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SOILS

How project is helping French growers adapt to climate change

Like arable farmers in the UK, growers in central France are counting the high cost of climate change with reduced yields and the greater risk of crop failures. For members…

FARMER FOCUS

Farmer Focus: Wheat varieties are a hare v tortoise race

My Bamford wheat has hared away this spring and, in its haste, caught a dose of septoria. The problem is, I was bitten a couple of years ago with my…

FARMER FOCUS

Farmer Focus: Why I'm feeling cautiously optimistic

Cautiously optimistic – that’s how I’m feeling. Optimism is an essential trait if one is not to become consumed by the wacky world around us. Seeing crops flourish this spring…

ARABLE

Why SFI26 doesn’t stack up for Herefordshire farmer

Herefordshire farm manager Chris Greenaway has reservations on the new Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) 2026 offer, due to payment cutbacks and the reduced number of options available. Garnstone Farms has…

CROP WATCH

Crop Watch: South lacks rain as disease bites in Scotland

Farmers across the UK are seeing huge contrasts this spring. Concerns are growing in the South and East, where some rain is needed, while in Scotland, it’s the opposite problem…

PLOUGHING AND CULTIVATION

Farmer-led trial reveals effect of cultivations on bird life

A trial assessing different cultivation practices on the presence of farmland bird species has revealed striking evidence how regenerative agriculture can influence bird communities. Acoustic monitoring technology at Oli Harris’…

CROP MANAGEMENT

How tech approach lifted ‘field of the future’ margins 26%

A change in approach at Revesby Estate in Lincolnshire saw the “field of the future” deliver a 26% higher gross margin than the farm standard at harvest 2025, in a…

CROP MANAGEMENT

Biostimulant and bioherbicide tech targets yield gains

A biostimulant that can boost yields by up to 20% and a bioherbicide with insulin-like properties that fools plants into shutting down are two high-tech solutions being developed for arable…

DISEASE MANAGEMENT

Key benefits of new maize fungicide for growers

Maize growers have a new-generation azole fungicide option for managing foliar disease at the critical stem extension to flowering stage. While mefentrifluconazole is already familiar to cereal growers, the active…

FARMER FOCUS

Farmer Focus: Flooded fields to drought stress in a blink

Well, I guess it was predictable – we’ve gone from too wet to too dry in what seems like no time at all. Heavy land is starting to crack at…

ARABLE

Cereals to showcase agronomy on Cotswold brash soils

The Cereals event will make history this summer when it heads west for the first time in almost 50 years. Diddly Squat Farm in Oxfordshire is to host the UK’s…

DISEASE MANAGEMENT

Arable Insights farmers' differing tactics for wheat disease

The six farmers on the Arable Insights panel have adopted very different strategies for disease control in wheat. Strategies include more conventional approaches such as fungicides and variety choice, as…

MARKET OPPORTUNITIES

How old grain store became indoor ski slope diversification

A repurposed grain store is being used as a year-round indoor snow sports training centre on a Bedfordshire estate. The new venture sits alongside arable farming and other business activities,…

Arable news

ARABLE

Gene editing gains momentum with field trials and new approval

Field trials of a gene-edited barley crop designed to improve livestock feed efficiency and cut methane emissions are now under way on farms in England. Developed by scientists at Rothamsted…

PEST MANAGEMENT

Wireworm threat highlighted in new Scottish potato survey

Latest research findings have revealed a clear picture of the wireworm species present in Scotland. Agriotes obscurus remains the dominant species affecting Scottish potato crops, with the first independently confirmed…

CROP MANAGEMENT

Winter crops in positive condition, AHDB report confirms

The UK wheat crop looks to be much improved this year, with 82% of winter wheat currently classed as in either good or excellent condition, despite wet conditions over winter…

SUGAR BEET

Sugar beet growers remain optimistic despite disease risks

The future of British sugar beet looks positive, with domestic demand for sugar expected to stay firm and technologies such as gene editing offering longer-term opportunities. However, in the short…

