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Know How / Market opportunities

In a competitive market for arable crops, keep on top of where the market opportunities lie. Find out which grain and oilseed rape contracts offer a premium, how future changes to subsidies may affect grain markets and how other farmers have switched varieties to find new markets.

Advice and tips

OTHER CROPS

Round-up of the niche crop options for UK growers

Introducing alternative break crops to an arable rotation can help growers improve soil health, spread market risk and further financial gain. As pesticide actives are lost and resistance fears build,…

MARKET OPPORTUNITIES

Strategy pointers for selling grain in a volatile market

Wheat growers are being urged to calculate their cost of production before selling any grain for harvest 2023, as input costs have risen sharply while wheat prices have drifted lower.…

BARLEY

Advice on growing malting barley to gain from high premiums

Premiums of £55-£60/t for malting barley are being offered this harvest, with the price supported by beer's history of being recession-proof and the post-Covid recovery in beer sales. For these…

BARLEY

Major maltster picks top spring malting barley for Scotland

The spring malting barley variety Diablo could become the number one variety in Scotland in the next two to three years after an initial good performance on-farm and through the…

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Case studies

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.…

WHEAT

Herbal leys and bicrops help hit organic wheat premium

Devon farmer George Greed is successfully using herbal leys, inter-crops and population wheats to hit organic milling premiums, as part of his nature friendly farming operation which has increased arable…

DIVERSIFICATION

How Canadian grower became Alberta’s first craft malthouse

Hamill Farms in Canada diversified their traditional grain farm into Alberta’s first craft malthouse in a bid to add value to barley crops and ignite the family’s succession plan. It…

MARKET OPPORTUNITIES

Wildflower seed diversification gives arable tenants security

Diversifying a traditional arable rotation with a wildflower seed business has helped secure a viable future for one tenant farming family, who faced losing their farm to building developments. In…

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Insights

MARKET OPPORTUNITIES

Could sunflowers fill the cropping gap this spring?

The first UK marketing pool for sunflowers gives farmers an alternative spring option to make up some of their winter cropping shortfall. Latest AHDB figures show that the wheat area…

MAIZE

Why grain maize could be a profitable spring cropping option

Grain maize could be a profitable spring option for growers this season, with expected net margins of £914/ha, thanks to growing market demand. After the winter washout wreaked havoc on…

CROP SELECTION

What spring crops should farmers consider in 2024?

Spring cropping choice is set to be more complicated in 2024 as farmers assess the impact of the rain-hampered autumn drilling season with questions over the viability of some crops…

OTHER CROPS

Why flax for fibre could reappear in arable rotations

Rising demand for sustainable fibres and the ability of crops such as flax and hemp to capture carbon from the air could see their return in arable rotations, offering farmers…

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News

OTHER CROPS

Hemp growing made simpler with changes to licensing rules

Changes to hemp licensing rules are set to make it easier for farmers to plan their rotations, thereby making it a more viable break crop on UK farms. Hemp is…

MARKET OPPORTUNITIES

New regenerative wheat standard offers farmers £20/t premium

A new wheat standard that aims to encourage regenerative farming practices and cut chemical use is offering a £20/t premium for compliant farmers. Established by the Green Farm Collective in…

HARVEST

Video: Grower completes world's first Capulet bean harvest

Lincolnshire grower Andrew Ward has successfully harvested the world’s first field-scale trial of Capulet beans destined for the baked bean market. Thanks to the development of a UK-specific common dry…

REGENERATIVE AGRICULTURE

How six farmers hope to earn regen farming premium

Six farmers hope to implement a new assurance standard this September, paving the way to sell regenerative produce under a premium label. The Green Farm Collective initiative also aims to…

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Video

MARKET OPPORTUNITIES

Video: UK agroforestry system integrates fruit and arable

First-generation tenant farmer Stephen Briggs planted the UK’s largest agroforestry system, integrating fruit trees and arable cropping to boost land productivity. More than a decade after the 4,500 apple trees…

ARABLE

Video: How to grow a cereal crop for seed

Cereal growers with clean weed-free ground could earn themselves a significant premium over the price of feed wheat and barley by growing crops for seed production. Prices of 10-12% over…

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