Exhibitors at the Midlands Machinery Show say the event is well-timed for farmers looking to make the most of government grants. A number of machinery, technology and productivity grants are expected to re-open this winter – including grants for farm equipment, says Tom Cheer, agricultural business consultant at Brown... Read more
Growing interest in agricultural sustainability is reflected in the range of exhibitors booked for this year’s Midlands Machinery Show, held on November 8-9 at the Newark Showground. Attendees will have plenty of time to browse machinery with a ‘green’ theme. This includes electric vehicles, minimum tillage and precision application... Read more
Growers unable to drill oilseed rape until last month due to the wet summer can rest assured that sowing the crop in September is not necessarily a bad thing. Later drilled oilseed rape can still produce a profitable crop – if it is a phoma-resistant hybrid variety variety with... Read more
Fewer cultivations can be good for soil structure and health – but ploughing still has its place and can bring dividends, suggests the latest research. Nitrogen Use Efficiency (NUE) and greenhouse gas emissions both depend on crop productivity. And despite the ups and downs of grain markets and input... Read more
Reset fields hit by resistant ryegrass
Arable 04/10/2023
Cultural controls are helping to rid fields of herbicide resistant ryegrass on a Nottinghamshire farm. It comes after father and son team Peter and Rob Barlow took on 160ha of land infested with the weed. Soil types vary from gravel through to heavy loam across the farm which encompasses... Read more
Decision to grow Mayflower pays off
Arable 04/10/2023
A Northamptonshire grower is drilling double the amount of winter wheat Mayflower this autumn after the variety performed well in difficult conditions. Emma Bletsoe, of Denford Ash Farm, near Kettering, was delighted with her first-time crop of the Group Two variety which bucked the recent negative trends of sliding... Read more
Growers are reminded to avoid short gaps between spraying off and drilling, which can leave a green bridge for aphids to survive and spread barley yellow dwarf virus into new crops. Cereal volunteers and some weed species can host grain aphids and bird cherry-oat aphids – both of which... Read more
A change in the law means farmers must now provide photo identification before they purchase ammonium nitrate fertiliser this autumn. The law change came into effect on 1 October. It affects sales of AN fertilisers with a nitrogen content of 16% or more and represents a widening of the Control... Read more
Drill cover crops with match funding
News 04/10/2023
Midland farmers can receive funding and free specialist advice to drill cover crops this autumn – thanks to Severn Trent’s Environmental Protection Scheme (STEPS). The water company is paying growers up to £175/ha to match-fund seed purchases. It is also offering free support from its team of agricultural advisers,... Read more
Defra faces criticism for SFI rollout
News 04/10/2023
Payments to farmers who join the government’s Sustainable Farming Incentive will be made before the year-end, says Defra. The pledge follows NFU criticism that the government is forging ahead with the phase-out of the Basic Payment Scheme without giving farmers the opportunity to recoup at least some of the... Read more