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SOILS

How project is helping French growers adapt to climate change

Like arable farmers in the UK, growers in central France are counting the high cost of climate change with reduced yields and the greater risk of crop failures. For members…

ARABLE

Why SFI26 doesn’t stack up for Herefordshire farmer

Herefordshire farm manager Chris Greenaway has reservations on the new Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) 2026 offer, due to payment cutbacks and the reduced number of options available. Garnstone Farms has…

PLOUGHING AND CULTIVATION

Farmer-led trial reveals effect of cultivations on bird life

A trial assessing different cultivation practices on the presence of farmland bird species has revealed striking evidence how regenerative agriculture can influence bird communities. Acoustic monitoring technology at Oli Harris’…

CROP MANAGEMENT

How tech approach lifted ‘field of the future’ margins 26%

A change in approach at Revesby Estate in Lincolnshire saw the “field of the future” deliver a 26% higher gross margin than the farm standard at harvest 2025, in a…

CROP MANAGEMENT

Biostimulant and bioherbicide tech targets yield gains

A biostimulant that can boost yields by up to 20% and a bioherbicide with insulin-like properties that fools plants into shutting down are two high-tech solutions being developed for arable…

DISEASE MANAGEMENT

Key benefits of new maize fungicide for growers

Maize growers have a new-generation azole fungicide option for managing foliar disease at the critical stem extension to flowering stage. While mefentrifluconazole is already familiar to cereal growers, the active…

DISEASE MANAGEMENT

Arable Insights farmers' differing tactics for wheat disease

The six farmers on the Arable Insights panel have adopted very different strategies for disease control in wheat. Strategies include more conventional approaches such as fungicides and variety choice, as…

MARKET OPPORTUNITIES

How old grain store became indoor ski slope diversification

A repurposed grain store is being used as a year-round indoor snow sports training centre on a Bedfordshire estate. The new venture sits alongside arable farming and other business activities,…

NUTRITION AND FERTILISER

How funding is helping farmers with foliar nutrition efficacy

Prolonged conflict in the Middle East is having serious repercussions on fertiliser prices around the world, making Cambridgeshire farmer Tom Pearson’s foliar fertiliser project even more timely. Using home-produced foliar nitrogen,…

CROP MANAGEMENT

How grower varies seed rates and N to lift whole-field output

Wiltshire farmer Matt Fry is using variable seed rates and nitrogen to help maximise returns from each hectare of cropping. Farming 1,600ha of different soil types, ranging from heavy clay…

DISEASE MANAGEMENT

Fungicide gives grower good returns in high septoria year

Chris Baylis is seeing a clear yield benefit in using a relatively new septoria-specific flag leaf fungicide on his winter wheat in high-disease pressure seasons, and is planning to use…

POTATOES

How McCain is using a demo farm to reach its regen targets

A farm in Yorkshire is the home of the third global “Farm of the Future” launched by prepared potato product manufacturer McCain, following others in Canada and South Africa. The…

DISEASE MANAGEMENT

Yellow rust wheat threat mounts ahead of T1 fungicide sprays

Winter wheat growers face a heightened challenge of controlling septoria and yellow rust in their crops this season, with both diseases clearly visible in early spring. Farmers Weekly visited North…

NUTRITION AND FERTILISER

N-fixing bacteria cuts cost and lifts yield for Cambs growers

Cambridgeshire farmers Stephen and Jon Eayrs added a nitrogen-fixing bacterial endophyte to their winter wheat fertiliser programme last season, with promising results to show for it. The father-and-son team wanted…

ARABLE

Arable farm management software: The options and prices

For years, farm management software has been limited mostly to three options, with Gatekeeper and Greenlight Grower Management (GLGM) – also known colloquially as Muddy Boots – by far the…

NUTRITION AND FERTILISER

Why micronutrition is essential for nitrogen use efficiency

Understanding how nitrogen is processed inside the plant highlights the crucial role of micronutrition in optimising nitrogen use. Nitrogen assimilation is fundamental to plant development, and depending on the form…

