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CROP WATCH

Crop Watch: Cold spell to reset disease and insect pressure

Conditions have turned much wetter after storm Claudia late last week, leaving many fields too wet to travel on. Fortunately, crops have established well and are in a much better…

DISEASE MANAGEMENT

Growers warned about yellow rust as mild autumn persists

Growers are being advised to keep a watching brief for yellow rust on susceptible wheat varieties after a mild start to autumn provided ideal conditions for the disease. With plenty…

FARMER FOCUS

Farmer Focus: Prospects for year ahead do not look pretty

From a work point of view, 2025 has been a successful season, with all the major field work now complete. We finished our potato harvesting in the second half of…

VARIETY SELECTION

Why wheat variety blends will prove their worth in 2026

Next year could be the season where wheat variety blends prove their worth, bringing benefits with blackgrass control and for managing the new race of yellow rust. Speaking to farmers,…

NUTRITION AND FERTILISER

How next-gen satellites take guesswork out of N management

The science behind optimum nitrogen rates is well established, yet in practice, most crops are still either over- or under-fed. While several precision tools and sensors aim to solve the…

FARMER FOCUS

Farmer Focus: Why not fund farmers to benchmark ecology?

The kind autumn continues, and the oats are romping away. Slugs haven’t been an issue, even following cover crops. Blackgrass has emerged since drilling, which was always going to happen,…

POTATOES

How Cotswold potato grower produces high-quality seed

Specialist seed potato growers outside of well-known production areas in Scotland and Yorkshire are few and far between, but in many ways that’s what gives Jason Brain’s business its edge.…

CROP SELECTION

Gene editing clears final hurdle in Parliament

A new regulatory framework, which allows the commercial cultivation of gene-edited crops in England, has cleared its final hurdle in Parliament and comes into force from today (13 November). The…

FARMER FOCUS

Farmer Focus: Too wet to too dry means a challenging spring

Too wet has been replaced with too dry, and a little bit of too windy thrown in for good measure. They say it is always dry after a wet spell,…

WEED MANAGEMENT

How a farmer is planning weed control without flufenacet

Oxfordshire wheat grower Ollie Stobo has been using new autumn herbicide Fundatis to control his “medium” levels of blackgrass and some troublesome broad-leaved weeds. He has trialled FMC’s product across…

DISEASE MANAGEMENT

Restrictions lifted for key cereal SDHI fungicide

The chemicals regulation division (CRD) of the Health and Safety Executive has lifted restrictions on the use of a key SDHI fungicide, giving growers greater options for crops following on…

CROP WATCH

Crop Watch: Frit fly damage and disease reported in cereals

The autumn weather has turned wetter in recent days, which has halted field operations in some areas.  Among the key pests and disease reported this week is frit fly damage…

FARMER FOCUS

Farmer Focus: Volcanoes, vines and variable costs

Buenos días from a very sunny Lanzarote. I thought farming in the UK was hard, but compared to growing grapes here, it’s a walk in the park. See also: How oxygen…

WEED MANAGEMENT

How two farmers integrate strategic glyphosate in rotations

Use of glyphosate – the most widely applied herbicide in the UK – has surged over the past three decades. In recent years that increase has been driven by the…

Arable news

CROP SELECTION

Gene editing clears final hurdle in Parliament

A new regulatory framework, which allows the commercial cultivation of gene-edited crops in England, has cleared its final hurdle in Parliament and comes into force from today (13 November). The…

POTATOES

UK potato tech firm acquires sprout control specialist

Yorkshire based potato company Produce Investments has announced the acquisition of Biofresh Safestore, an established leader in sprout suppression. Expanding a growing technology portfolio, Produce Investments hopes the acquisition will…

HARVEST

Scottish growers record bumper crop for 2025 harvest

Total cereals production surpassed 3.2m tonnes in Scotland this year, according to provisional figures published by the Scottish government. This represents an increase of 8% year on year and puts…

