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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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MARKET OPPORTUNITIES

Why blueberries are working well for Northants arable farm

The search for a diversification project that could make use of an existing irrigation abstraction licence, along with a desire to support the next generation, led to the Mee family…

ARABLE

How SFI actions closely align with Herefordshire mixed farm

Chris Greenaway, farm manager at Garnstone Farms in Herefordshire is advising farmers to make the most of the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI), given the accelerated reduction in Basic Payment Scheme…

OILSEED RAPE

Drilling regime and companion crop achieve high OSR yields

Farm manager David Northway’s oilseed rape harvest hit a top yield of 5t/ha in the summer, his highest for nearly 50 years. This was achieved on the farm between Fordingbridge…

ROTATIONS

How an organic Norfolk estate hits £1,000/ha gross margins

Farming soils with an 80% sand content is no easy task, but thanks to a rotation rejig and organic conversion, the Fring Estate in Norfolk is targeting £1,000/ha gross margins.…

CROP MANAGEMENT

How farmer uses biodynamic approach to establish crops

For the past two decades, Wiltshire mixed farmer Richard Gantlett has been using the power of biodynamic farming to grow crops completely free of chemicals and without the plough. With…

SUGAR BEET

Sugar beet grower looks to increase nitrogen with biostimulant

One Suffolk arable contractor is trialling a nitrogen-supplying biostimulant to his sugar beet after a nutrient-draining wet winter, which could potentially cut his use of artificial nitrogen fertiliser. In June,…

Practical advice

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ARABLE

Expert sets out six steps to better spring barley yields

Spring barley was a get-out-of-jail card for some growers last season after wet weather prevented autumn drilling, yet many crops went on to deliver above-average yields. Why they performed so…

PULSES

Getting the most from intercropping: Your questions answered

Intercropping is becoming a popular option for arable farmers looking to reduce chemical inputs and enhance yields. Particularly as the Sustainable Farming Incentive pays £55/ha for companion cropping. Despite its…

PEST MANAGEMENT

How to spot stem weevil in oilseed rape and manage it

Oilseed rape growers are urged to watch out for signs of rape winter stem weevil, following reports of the pest appearing in crops in eastern counties. Despite having potential to…

CROP MANAGEMENT

Agronomist tips for managing late-drilled wheat

Be prepared to be flexible in your approach to managing later-drilled winter wheat crops after the planting delays caused by the wet start to autumn, a leading agronomist is urging.…

ARABLE

How SFI grassy corners and blocks can work most effectively

Grassy corners and blocks are perhaps potentially one of simplest of all the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) options to implement, but, as ever, to deliver the maximum benefit for the…

WEED MANAGEMENT

5 tips for achieving successful residual herbicides sprays

Following a high grassweed pressure season, growers will need to pay extra attention to achieve effective weed control, particularly if drilling early. Farmers Weekly looks at five top tips for…

Insights

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CROP MANAGEMENT

Pesticide rules: NI arable farmers losing out under Brexit

Politicians from all sides are being urged to fix the mess surrounding plant protection products (PPPs) and seed trade between Great Britain and Northern Ireland to prevent irreparable harm to…

DISEASE MANAGEMENT

Improved BYDV tool to give cereal growers better control

Winter cereal growers are set to see a more accurate warning system next season for a key aphid-spread disease. The AHDB’s new Acrobat tool will give a more precise forecast…

ARABLE

Soil health solutions key to reducing fertiliser emissions

Incorporating soil conditioners and biostimulants into farm agronomy programmes could play a role in helping cut on-farm emissions. Soil enhancing solutions can support soil health and nutrient efficiency and in…

CROP MANAGEMENT

Why agri-tech and nature have a place on the farm of the future

Innovative approaches and technical solutions sat alongside nature-friendly practices as the industry looked for potential ways to tackle the industry’s multiple challenges at Rase’s Farm of the Future event. Delivered…

PULSES

Genetic ‘off switch’ and zinc find could promote N fixation

A genetic “off switch” that shuts down nitrogen fixation when soil nitrate levels are high has been identified by a global group of scientists. The regulator gene was successfully removed,…

MARKET OPPORTUNITIES

How farmers can benefit from growing hemp market

Fast growing with break crop suitability, hemp can produce high-value fibres in a low-input system, with low nitrogen requirement, and minimal chemicals. But one of industrial hemp’s major downfalls is…

WEED MANAGEMENT

How new herbicide will benefit growers in autumn 2025

A new co-formulated pre-emergence herbicide based on two new active ingredients is expected to be available in time for autumn 2025 cereal drillings, reports manufacturer FMC. With one of the…

ARABLE

How research is improving bioproduct performance

While the global biological crop protection industry continues to grow, with some analysts forecasting it will double in value to £21.6bn by 2028, adoption remains challenging on-farm due to a…

POTATOES

Potato cyst nematode: Measures being considered in Scotland

Measures to protect Scotland’s seed potato sector from the spread of potato cyst nematodes (PCN) are likely to have implications for ware growers across Great Britain. Roughly 80% of the…

POTATOES

Potato growers advised to stock up mancozeb for new strain

Potato growers are being advised to stock up on the multisite fungicide mancozeb before sales end on 30 November, to help manage resistance risk next season. The advice follows confirmation…

PEST MANAGEMENT

4 AHDB projects to bolster integrated pest management

AHDB Cereals & Oilseeds is to invest in four new research initiatives to help reduce the industry’s reliance on conventional chemistry. Feedback from farmers about research priorities shows that integrated…

ESTABLISHMENT

Cereal seed treatments for farmers to consider this autumn

Seed treatments have many roles, which include fungicide dressings, nutritional enhancers, and in more recent years, the arrival of biological treatments have been added to some agronomy plans. So as…

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