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Know How / Wheat / Land preparation

Making a good seed-bed is essential, whether you are growing spring wheat or winter wheat. With such a huge range of kit and techniques at your disposal, finding the right one for your situation can be a minefield. Discover how different cultivation regimes are working for wheat growers and how they are helping to overcome agronomic challenges.

Case studies

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MARKET OPPORTUNITIES

Why a Scottish estate harvests crops every month of the year

Crops are harvested 12 months of the year at Stracathro Estate on the east coast of Scotland to fuel a 2MW anaerobic digestion plant, which requires the equivalent feedstock of…

CROP MANAGEMENT

How two farmers are cutting back on fungicides this spring

Two arable farmers are planning to dramatically cut back their fungicide spend this spring, helping to overcome rising chemical costs. Wiltshire grower George Hosier aims to spend the absolute minimum,…

ESTABLISHMENT

Drill change improves cereal crop resilience

Spring barley was the last crop to be fully drilled with the 3m Mzuri Pro-till drill and despite the tricky spring, it yielded nearly 8t/ha last summer.  Neil White believes…

SOILS

Organic no-till system saves US grower over £1.6m in costs

US farmer Rick Clark calculates that he is taking £1.62m of costs out of his 3,000ha Indiana farm business on an annual basis, thanks to the organic no-till regime he…

REGENERATIVE AGRICULTURE

Farm cuts diesel costs and improves yields in move to regen

Getting the basics right and changing systems slowly to get soil into the right place for direct drilling has been a successful strategy for Revesby Estate’s farm manager Peter Cartwright.…

CROP MANAGEMENT

How Yorkshire grower reduced risk with regenerative system

A focus on saving money was the start of Jonathan Hodgson’s interest in developing a regenerative farming system, as he looked for ways to reduce input costs, but maintain profits…

Practical advice

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CROP MANAGEMENT

How to companion crop successfully in winter wheat

Companion cropping is an emerging practice that is recognised in the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) with an action that attracts a payment of £55/ha. In its most common form, it…

ARABLE

How to plan crop and soil management after a washout season

Soils, rotations and cashflows were all impacted by the 2023-24 growing season washout, meaning there are important decisions to be made ahead of the new cropping year. The smallest wheat…

COVER CROPS

A guide to catch cropping before autumn cereals

While many farmers are growing cover crops over winter before spring crops, there is also the possibility of establishing a catch crop between harvest and an autumn-drilled crop. The key…

SOILS

5 steps to introducing a no-till approach on arable farms

Farmer-led organisation Base-UK will be recommending a five-stage approach to adopting regenerative farming at Cereals, for growers looking to start their no-till journey. The five steps are: 1. Have a…

SOILS

How to build a bioreactor to produce your own on-farm biology

Building biology on your farm doesn’t need to cost the earth, although it does require a level of patience. There is more than one way to increase microbial activity in…

ARABLE

Regenerative agriculture: What to avoid and how to start

Farmers considering the move to a regenerative farming system must have a plan and introduce gradual changes, or there’s a danger that they will expose their businesses to an unacceptable…

Insights

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ARABLE

Herbal leys help halve nitrogen fertiliser use for wheat

Winter wheat growers could halve their nitrogen fertiliser rates after using a three-year herbal ley and not see a fall in yield compared with an all-arable rotation. Introducing a multi-species…

SOILS

Farm soil carbon: Is the focus on sequestration right?

Arable farmers must be realistic about the amount of carbon that can be locked up in soils and should be wary of exaggerated claims about sequestration, warns a leading soil…

SOILS

What to consider when increasing soil carbon stocks

Soil organic matter underpins soil health, providing numerous benefits to its physical and chemical properties. But what is it, and how can farmers effectively increase levels to get the most…

NUTRITION AND FERTILISER

How tests for additional available N can cut fertiliser use

A soil nitrogen (N) test that has been available for the past 20 years is in line to have its most successful season ever, not just because of sky-high fertiliser…

NUTRITION AND FERTILISER

Advice on trimming fertiliser rates when prices are high

Growers looking to cut back on fertiliser rates next spring because of the high prices are being advised to take a field-by-field approach. Last year, fertiliser costs averaged about 65p/kg…

ARABLE

Regen farming data show variable costs cut by 18%

Latest results from the Groundswell benchmarking group show that everything is lower in a regenerative agriculture system, except for the all-important net margin. Variable costs are 18% lower, while labour…

SOILS

6 companies offering carbon-based payments to arable farmers

From government-backed schemes to voluntary private markets, there has been an explosion of interest in developing carbon and additional ecosystem service credits that could provide a new income stream for…

SOILS

How new carbon offset scheme for regenerative ag works

The first UK-certified soil carbon offsetting scheme is available to farmers who use regenerative agriculture practices, offering them a commercial opportunity worth up to £100/ha from sequestering carbon in their…

SOILS

Will soil carbon be the next big crop for growers?

It feels like a perfect storm: the urgency of climate change, the global surge in interest in regenerative agricultural practices and the need for new income streams. They are all…

SOILS

How the UK's first soil carbon mapping service works

The UK’s first carbon mapping service, capable of providing an accurate baseline measure of soil carbon levels, is now available to farmers. The technology, known as Terramap Carbon, will gauge…

SOILS

Fermenting organic matter better for soil than composting

Fermenting organic matter in a similar way to ensiling grass, rather than composting waste, can lead to greater improvements in soil health while at the same time helping farmers to…

SOILS

Tips on getting soils and rotations back on track

After one of the wettest winters on record, it could be assumed that UK arable soils will be in desperate need of first aid before the next cropping season begins.…

Online resources from AHDB

Field drainage guide

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No-till fact sheet

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Soil assessment fact sheet

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Slug control fact sheet

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