HARVEST

Grain markets unmoved by Defra's dismal harvest data

Grain markets remain muted, despite latest data from Defra pointing to a smaller crop in England than the AHDB and most traders were expecting. According to the Defra report, England…

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VARIETY SELECTION

Why wheat variety blends will prove their worth in 2026

Next year could be the season where wheat variety blends prove their worth, bringing benefits with blackgrass control and for managing the new race of yellow rust. Speaking to farmers,…

NUTRITION AND FERTILISER

How next-gen satellites take guesswork out of N management

The science behind optimum nitrogen rates is well established, yet in practice, most crops are still either over- or under-fed. While several precision tools and sensors aim to solve the…

POTATOES

How Cotswold potato grower produces high-quality seed

Specialist seed potato growers outside of well-known production areas in Scotland and Yorkshire are few and far between, but in many ways that’s what gives Jason Brain’s business its edge.…

WEED MANAGEMENT

How a farmer is planning weed control without flufenacet

Oxfordshire wheat grower Ollie Stobo has been using new autumn herbicide Fundatis to control his “medium” levels of blackgrass and some troublesome broad-leaved weeds. He has trialled FMC’s product across…

WEED MANAGEMENT

How two farmers integrate strategic glyphosate in rotations

Use of glyphosate – the most widely applied herbicide in the UK – has surged over the past three decades. In recent years that increase has been driven by the…

COVER CROPS

Why N cut could be bad for cover crop growth and soil health

Is the drive to cut applied nitrogen fertiliser inadvertently resulting in poorer cover and catch crop growth to the detriment of soil health? Evidence from cover crop trials on farms…

WEED MANAGEMENT

How oxygen and cultivation impact glyphosate breakdown

The breakdown of glyphosate in soils is fundamentally influenced by three key factors: oxygen availability, soil biology and the presence of cultivations. Glyphosate is an effective tool for controlling weeds…

OTHER CROPS

East Sussex farm preserves Britain’s hop-growing heritage

Hops have been grown on Tibbs Farm by LE Wheeler & Sons since 1956, but the farm’s heritage in crop growing stretches back to 1690. Today, brothers Phil and Simon…

MARKET OPPORTUNITIES

High-fibre milling wheat set to offer growers new market

Commercial crops of premium-earning, high-fibre milling wheats are a step closer after bread made using wheat lines naturally high in soluble dietary fibre passed the taste test. Scientists at Rothamsted…

SOILS

7 organically approved soil amendments to boost cropping

Healthy soil is the foundation of a thriving cropping system. Below, are a variety of organically approved soil amendments that can help farmers enhance soil health and productivity. “The ultimate…

POTATOES

How UK potato harvest has fared in a challenging 2025 season

One of the driest potato growing seasons in living memory has proved challenging for growers across the UK. We spoke to four farmers to find out how their crops performed.…

PULSES

Why spring bean seed test can avoid disease risks

Growers using home-saved spring beans are advised to test seed ahead of planting, to avoid poor germination and crop health issues. The cost of testing is modest compared with the…

PLOUGHING AND CULTIVATION

How a farmer grows cereals without plough or herbicides

Organic farmer Peter Cheek is successfully growing a range of cereal crops in a min-till system without the use of the plough or herbicides. Instead, a series of strategic cultivations…

PLOUGHING AND CULTIVATION

Trial shows best break crops and cultivation for wheat profit

Discussion around which cultivation approach is best has been a central theme of many a pub debate or magazine article in recent years. But 20 years of the long-term Sustainability…

PEST MANAGEMENT

Wetter weather could see slug rise in newly drilled wheat

With more unsettled weather forecast across the UK following recent rain, slug activity is expected to rise, posing a threat to newly planted wheat crops. The hot and dry summer…

PEST MANAGEMENT

High insect activity increases BYDV risk in mild autumn

A combination of earlier drilling and mild conditions has seen a heightened risk of insect activity, prompting concerns of barley yellow dwarf virus (BYDV) in cereal crops. Continued mild weather…

Farmer Focus

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FARMER FOCUS

Farmer Focus: Prospects for year ahead do not look pretty

From a work point of view, 2025 has been a successful season, with all the major field work now complete. We finished our potato harvesting in the second half of…

FARMER FOCUS

Farmer Focus: Why not fund farmers to benchmark ecology?