Farmer Focus

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FARMER FOCUS

Farmer Focus: Wheat varieties are a hare v tortoise race

My Bamford wheat has hared away this spring and, in its haste, caught a dose of septoria. The problem is, I was bitten a couple of years ago with my…

FARMER FOCUS

Farmer Focus: Why I'm feeling cautiously optimistic

Cautiously optimistic – that’s how I’m feeling. Optimism is an essential trait if one is not to become consumed by the wacky world around us. Seeing crops flourish this spring…

FARMER FOCUS

Farmer Focus: Stressful times both for the crops and me

It has been a stressful time for both me and the crops. I sadly lost my 49-year-old best friend to a heart infection called endocarditis which led to sepsis. For…

FARMER FOCUS

Farmer Focus: Flooded fields to drought stress in a blink

Well, I guess it was predictable – we’ve gone from too wet to too dry in what seems like no time at all. Heavy land is starting to crack at…

Markets

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CROPS MARKETS AND PRICES

Growers face tough negotiations after losses at ABF sugar

Sugar beet growers face difficult contract negotiations this spring after Associated British Foods (ABF) reported sustained losses in its sugar division, driven by lower selling prices in Europe and higher…

CROPS MARKETS AND PRICES

Potato markets under strain as supply outweighs demand

Both domestic and European potato markets appear under increasing pressure, as subdued demand and ample supplies weigh on prices. European potato futures have fallen sharply again, with prices slipping from…

INPUT MARKETS AND PRICES

Growers squeezed as input costs soar while grain prices lag

Arable farmers are facing tightening margins as rising input costs continue to outpace gains in grain prices, with the conflict in the Middle East having a significant impact on costs…

BUSINESS

Farm viability under mounting pressure, MPs told

UK farming is approaching a critical pressure point this summer, as soaring fuel, fertiliser and energy prices threaten production decisions and the sector’s longer-term viability, industry leaders have warned. Giving…

CROPS MARKETS AND PRICES

Clarkson's Farm star urges growers to focus on margins

Arable farmers may need to rethink cropping plans and prioritise margin over output as fertiliser and fuel costs come under renewed pressure, a leading farm adviser has warned. Speaking to…

CROPS MARKETS AND PRICES

Improved OSR crop offers relief for UK growers

Growers with oilseed rape in the ground are generally faring better than at this time last year, with crops progressing well and farmgate prices remaining relatively supported. More than 80%…

CROPS MARKETS AND PRICES

UK wheat futures fall to £173/t in response to Iran ceasefire

The provisional agreement of a two-week ceasefire between the US and Iran and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz shipping route has weighed on global commodity prices this week.…

CROPS MARKETS AND PRICES

Sugar beet growers offered sustainability payments

British Sugar has launched a new voluntary scheme, which will financially incentivise sugar beet growers to reduce carbon emissions on farm. The initiative will offer growers financial rewards for carrying…

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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CULTIVATION AND DRILLING

Stocks Ag gives 'Jet' broadcasters a big capacity boost

A bigger hopper boost for Stocks Ag’s Turbo Jet and Maxi Jet seeders and granule broadcasters comes with a new design offering increased outputs from fewer refill stops. The new…

CULTIVATORS

New Sumo T-Press combines shallow cultivation and pressing

A combination cultivator that brings together spring tines, clod-smashing paddles and seed-bed consolidating discs or rings is Sumo’s latest tillage implement. The Yorkshire-based manufacturer says the T-Press is designed as…

TELEHANDLERS

Ultimate guide to buying a telehandler 2026

Rising machinery costs remains the dominant theme in the latest Ultimate Guide for telehandlers. Overall, compact machines have increased in price by between £1,000 and £4,000, with larger rises on…

GRAIN STORAGE EQUIPMENT

Monitoring equipment options to ease grain store management

Clambering over heaps of grain armed with temperature probes and sampling spears can be a relentless chore for anyone storing crops over time. But there is another way. A raft…

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