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Know How / Crop management

Managing your crops through the growing season means careful nutrition and fertiliser use for maximum crop yields and keeping a watchful eye on pest, weeds and disease control.

Read expert advice, case studies, and tips on how to achieve the best yields and growth through best-practice crop management techniques, on all crops including wheat, barley, oilseed rape, potatoes, sugar beet and more niche crops.

Case studies

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DISEASE MANAGEMENT

Fungicide gives grower good returns in high septoria year

Chris Baylis is seeing a clear yield benefit in using a relatively new septoria-specific flag leaf fungicide on his winter wheat in high-disease pressure seasons, and is planning to use…

NUTRITION AND FERTILISER

N-fixing bacteria cuts cost and lifts yield for Cambs growers

Cambridgeshire farmers Stephen and Jon Eayrs added a nitrogen-fixing bacterial endophyte to their winter wheat fertiliser programme last season, with promising results to show for it. The father-and-son team wanted…

BARLEY

How low-input spring malting barley wins for Dorset farm

Dorset spring malting barley growers David and Ben Chick are continuing to grow the crop, despite collapsing malting premiums, as it performs consistently with low inputs and has won them…

CROP MANAGEMENT

Potato expert cultivates soil-led resilience in systems

When John Sarup was named Farmers Weekly's 2025 Arable Adviser of the Year, the award recognised more than 40 years at the sharp end of specialist potato agronomy. Four months…

CROP MANAGEMENT

How Lincs grower reclaimed world record oilseed rape yield

Lincolnshire grower Tim Lamyman has reclaimed the world record oilseed rape yield, with a staggering 7.71t/ha crop. The record-breaking yield came during one of the driest growing seasons, where Tim…

ARABLE

How 6 farmers are managing fertiliser use in tight season

With margins tighter than ever, how is the Arable Insights farmer panel approaching fertiliser use in wheat crops this spring? Farmers Weekly asks six farmers across the regions for an…

Practical advice

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NUTRITION AND FERTILISER

7 tips to make fertiliser go further this spring

While many farmers have already purchased fertiliser for this season, there will be some who haven’t been able to do that, whether it’s because of storage restrictions, cashflow or other…

DISEASE MANAGEMENT

Advice on effective late blight control in potatoes

Alternating fungicides to protect chemistry is key to maintaining effective late blight control in potatoes. Resistance management is a central component of any potato blight programme as aggressive and resistant…

CROP MANAGEMENT

Advice on key focus areas to ease pressure on arable margins

The outlook for arable businesses in the year ahead is one of tightening margins, rising costs and increasing uncertainty. Farm output is under significant strain, driven primarily by poor commodity…

LIVESTOCK

Advice on growing successful maize crops after a wet winter

Challenging wet weather, waterlogged soils and flooded sites mean growers must be flexible and develop a farm-specific strategy to get maize seed in the ground this year. Conditions are not…

CROP MANAGEMENT

Why spring beans benefit from earlier drilling

Lower growing costs, the opportunity to exploit the break crop effect, and better variety choice are all good reasons to grow spring beans this year. However, timely drilling is advised…

PEST MANAGEMENT

10-point plan to beat flea beetle in oilseed rape

Oilseed rape growers are being urged to follow a 10-point plan to limit damage from cabbage stem flea beetles, with the most important factor being choosing a drilling date. AHDB's…

Insights

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POTATOES

How McCain is using a demo farm to reach its regen targets

A farm in Yorkshire is the home of the third global “Farm of the Future” launched by prepared potato product manufacturer McCain, following others in Canada and South Africa. The…

DISEASE MANAGEMENT

Yellow rust wheat threat mounts ahead of T1 fungicide sprays

Winter wheat growers face a heightened challenge of controlling septoria and yellow rust in their crops this season, with both diseases clearly visible in early spring. Farmers Weekly visited North…

ARABLE

Arable farm management software: The options and prices

For years, farm management software has been limited mostly to three options, with Gatekeeper and Greenlight Grower Management (GLGM) – also known colloquially as Muddy Boots – by far the…

NUTRITION AND FERTILISER

Fertiliser buying advice as Iran conflict squeezes supplies

Disruption in the Strait of Hormuz amid the US‑Iran conflict has stalled one-third of global urea trade, triggering pressure on UK fertiliser supplies. The situation is fluid and volatile, and…

PULSES

Beans can deliver high yields in Scotland, trial shows

A trial has shown that growing beans in Scotland can successfully deliver high yields, but careful site selection, variety selection and drilling date are key to success. Scottish break crops…

DISEASE MANAGEMENT

Yellow rust forces rethink of wheat fungicide programmes

Wheat growers are urged to re-evaluate fungicide strategies for 2026 now the new race of yellow rust has overcome the YR15 resistance gene widely used in winter wheat varieties. Jonathan…

DISEASE MANAGEMENT

How two changes can triple the lifespan of SDHI fungicides

Winter wheat growers are being advised to utilise the four main groups of fungicides to help fight any build-up of disease resistance and prolong the life of newer products. This…

CROP MANAGEMENT

High crop yields key to gross margins and lower emissions

High yields are often associated with inflated input costs that erode profit and intensive systems which damage the environment, but emerging evidence tells a very different story. Insights from the…

DISEASE MANAGEMENT

Key sugar beet disease forecasts a moderate to high risk

The virus yellows forecast suggests moderate to high infection risk in 2026, particularly in eastern factory regions. Carried out by Rothamsted Research, the models based on January-February temperatures indicate earlier…

PEST MANAGEMENT

How odour, sound and vibrations can control crop pests

Could weaponising odour, sound or microbes found naturally on crop leaves be the solution to some of the toughest pest challenges growers face?  From scent-based repellents that disguise crops from…

SOILS

Why arable farmers should target 5% soil organic matter

Targeting a soil organic matter level of 5% and maintaining a neutral pH can help optimise crop nutrition and promote good soil husbandry. Organic matter is the soil’s main nutrient…

CROP MANAGEMENT

Yield cap and disease control in spotlight at agronomy event

The recent Agronomy Exchange conference (11 February) offered insights into how UK arable farming can be fit for future challenges.  Farmers Weekly rounds up some event highlights. Agronomy focus shift…

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