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VARIETY SELECTION

Why Essex grower is expanding Scope wheat area this autumn

Essex grower Jeremy Durrant is so impressed with the new top-yielding feed winter wheat variety Scope that it will take up a quarter of his 500ha winter wheat area next…

HARVEST

Harvest 2025: OSR yields well but wheats are mixed

Harvest is gathering pace across England, with oilseed rape yielding well and coming in dry and clean. Wheat yields are mixed, but grain quality is notably high, with strong specific…

FARMER FOCUS

Farmer Focus: Harvest is in the lap of the gods

For combinable crop farmers July is the month when we are bystanders as our senescent crops ready themselves for harvest. Our work is done, fortunes are in the lap of…

HARVEST

OSR bounces back, with good yields and fresh optimism

After several challenging oilseed rape (OSR) seasons, early harvest reports suggest the crop is on the road to recovery. Among the most striking yields was John Thomas’ crop of hybrid…

HARVEST

Harvest 2025: Yields reflect drought-hit season

Rain has hindered harvest progress in some parts of the country this week, with crops on heavier land performing better than their lighter land counterparts. See also: Harvest round-up: A…

FARMER FOCUS

Farmer Focus: Going full regen not as easy as some make out

I was back at Groundswell again this year. It’s unrecognisable from the first one in its scale and the breadth of stands and speakers, and I don’t imagine Prince William…

SOILS

How trial is cracking calcite problem in high-calcium soils

A trial is looking at how to break up the hardened calcite layer which is being increasingly seen in some high-calcium soils. Independent soil consultant David Purdy highlights that the…

CROP MANAGEMENT

Why straw removal requires rethink for future nutrient plans

Farmers baling straw this summer are reminded to tailor nutrient plans for the following crop to compensate for the removal of phosphate and potash. It is recorded by the AHDB…

HARVEST

Harvest round-up: A season of record-breaking early starts

It has been a record-breaking harvest – unfortunately not in yield terms. Rather, combines have been clearing fields across the UK weeks ahead of usual timings. The prolonged dry weather…

LAND PREPARATION

Grower uses drone to sow catch crop into standing wheat

An East Yorkshire regen farmer is trialling the establishment of a multispecies catch crop into a standing crop of wheat, using the largest UK spraying and spreading drone. Jonathon Hodgson…

ARABLE

How plant breeding tech will benefit farmers over next decade

A decade might sound a long time, but in the plant breeding world it’s not that far off. Plant breeders are already working on wheat varieties that farmers will be growing…

FARMER FOCUS

Farmer Focus: No chance to rest before harvest

The lead up to harvest is meant to be a quiet time on most farms, with holidays taken in preparation for the long hours ahead. I have managed a fleeting…

HARVEST

Harvest 2025: OSR yields variable but good oil levels

As harvest progresses across the country, winter barley is generally performing well with good specific weights, and merchants are beginning to see the first loads of wheat and oilseed rape. …

Arable news

HARVEST

Cambs OSR crop yields over 4.2t/ha despite drought

Cambridgeshire-based farmer Philip Allen kicked off his oilseed rape harvest on 9 July, 10 days earlier than last year with a seed crop of Pi Pinnacle coming off at 9%…

ARABLE

Adas to pull plug on cereal and oilseed YENs

Crop consultancy Adas has announced it will cease facilitation of the Cereal and Oilseeds Yield Enhancement Networks (YENs) – a move prompted by declining sponsorship. Founded in 2012, YEN has…

PEST MANAGEMENT

Beet growers to gain from emergency approval for beet moth

Beet growers seeing high levels of beet moth are set to benefit from the emergency authorisation of an insecticide used in maize and carrot crops. Sugar beet growers were counting…

MARKET OPPORTUNITIES

Wildfarmed expands into oats and barley markets

Regenerative supply chain brand Wildfarmed has become a formidable force in the UK, with 150 farmers supplying more than 1,000 retail customers, ranging from micro-bakeries to large food businesses. While…

