• Valuable revenue this season • Consider agronomic benefits • But remember downsides too Arable growers should think carefully when considering whether to bale and remove straw from fields this summer. High prices for wheat and barley straw mean baling could make financial sense for arable farmers with easy... Read more

Yellow water traps are helping growers win the battle against cabbage stem flea beetle in oilseed rape. Flea beetle was not much in evidence in MagicTraps deployed last autumn by farm manager Jake Freestone. Trap counts were low in what was generally a low pressure season for the oilseed... Read more

• Good choice for cleaning crops • Robust performance in the field • Comparable yields are possible Oilseed rape growers moving on from HEAR varieties are being encouraged to consider growing a Clearfield variety instead. Volunteers rape plants left from HEAR varieties could see high levels of erucic acid... Read more

Advanced crop guidance has transformed inter-row hoeing on an arable farm operating the latest Fendt tractors with VarioGuide RTK. Accurate to +/-2cm, the system on the 942 Vario is used to direct drill cereal crops in bands with a 6m Claydon Evolution, while that on the 724 Vario guides... Read more

Britain’s growers have embraced changes to sugar beet seed purchasing arrangements, says global sugar beet breeder SESVanderHave. Since 2024, farmers can purchase sugar beet seed direct from plant breeders, as well as from British Sugar. “We launched our campaign to supply growers direct for the 2026 sowing at the... Read more

• Blackgrass now emerging later • Implications for cultural control • Spray sequences are important The later and more protracted emergence of blackgrass is prompting a shift in control strategies. Continued use of successful management strategies for blackgrass control developed by agronomy company Hutchinsons is starting to lead to... Read more

Carbon emissions from wheat production can be halved, suggest trials by growers supplying grain to Weetabix. The Lower Carbon Wheat Project was conducted on behalf of the Weetabix Grower’s Group, a collective of over 120 local farmers who grow 75,000 tonnes of wheat annually within 50 miles of the... Read more

Huge differences reported in yields Early yields this harvest are better than expected on some farms – but other crops coming off the field are disappointing. After a rollercoaster growing season marked by prolonged drought followed by sudden downpours, combine harvesters rolled into barley crops in late June –... Read more