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CROP WATCH

Crop Watch: Late beet emergence and cereal leaf roller moth

This week, the key topics include 10-week delayed sugar beet emergence, the first season since the 1960s managing potato disease without mancozeb and wheat fields in the East seeing damage…

FARMER FOCUS

Farmer Focus: This year's mighty blackgrass battle

I hope everyone has had some meaningful moisture recently. It has certainly made a difference here. This year, blackgrass in the oats was flowering by 10 April, most of it…

CROP SELECTION

Cereals 2026: Higher growing costs shape autumn cropping

Autumn drilling plans were being finalised at Cereals as growers looked for ways to cope with the greater volatility, increased risk and cost pressures caused by the Iran conflict and…

FARMER FOCUS

Farmer Focus: Fertiliser secured for next season

After temperatures reached 32C at the end of May, causing damage to crops on the lighter land, rain at the start of June brought a welcome change. However, constant rain…

VARIETY SELECTION

Cereals 2026: Hybrid wheats offer yield and consistency

A new generation of hybrid wheat varieties could soon help UK growers break through the yield plateau, thanks to hybrid vigour and more extensive rooting. Other benefits include greater yield…

PEST MANAGEMENT

Cereals 2026: OSR growers to benefit from new slug pellet

Oilseed rape growers are set to benefit from a new-mode-of-action slug pellet this summer, offering more rapid and effective control of the pest than ferric phosphate. Containing elemental iron, Ferrabait…

WEED MANAGEMENT

Cereals 2026: Lincs farmer gives thumbs up to new herbicide

A Lincolnshire grower has given a new-mode-of-action herbicide the thumbs up and says it will be a key part of his wheat herbicide programme this autumn. Last summer, Fundatis gained…

VARIETY SELECTION

Cereals 2026: Hybrid wheats offer yield and consistency

A new generation of hybrid wheat varieties could soon help UK growers break through the yield plateau, thanks to hybrid vigour and more extensive rooting. Other benefits include greater yield…

PEST MANAGEMENT

Cereals 2026: OSR growers to benefit from new slug pellet

Oilseed rape growers are set to benefit from a new-mode-of-action slug pellet this summer, offering more rapid and effective control of the pest than ferric phosphate. Containing elemental iron, Ferrabait…

WEED MANAGEMENT

Cereals 2026: Lincs farmer gives thumbs up to new herbicide

A Lincolnshire grower has given a new-mode-of-action herbicide the thumbs up and says it will be a key part of his wheat herbicide programme this autumn. Last summer, Fundatis gained…

BARLEY

Gene-edited barley with higher lipid levels is UK first

A gene-edited spring barley with higher lipid levels has become the first crop to receive a Precision Bred Organism (PBO) marketing notice through the UK’s new regulatory pathway for precision…

VARIETY SELECTION

Latest winter wheats deliver top yields and early maturity

KWS is bringing a powerful line-up of hard Group 4 winter wheats to growers, with newly recommended KWS Aintree leading the charge, closely followed by early-maturing KWS Fowlmere. They offer…

VARIETY SELECTION

Cereals 26: Wheat options with better yellow rust resistance

More seed of winter wheat feed varieties with good resistance to yellow rust will be available this autumn after the resistance of many popular wheat varieties fell sharply last year.…

NUTRITION AND FERTILISER

How to unlock phosphate and improve herbicide efficacy

Up to 80% of applied phosphate can become locked up within days of application, significantly reducing the effectiveness of the fertiliser. “Research shows less than 10% of applied phosphate may…

Arable news

CROP SELECTION

EU lawmakers vote to commercialise gene-edited crops

The European Parliament has given the green light to the future commercialisation of gene-edited crops, bringing EU legislation closer to rules that already apply in the UK. In a vote…

ARABLE

Australia weighs fate of paraquat ahead of key ruling

Australia’s pesticide regulator is expected to rule later this summer on the future of paraquat, as pressure mounts from health campaigners calling for the herbicide to be banned. The Australian…

