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Know How / Rotations

Advice for growers on building the best crop rotation plan to keep disease, pest and weed pressure down, while maximising return on cereals, oilseed rape, beans, sugar beet and potatoes. Find out how other farmers are managing the switch to spring cropping to get on top of blackgrass.

Advice and tips

ARABLE

How arable farmers can turn things around this spring

It may feel like doom and gloom at present, as any rare dry days are predictably followed by another spell of rain – a cycle that has limited field work…

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,…

BLACKGRASS

10 learnings from more than 21 years of blackgrass trials

More than two decades of work at Agrii’s Stow Longa site have shown how blackgrass can be successfully managed with plots getting as low as zero ears/sq m on a…

CROP MANAGEMENT

Cereals 2021: E-tools to help plan environmental options

Three e-tools to help with the on-farm planning and delivery of environmental schemes were being demonstrated by the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (UKCEH) at Cereals 2021. Developed as…

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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.…

ROTATIONS

How arable estate gets the best out of stewardship schemes

Agri-environment schemes have already provided resilience and risk management at Buckminster Farms, a large-scale farming business on the Leicestershire/Lincolnshire border. The challenge ahead is to integrate elements of the Sustainable…

ARABLE

Food production remains key on nature-friendly arable farm

All three of the distinct land types at Somerleyton Estate, near Lowestoft, are being put to best use, generating a diversified income for the business and supporting both people and…

ARABLE

How nature focus helps profits rise on east Kent farm

A switch to nature-friendly farming is boosting profitability on one east Kent farm, with inputs slashed, soils improved and price premiums gained as grain yields are held at high levels.…

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Insights

ROTATIONS

SFI 2023: Tips on making it work on your farm

One in eight eligible farmers have now submitted a Sustainable Farming Incentive application, with more than 11,000 applications to the scheme and more than 100 farmers applying every day, according…

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…

WHEAT

Tips on growing profitable second wheats

Farmers on decent wheat-growing land should consider adding second wheats to the rotation, as few other crops are as profitable. Although margins are tighter due to higher input costs –…

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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…

ARABLE

Trial sees 9.7t/ha yield from zero-input bean-oat bicrop

A crop of oats grown with no inputs apart from seed and a companion crop of winter beans has produced an exceptional yield in a Northamptonshire trial. Bicropping is gaining…

ROTATIONS

How farmers can benefit from new rotation planning tool

The launch of a new farm rotation planning tool is set to benefit users by costing out a range of potential cropping and machinery scenarios. The Business Performance module developed…

ARABLE

Cereals 2022: OSR area predicted to bounce back by 17%

Oilseed rape plantings are set to bounce back by 17% this autumn, according to a survey of growers. This is on the back of the best crop survival and conditions…

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Video

POTATOES

Video: Potato planting races ahead in rejigged farm rotation

Potato planting was racing ahead in south Somerset this month, after farm manager Ollie Blackburn rejigged his crop rotation to improve soil fertility and structure for his spuds. He hopes…

ARABLE

Video: Hertfordshire grower introduces livestock to rotation

One grower's experiences of introducing livestock into the rotation of a Hertfordshire arable farm have been discussed in a new video from AHDB Cereal and Oilseeds. Royston Monitor Farm host Jo…

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