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VARIETY SELECTION

Why Essex grower is expanding Scope wheat area this autumn

Essex grower Jeremy Durrant is so impressed with the new top-yielding feed winter wheat variety Scope that it will take up a quarter of his 500ha winter wheat area next…

ENVIRONMENT

Award-winner shows ploughing can go alongside sustainability

Cambridgeshire farmer David Felce has been named this year’s winner of the BASF Rawcliffe Bridge Sustainability Award, for his focus on promoting biodiversity. David, who farms with his wife Hayley…

SOILS

How trial is cracking calcite problem in high-calcium soils

A trial is looking at how to break up the hardened calcite layer which is being increasingly seen in some high-calcium soils. Independent soil consultant David Purdy highlights that the…

CROP MANAGEMENT

Why straw removal requires rethink for future nutrient plans

Farmers baling straw this summer are reminded to tailor nutrient plans for the following crop to compensate for the removal of phosphate and potash. It is recorded by the AHDB…

HARVEST

Harvest round-up: A season of record-breaking early starts

It has been a record-breaking harvest – unfortunately not in yield terms. Rather, combines have been clearing fields across the UK weeks ahead of usual timings. The prolonged dry weather…

LAND PREPARATION

Grower uses drone to sow catch crop into standing wheat

An East Yorkshire regen farmer is trialling the establishment of a multispecies catch crop into a standing crop of wheat, using the largest UK spraying and spreading drone. Jonathon Hodgson…

ARABLE

How plant breeding tech will benefit farmers over next decade

A decade might sound a long time, but in the plant breeding world it’s not that far off. Plant breeders are already working on wheat varieties that farmers will be growing…

DISEASE MANAGEMENT

4 key steps to reduce the risk of ergot in grain

Researchers have identified four key areas where farmers can reduce ergot disease pressure, limit crop infection and keep clean grain clean. Adas experts have carried out an AHDB-funded review which…

SOILS

Grower's insights from four-year clover living mulch trial

Matt England, estate manager at the Fring Estate in Norfolk, has been exploring the potential of clover living mulches, testing how ground-hugging clovers can accumulate nitrogen and suppress weeds. The…

SOILS

Why two returning farmers pressed for regenerative change

After 18 years working in sports marketing in London and for the Department of Health, Jennie Tatlock returned to the family farm in the Yorkshire Wolds in 2022, along with…

VARIETY SELECTION

How next-generation wheats will benefit late drillers

A cross between winter and spring wheat, a new type of wheat variety is set to shake up the seed trade. Referred to as a Sprinter wheat, its huge early…

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…

ARABLE

What's in the latest capital grants offer for arable farmers?

A new round of capital grants worth £150m has opened in England, with arable farmers welcoming the latest opportunity to apply for funding to make environmental improvements. Against a tight…

ARABLE

Why Herts farming family are moving their business to France

The negative impact on tenant farmers of changes to the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) and the greater return on investment to be found overseas are two of the key reasons…

SOILS

Groundswell 2025: Regen farming learnings from Gabe Brown

Sunlight is the most powerful resource on farm, but is also underused, suggests world-renowned US regenerative farmer Gabe Brown. “This is where our income as farmers comes from,” he said…

ARABLE

Groundswell 25: Farmers reveal what makes a good grower group

Successful grower groups are those with good farmer engagement, flexible funding arrangements and an unwavering focus on two-way knowledge exchange, rather than knowledge transfer. A Groundswell session bringing together participants…

Farmer Focus

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FARMER FOCUS

Farmer Focus: Harvest is in the lap of the gods

For combinable crop farmers July is the month when we are bystanders as our senescent crops ready themselves for harvest. Our work is done, fortunes are in the lap of…

FARMER FOCUS

Farmer Focus: Going full regen not as easy as some make out

I was back at Groundswell again this year. It’s unrecognisable from the first one in its scale and the breadth of stands and speakers, and I don’t imagine Prince William…