CROP MANAGEMENT

Cereals 2026: BYDV breeding efforts start to bring rewards

New solutions for managing barley yellow dwarf virus (BYDV) were being discussed at Cereals 2026, after a particularly bad season for the virus caused by continuous aphid activity over a…

BARLEY

Gene-edited barley with higher lipid levels is UK first

A gene-edited spring barley with higher lipid levels has become the first crop to receive a Precision Bred Organism (PBO) marketing notice through the UK’s new regulatory pathway for precision…

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VARIETY SELECTION

Cereals 2026: Hybrid wheats offer yield and consistency

A new generation of hybrid wheat varieties could soon help UK growers break through the yield plateau, thanks to hybrid vigour and more extensive rooting. Other benefits include greater yield…

NUTRITION AND FERTILISER

How to unlock phosphate and improve herbicide efficacy

Up to 80% of applied phosphate can become locked up within days of application, significantly reducing the effectiveness of the fertiliser. “Research shows less than 10% of applied phosphate may…

SOILS

No-till farm evolves to combat frequent flooding

Frequent flooding, poor arable prices and a desire to share knowledge with others is driving on-farm change for Tess Lincoln and her husband Tom. Their Leicestershire farm has a history…

DRILLING

Pros and cons of wider row spacing for cropping resilience

Wider-row spacing could offer arable farmers the opportunity to establish a more resilient cropping system. Farmers Weekly hears the latest advice from machinery specialist Horsch and rounds-up the pros and…

MARKET OPPORTUNITIES

Project investigates feasibility of combinable hemp

For a crop that is relatively cheap to grow, with plenty of end market uses, hemp hasn’t exactly hit major highs in the UK. Hemp has an array of potential…

ROTATIONS

Cereals 2026: Benefits of OSR and linseed in the rotation

While many see it as a choice between oilseed rape or winter linseed, one expert argues there is much to be gained by growing both within a rotation. Nigel Padbury,…

DISEASE MANAGEMENT

Take-all in wheat: Advice for growers as weather shifts risk

Take-all is the most economically damaging root disease of consecutive wheats in UK arable systems, with yield losses in the range 10-20% common. Its impact can be much worse in…

MARKET OPPORTUNITIES

The farming practices helping create a better food system

Interest in farm practices that improve the nutrient content of food is at an all-time high as consumer focus switches to quality and resilient farming systems. Farmers Weekly spoke to…

DISEASE MANAGEMENT

Dry harvest and long storage raise potato disease risk

Low market movement of potatoes has left ware crops in store longer than usual, making store hygiene a key priority this summer. The dry harvest conditions of 2025 increased tuber…

CROP MANAGEMENT

Caithness farmer grows over 10t/ha spring oat crop

Growing crops on the far north coast of mainland Scotland can be a challenge, with heavy rain and gusty winds often limiting establishment. But this didn’t stop Caithness farmer John…

MARKET OPPORTUNITIES

Why one farm switched from dairy to hay, straw and trees

A Leicestershire farming family has built a more resilient farming business, diversifying into selling hay, straw and Christmas trees direct to the public alongside cereal cropping. This summer, Jim Mount,…

WHEAT

How a colour sorter investment helps secure milling premiums

The investment in a new colour sorter is helping the Wright family improve grain quality at their Leicestershire farm. With profit margins getting tighter, Wright’s Agriculture wanted to invest in…

ARABLE

Crop Watch: Winter wheat in flower and T3 timing arrives

The recent warm weather has seen crops quickly race through their growth stage, with wheat in flower and ready for T3 fungicide applications. Here is the latest from Farmers Weekly’s…

BARLEY

Whisky slowdown hits Scottish malting barley

Spring barley is the cornerstone of Scottish arable farming, accounting for 50% of all cropping across the country. More than half of this production is destined for the malting industry,…

CROP SELECTION

Young couple's pasta start-up champions 100% British spelt

Imogen and Matt Royall have turned a shared passion for British food into a successful pasta-making business producing 100% British spelt pasta. Neither originally set out on a food-based career…

