farmer panel about their disease control plans. Scotland: David Fuller-Shapcott…

SOILS

How FYM can increase soil oxygen and nitrogen use efficiency

Increasing soil organic matter levels through applications of farmyard manure can significantly increase soil oxygen levels, which in turn improves nitrogen use efficiency. The flow of organic carbon through soil…

PEST MANAGEMENT

6 steps for granular potato nematicide best practice

Potato growers are being reminded to follow the best-practice protocol for granular nematicides this spring to ensure products are used safely and are protected for the future. Mark Taylor, chairman…

Farmer Focus

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FARMER FOCUS

Farmer Focus: Grain maize and sunflowers help in tough year

Planning ahead for spring work is always a challenge. I usually hope things get going before the end of March, and by April, spring cereals are established. Then the focus…

FARMER FOCUS

Farmer Focus: Wet weather pics on social media are heartening

One of the many good things about social media is that although there are some in the farming community who only post portrayals of agronomic excellence, there are enough farmers…

FARMER FOCUS

Farmer Focus: A few false starts to spring drilling

Unfortunately, the weather is still the main point of conversation, and it is little consolation to know that further south, the situation is probably worse.  There have been a few…

FARMER FOCUS

Farmer Focus: Taps are off and field work can finally start

The taps are finally off. It's only taken what feels like nine months to stop, as it seems to have been raining since mid-July, with the odd nice but short-lived…

Markets

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CROPS MARKETS AND PRICES

Wheat surges above £180/t as Black Sea tensions flare up

Old-crop and new-crop wheat futures both jumped by £10/t earlier this week in the UK due to increased conflict in Ukraine and reports of poorer crop conditions in the US.…

CROPS MARKETS AND PRICES

UK wheat futures at £173/t with EU harvest prospects mixed

Wheat values in the UK have pushed up slightly in the past week, but remain under pressure due to large volumes of cheap exports from the Black Sea region on…

CROPS MARKETS AND PRICES

Hectare launches instant grain payments system for farmers

Crop-trading platform Hectare has launched a new agricultural finance product that enables arable farmers to be paid within three days for up to 80% of a contract’s value. The agri-tech…

CROPS MARKETS AND PRICES

Straw prices unseasonably high with uplift likely in autumn

Demand for straw, driven by increased use for housing livestock, has pushed up values in recent weeks. Typically, at this time of year demand for straw is relatively low as…

BUSINESS

Sugar beet futures at £36/t with EU crop area set to increase

Global sugar markets have fallen from the highs of 2023, but small price gains so far in April will come as welcome news to beet growers on futures-linked contracts. The…

CROPS MARKETS AND PRICES

CMG appoints Cefetra as new grain marketing partner

Crop Marketing Groups (CMG) has appointed grain and animal feed trader Cefetra to market its grain, starting with this year’s harvest. CMG, which is made up of 10 regional groups…

CROPS MARKETS AND PRICES

Dismal UK crop conditions bolster new season wheat premium

An inflated premium has emerged for new crop cereals over current old-crop prices, with the November feed wheat futures contract now trading £22/t ahead of May values. There is a…

CROPS MARKETS AND PRICES

EU set to impose 50% grain tariffs on Russia and Belarus

A major EU tariff is due to be imposed on imports of cereals and oilseeds from Russia and Belarus if a new EU Commission proposal is adopted. A duty of…

Commodities

Futures markets and commodity risk management online course

Learn all you need to know about the futures markets and how you can benefit from them:

  • Risk management strategies for a more predictable financial performance
  • Educated conversations when collaborating with your advisors
  • Negotiate better prices with your grain merchants

Find out more

 
 
Spot and forward prices (£/t ex-farm)
Each set of prices comes from a single merchant, co-op or broker, and are the latest prices being paid to farmers. Ranges of prices, within one category relate to the distance of the farm from the buyer. Oilseed rape prices are latest spot and forward prices, not contract prices. Ex farm prices vary with the distance from Hull, Liverpool and Erith, crushing factories.

Arable machinery

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PLOUGHS

CNH sells off Overum plough business

During a period of seemingly never-ending acquisitions, CNH Industrial has gone against the trend by selling off the Overum factory in Sweden, which makes mouldboard ploughs. This business was acquired…

CULTIVATION AND DRILLING

Pottinger hoes get slicker Profiline isobus control

Easier implement setting up and operation is promised with the addition of an isobus control option for Pottinger’s Flexcare precision hoes and Terrasem cultivator drills. The Profiline setup gives the…

TELEHANDLERS

Ultimate guide to buying a telehandler 2024

The 2024 edition of Farmers Weekly’s Ultimate Guide to telehandlers and telescopic wheeled loaders of all shapes and sizes features a number of new and updated models – as well…

TRACTORS

Deutz-Fahr rejigs 161-188hp 6 Series TTV tractors

Farms running big trailers and operators who like to get a firm grip on spool valve operation will appreciate updates to the Deutz-Fahr 6 Series TTV stepless drive tractors. This…

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