The kind autumn continues, and the oats are romping away. Slugs haven’t been an issue, even following cover crops. Blackgrass has emerged since drilling, which was always going to happen,…

FARMER FOCUS

Farmer Focus: Too wet to too dry means a challenging spring

Too wet has been replaced with too dry, and a little bit of too windy thrown in for good measure. They say it is always dry after a wet spell,…

FARMER FOCUS

Farmer Focus: Volcanoes, vines and variable costs

Buenos días from a very sunny Lanzarote. I thought farming in the UK was hard, but compared to growing grapes here, it’s a walk in the park. See also: How oxygen…

Markets

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CROPS MARKETS AND PRICES

Spring barley area set to fall by 15% in 2026 as wheat rises

Provisional estimates forecast the total UK barley area will fall next year to the lowest levels since 2010, at below 1m hectares. The spring barley area is expected to fall…

CROPS MARKETS AND PRICES

UK oilseeds area rebounds after best establishment in years

Some confidence has returned to the oilseeds sector as growers report the “best establishment in years” following a favourable planting window for the crop. Grower-owned co-operative United Oilseeds forecasts the…

CROPS MARKETS AND PRICES

Redundancies at maltsters raise alarm for barley growers

The Scottish malting barley sector has been hit with fresh challenges over the past month as several maltsters look to scale back operations. Despite higher yields and a bumper barley…

CROPS MARKETS AND PRICES

Wheat quality improves in 2025 despite regional challenges

Almost half (47%) of Group 1 milling wheat sampled as part of AHDB’s Cereal Quality Survey met or exceeded the typical Group 1 bread wheat specification for 2025. This represents…

CROPS MARKETS AND PRICES

UK wheat strengthens to £165/t as US-China talks lift markets

Flickers of optimism have returned to grain markets this week, with UK wheat futures rebounding to near £165/t for November after hitting a contract low of £159/t last week. The…

CROPS MARKETS AND PRICES

Hay shortage leads to exceptional prices and French imports

Fodder shortages following an extremely dry summer have led to an increased interest in hay at auction. Gloucestershire auctioneering firm Tayler and Fletcher held its first hay and straw sale…

CROPS MARKETS AND PRICES

Wheat markets remain lacklustre despite small UK crop

Domestic wheat markets have shown little momentum during October, with prices still bearish despite both Defra and the AHDB estimating a smaller than expected crop. UK wheat futures opened at…

HARVEST

Scottish growers record bumper crop for 2025 harvest

Total cereals production surpassed 3.2m tonnes in Scotland this year, according to provisional figures published by the Scottish government. This represents an increase of 8% year on year and puts…

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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CEREAL DRILLS

Agritechnica 2025: Lemken goes no-till with NT disc drill

There’s a new name in the no-till disc drill game as Lemken wheels out its latest creation – the Solitair NT. Armed with two rows of 480mm ProDisc coulters, it…

TRACTORS

Agritechnica 2025: 195-272hp Versatile Nemesis hits Europe

Versatile has finally committed to shipping its Nemesis tractors to Europe, six years after their launch in North America. The five-strong range, which runs from 195-272hp, is also sold by Kubota…

CEREAL DRILLS

Agritechnica 2025: Vaderstad Spirit gets coulter pressure boost

Redesigned disc arms on Vaderstad’s Spirit drill allow coulter pressure to be cranked up from the current 80kg to 120kg. These are cast rather than fashioned from box-section and are…

COMBINES

Agritechnica 2025: Electric drivetrain for Zoomlion combine

Combines can cause enough headaches without the added challenge of dealing with a high-voltage power system. But that hasn’t deterred Zoomlion, one of several hundred Chinese exhibitors at Agritechnica, from…

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