FARMER FOCUS

Farmer Focus: No chance to rest before harvest

The lead up to harvest is meant to be a quiet time on most farms, with holidays taken in preparation for the long hours ahead. I have managed a fleeting…

FARMER FOCUS

Farmer Focus: Once again leaving Groundswell on a high

It was so nice to be back at Groundswell. Last year was the first time I had missed the event since it began. The positive vibe and optimism are always…

Markets

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CROPS MARKETS AND PRICES

Promising OSR crop revives industry calls for new growers

Many farmers have moved away from growing oilseed rape (OSR) in recent years, with the total GB planted area estimated at 236,000ha in 2025, which would make it the smallest…

CROPS MARKETS AND PRICES

UK potato growers challenged by low prices and crop concerns

Ex-farm potato prices have fallen sharply in recent months, with an abundance of potatoes across Europe weighing heavily on domestic markets. An exceptionally dry spring aided earlier plantings this year.…

CROPS MARKETS AND PRICES

Feed beans slip to £210/t with early harvest under way

Prolonged dry conditions have brought harvest forward, with growers starting to cut winter beans in southern regions of England several weeks earlier than usual this year. Feed beans have fallen…

CROPS MARKETS AND PRICES

Wheat slips to £160/t as harvest approaches

Domestic wheat markets remain under pressure, with a bearish global outlook and exchange rates making imports even more competitive versus UK grain. The spot price for ex-farm feed wheat collected…

CROPS MARKETS AND PRICES

Standing straw auctions kick off season on a high

Auctioneers have reported exceptional demand for standing straw ahead of harvest, although there seems to be a great deal of variation between locations. A “tremendous” trade was observed by auctioneering…

MARKETS AND TRENDS

Ag markets react sharply to conflict in Middle East

Fuel, fertiliser and oilseeds markets have experienced considerable volatility in recent days, driven by escalating geopolitical tensions in the Middle East. Initial reports of conflict caused markets to rally last…

CROPS MARKETS AND PRICES

Ex-farm spot wheat outperforms futures prices

A hefty premium has emerged in the last year between ex-farm spot prices and UK feed wheat futures contracts, according to analysis by grain trading platform Hectare. Ex-farm prices for…

CROPS MARKETS AND PRICES

New crop wheat at £176/t sparks concern for growers

Sentiment among arable farmers has been downbeat for much of the past year, with farmgate prices in descent and persistent weather challenges weighing on the sector. A strong pound has…

Spot and forward prices (£/t ex-farm)
Each set of prices comes from a single merchant, co-op or broker, and are the latest prices being paid to farmers. Ranges of prices, within one category relate to the distance of the farm from the buyer. Oilseed rape prices are latest spot and forward prices, not contract prices. Ex farm prices vary with the distance from Hull, Liverpool and Erith, crushing factories.

Arable machinery

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COMBINES

Power hike for flagship Claas Trion 760 combine harvester

There’s a new top dog in Claas’s Trion 700 combine harvester range, packing a gutsier engine, bigger grain tank and higher-spec cab than its predecessor. Primarily aimed at customers who…

CULTIVATORS

Amtec introduces Torox 'old-school' disc cultivators

The advent of minimum tillage and regenerative farming practices sounded the death knell for “old-school” heavy-duty disc cultivators from the likes of Simba and Gregoire-Besson. But Amtec, the Warwickshire-based used…

TRACTORS

Xtra models supersede 205-305hp Massey 8S tractors

Massey Ferguson is to replace its standard 2020-launched 8S range with a series of “Xtra” tractors that cover the same power outputs. The changes sound more sweeping than they are,…

TRACTORS

Nokian extends Soil King VF tyres for 100-200hp tractors

Two sizes suited to 100-200hp tractors have been added to the Nokian Soil King VF radial tractor tyre range, bringing the benefits of this particular design – and the VF…

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