Farmers and grain store managers are being invited to attend a training event to improve their pest control strategies. Co-hosted by pest control supplier Killgerm and BASF, the one-day event in North Yorkshire costs £60+VAT. It will include live demonstrations, presentations, group discussions and practical sessions from industry experts.... Read more
Agri-environment schemes The Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) can be valuable in terms of implementing a more active risk management strategy. The SFI allows growers to take out the worst-performing areas, or lowest margin crops within a rotation, and replace them with a fixed return with almost zero risk. The... Read more
The likelihood of lower profits this harvest will emphasise the need to shield arable businesses against high levels of risk and volatility. A typical arable farm will generate just £80/ha in net margin – equivalent to profit before rent and finance – for combinable crops from harvest 2024, according... Read more
A scientific breakthrough could provide UK farmers with environmentally friendly protection against a key sugar beet disease. Researchers at the Norwich-based John Innes Centre have developed a non-chemical molecular approach to protect crops against virus yellows – a disease which can reduce sugar beet yields by as much as... Read more
Growers are being advised to discuss their requirements with plant breeders before ordering sugar beet seed tolerant to challenges faced by the crop. Six new sugar beet varieties have been added to the British Beet Research Organisation recommended list for drilling in 2025. They include varieties tolerant to Beet... Read more
Farmers are invited to attend a special Land Drainage Hub hosted by the National Association of Agricultural Contractors at Cereals. Experts will be on hand at 10.30am and 1.30pm on both days of the two-day event to help pinpoint the best way forward for growers looking to upgrade drainage... Read more
The latest farming innovations, demonstrations and technical developments will take pride of place at this month’s Cereals event. To be held on 11-12 June at Bygrave Woods in Hertfordshire, the two-day show will include new products and scientific techniques being developed to improve crop health, farm efficiencies and profitability.... Read more
Growers switching to liquid fertiliser are being advised to start planning now for the autumn cropping season. A wet eight months mean more arable farmers are moving away from solid fertiliser, says Phil Burrell, head of crop nutrition for Yara. Now is a good time to start planning for... Read more
An emergency approval has been granted for paraffin oil product Olie-H in seed potato crops – helping growers tackle non-persistent aphid-vectored viruses. Non-persistently transmitted potyviruses – sometimes called mosaic viruses – are the most problematic viral diseases affecting British potato production. Currently, the dominant species is potato virus Y... Read more
King’s award for slug pellet manufacturer
Arable 03/06/2024
The UK’s only manufacturer of slug pellets has received a King’s Award for International Trade –recognising the company’s growth in overseas sales. Supplying both the farming and the amateur home and garden sectors, Nottinghamshire-based Doff Portland has seen overseas sales growth of 300% over three years. Exports now represent... Read more