Menu

Arable top stories

WEED MANAGEMENT

Post-em herbicide permitted for key winter wheat and barley

Farmers now have the option to apply Proclus or Bandur (aclonifen) in winter wheat and winter barley post-emergence up to the four-leaf stage, and the active can now be used…

FARMER FOCUS

Farmer Focus: Umpteen jobs and a recycled shed

Since it’s now distinctly “back end”, and for a change we’re pretty much worked up, focus here has turned towards winter jobs. Alongside the usual machinery and shed maintenance, we…

FARMER FOCUS

Farmer Focus: The problems caused by a hungry squirrel

We’re in the very fortunate position of having full fibre broadband connection at the farm. This means that day-to-day administrative tasks that were once painfully slow online can be done…

MARKET OPPORTUNITIES

How heritage rye is used to produce regen premium whisky

A startup firm is delving into English whisky making, which is a relatively rare concept, and its core product is rarer still – rye whisky. Fielden regen whisky has a…

NUTRITION AND FERTILISER

Biostimulants show wheat yield promise under low N use

Results from a three-year independent study revealed the use of biological products had a greater impact on winter wheat yield and margin where a lower nitrogen rate was applied. Efforts…

PEST MANAGEMENT

New tool helps farmers manage costly potato pest

Scottish potato growers are set to benefit from a new interactive tool which allows them to predict the impact of different potato varieties, cover crops and the use of nematicides…

DISEASE MANAGEMENT

Why variety and drill date are key to yield and disease

Growers looking to reduce fungicide use and reliance on synthetic chemistry are advised to start by focusing on two key decisions: variety choice and drilling date. While there is growing…

MARKET OPPORTUNITIES

New Wildfarmed partnership unveils British barista oat drink

Regenerative food and farming business Wildfarmed has partnered with barista brand Minor Figures to launch a new drink made with regeneratively grown British oats. Barista Oat (Regenerative) is the latest…

FARMER FOCUS

Farmer Focus: Dark days made darker by loss of a loved one

Autumn is normally a favourite season in our family and an opportunity for more time at home as jobs on the farm are completed. This year, though, as the light…

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 to stay vigilant for yellow rust this autumn

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,…

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…

More articles

How to make SFI a success on your arable farm

Explore arable Know How

  • Business advice
  • Essential guides
  • Practical tips
  • Case studies
Wheat
Barley
Oilseed rape
Potatoes
Sugar beet
Maize
Pulses
Other crops
Explore all topics

Latest from arable Know How

See all

MARKET OPPORTUNITIES

How heritage rye is used to produce regen premium whisky

A startup firm is delving into English whisky making, which is a relatively rare concept, and its core product is rarer still – rye whisky. Fielden regen whisky has a…

NUTRITION AND FERTILISER

Biostimulants show wheat yield promise under low N use

Results from a three-year independent study revealed the use of biological products had a greater impact on winter wheat yield and margin where a lower nitrogen rate was applied. Efforts…

DISEASE MANAGEMENT

Why variety and drill date are key to yield and disease

Growers looking to reduce fungicide use and reliance on synthetic chemistry are advised to start by focusing on two key decisions: variety choice and drilling date. While there is growing…

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…

Farmer Focus

See all

FARMER FOCUS

Farmer Focus: Umpteen jobs and a recycled shed

Since it’s now distinctly “back end”, and for a change we’re pretty much worked up, focus here has turned towards winter jobs. Alongside the usual machinery and shed maintenance, we…

FARMER FOCUS

Farmer Focus: The problems caused by a hungry squirrel

We’re in the very fortunate position of having full fibre broadband connection at the farm. This means that day-to-day administrative tasks that were once painfully slow online can be done…

FARMER FOCUS

Farmer Focus: Stones skew soil indices and manure rules

The farm looks a picture at present. We have corner-to-corner wheat and barley. The wild bird mixes have been flowering and setting seed, and the cover crops have put on…

FARMER FOCUS

Farmer Focus: Dark days made darker by loss of a loved one

Autumn is normally a favourite season in our family and an opportunity for more time at home as jobs on the farm are completed. This year, though, as the light…

Markets

See all

CROPS MARKETS AND PRICES

UK wheat markets falter with global supplies set to rise

UK feed wheat futures for May 2026 dropped to a contract low of £171.50/t on 26 November, as a stronger pound made domestic wheat less competitive on global markets. The…

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…

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

See all

CEREAL DRILLS

Versatile Vredo DZ5 Overseeder sows three species at once

Both direct drilling and overseeding of multi-species swards are now possible with the latest iteration of Vredo’s Overseeder. The DZ5 is capable of sowing three different seed types or products…

TRACTORS

On test: Time-proven John Deere 6M 155 finally gets 50kph

Some tractors prove to be stinkers, others functional if unremarkable, and a very select few transcend an era. John Deere’s 30-series – the 6930 and 7530 in particular – has…

CEREAL DRILLS

APV unveils 1,600-litre twin-compartment front tank

Austrian outfit APV has joined the army of manufacturers offering front hoppers designed to be paired with a toolbar drill. The 1,600-litre unit features a central wall that can be…

PLOUGHS

On test: Pottinger's revamped Servo 3000 plough

Whisper it, but plough makers could be set for better times, if one Essex grower’s recent experiences are anything to go by. As reported in Farmers Weekly, direct drilling zealot…

Most popular this week