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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

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…

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…

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Case studies

MARKET OPPORTUNITIES

Groundswell 2025: Oxfordshire regen farm works with bakery chain

A loaf of sourdough on sale in Gail’s bakery, and named after the Oxfordshire farm the flour was sourced from, is described by the bakery chain as a celebration of…

MARKET OPPORTUNITIES

On-farm grain processing adds value and market

Taylors Farm in Lancashire has transformed itself from a traditional beef and arable farm into a regional hub for grain processing services. Over the past five years, the Webster family…

OTHER CROPS

The perennial crop offering a maize alternative for biogas

Maize is wonderful crop to grow for biogas. But imagine an alternative that is cheaper to grow, is a perennial (so doesn’t need drilling each spring) and provides valuable food…

OTHER CROPS

Why East Yorks grower added flax to the rotation

Jonathan Hodgson isn’t averse to growing niche crops at Great Newsome Farm in East Yorkshire, and for the past three years his cropping mix has included a fibre crop that…

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Insights

MARKET OPPORTUNITIES

How heritage rye is used to produce regen premium whisky

A startup firm is delving into English whisky making, which is a relatively rare concept, and its core product is rarer still – rye whisky. Fielden regen whisky has a…

MARKET OPPORTUNITIES

High-fibre milling wheat set to offer growers new market

Commercial crops of premium-earning, high-fibre milling wheats are a step closer after bread made using wheat lines naturally high in soluble dietary fibre passed the taste test. Scientists at Rothamsted…

MARKET OPPORTUNITIES

Why biscuit brand is rewarding farmers for regen wheat

Payments for wheat growers moving to more sustainable farming practices are on offer from biscuit and snack maker Pladis, the owner of McVitie’s, as it expands its Back to Farm…

MARKET OPPORTUNITIES

Why we could see increased demand for British oats

The provisional UK oat area for the 2025-26 growing season is estimated to be the largest in five years, with a 13% uplift on last year. Oats have become an…

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News

MARKET OPPORTUNITIES

Crumpets made from 100% British regen wheat launched

Crumpets made from 100% British regeneratively farmed wheat are the latest product launch from regen food and farming business Wildfarmed. The launch marks the brand’s first expansion from bread into…

MARKET OPPORTUNITIES

Huge linseed demand fuels high spring contract offers

A £600/t spring linseed contract for the 2026 harvest has been launched in response to rising demand across food, feed and industrial markets. The updated contract from Premium Crops provides…

MARKET OPPORTUNITIES

New Wildfarmed partnership unveils British barista oat drink

Regenerative food and farming business Wildfarmed has partnered with barista brand Minor Figures to launch a new drink made with regeneratively grown British oats. Barista Oat (Regenerative) is the latest…

MARKET OPPORTUNITIES

Sustainable soya alternative gathers pace with pea research

A pioneering UK research project has developed new pea varieties with enhanced nutrition, reduced allergens, and no traditional pea flavour – a major step towards creating a home-grown alternative 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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