WEED MANAGEMENT

Novel electric weeder works without chemicals or moving soil

A non-chemical systemic approach to weed control is now commercially available to UK farmers, following the launch of Garford’s electric weeder. The novel system is the result of a collaboration…

Farmer Focus

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FARMER FOCUS

Farmer Focus: This year's mighty blackgrass battle

I hope everyone has had some meaningful moisture recently. It has certainly made a difference here. This year, blackgrass in the oats was flowering by 10 April, most of it…

FARMER FOCUS

Farmer Focus: Fertiliser secured for next season

After temperatures reached 32C at the end of May, causing damage to crops on the lighter land, rain at the start of June brought a welcome change. However, constant rain…

FARMER FOCUS

Farmer Focus: Nightmare weeds as herbicides struggle

Sulfonylurea herbicides have struggled this spring, with very poor control of mayweed, chickweed and groundsel which initially appeared to have died. They then seemed to find a new lease of…

FARMER FOCUS

Farmer Focus: Food security is becoming high risk

Spring 2026 has been a dry one across the UK, more so for some than others. We have been fortunate, with rainfall at critical times, leaving crops looking respectable, but…

Markets

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CROPS MARKETS AND PRICES

Volatile markets put grain-selling tactics in the spotlight

An increasingly volatile global marketplace can have a considerable impact on farm profitability, with huge swings in wheat prices seen throughout the past year. Ex-farm feed wheat values collected by…

CROPS MARKETS AND PRICES

NFU presses Defra over stalled crops fairness review

The NFU has urged Defra to press ahead with its review of fairness in the combinable crops supply chain, arguing that greater transparency and better data are needed to secure…

CROPS MARKETS AND PRICES

GB OSR and wheat areas recover ahead of harvest

The domestic oilseed rape crop has shown a considerable improvement in the past year, with the cropping area increasing by almost 50% to 358,000ha. Oilseed rape (OSR) production has been…

CROPS MARKETS AND PRICES

Rainfall brings relief to parched crops following dry spell

Growers have welcomed widespread rainfall across much of the UK this week, helping to alleviate crop concerns following a remarkably dry spring. This year has been the warmest spring on…

CROPS MARKETS AND PRICES

Milling wheat premiums edge higher as crop concerns mount

The milling wheat premium over feed wheat has been relatively narrow in early 2026, at less than £10/t, although the gap has now begun to widen and may extend further…

CROPS MARKETS AND PRICES

Wheat markets hold firm with global crop prospects uncertain

Global grain markets remain supported following reports last week of tighter wheat supplies heading into the 2026-27 crop marketing year. UK feed wheat futures for the November contract lifted to…

CROPS MARKETS AND PRICES

Government questioned on grain imports to Ensus plant

Procurement of wheat and maize for the Ensus UK bioethanol plant in Teesside has come under scrutiny, after reports that some of the grain was being imported from France. Questions…

CROPS MARKETS AND PRICES

Bullish wheat markets push new crop above £190/t

Arable farmers were presented with a potential selling opportunity this week, as wheat markets rallied in response to the latest US Department of Agriculture (USDA) global crop estimates. UK feed…

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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CULTIVATORS

Cereals 2026: Charter Agri debuts cheap Ilgi cultivators

After returning from a 25-year stint in Poland running a John Deere, JCB and Spearhead dealership alongside a contract farming operation, Robin Charter has set up a machinery import and…

CULTIVATORS

Cereals 2026: Top-Tilth cultivator gets aggressive discs

A new iteration of Grange’s Top-Tilth cultivator sees the original single bank of wavy discs replaced by two rows of trash-churning concave versions. These add about 500kg to the total…

TRACTORS

Cereals 2026: John Deere 6M tractor and 500R sprayer updated

Cab size is now the only real differentiator between John Deere’s 6R and 6M series tractors, thanks to a handful of new optional extras on the latter. These include a…

CULTIVATORS

Cereals 2026: 3m Cousins Switchblade for 150hp tractors

To cater for those with smaller tractors or an interest in moving less soil, Cousins of Emneth has launched the Switchblade. This uses the same chassis as the heavier-duty Patriot,…

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